On the Move - Mantra

The life of a DJ is rarely one of stillness. Constantly on the move, travelling to and from gigs, up and down the country, and across the globe, record bags in hand.
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But what do our best-loved DJs listen to when they’re not picking their set selections? Our new feature, On the Move, asks some go-to sound guru’s to stop, pause, and collate their top picks for travel to and from their gigs.

For this edition, Mantra, fabric resident and founder of the staple London drum and bass night Rupture, puts together a playlist of tunes she’s currently listening to On the Move.

A lot of the time I drive to and from gigs. I often use the opportunity to listen to mixes or demos people send me. Going to a gig, I want to listen to music that uplifts me and gets me in battle mode! I’m filled with nervous excited energy and need tunes to help channel that. On the way home it’s a totally different vibe. I want to unwind and play music that’s often quite nostalgic. I also don’t want anything too dark - it’s usually 5/6 in the morning and I get easily creeped out haha... - Mantra
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Heading out:

DJ Die - Reincarnations‍

Uuuuuuurgh, dunno what else to say haha. A moody jungle stepper that could only be made by Die. This track reminds me of being deep in the mix and gets me hyped at the thought of mixing my favourite tunes in a club to a crowd of ravers - what a total buzz DJing is!

‍The Bodysnatchers - Ruder then you‍

Feminist ska from a pioneering all women fronted band, with lead singer Rhoda Dhakar. This track is like a pep talk from a big sister telling to you hold your head up, you got this, go forth and murder the dance!

‍The Fall - Totally Wired‍

Blast this one, listen to the crazy bastard Mark E Smith rambling in the way that only he can and get wired haha I love the line ‘You don’t have to be strange to be strange’. My kids love this track but they think it's 'I'm totally Wild' let's keep it that way.

‍Kemistry & Storm - DJ Kicks‍

A legendary mix from two icons. I always put on Kemistry and Storms mixes, they inspire me endlessly. They help focus me and get me in a really good state of mind before a gig. ‍‍

‍Eckhart Tolle ‍

This is for when my nerves are taking over. Wack on a bit of Eckhart, get some perspective, tune into the present and get grounded.

‍Heading home:

Groovy D - Timeless‍

I started raving to garage before jungle so garage will always have a place in my heart. Groovy D is a sick Leeds based producer and this track is just so me. It’s musical, deep, soulful, the b line is running, the step is rough - it’s the perfect driving tune.

‍Source Direct - A Made up Sound‍

The rhodes in this track is totally dreamy, it relaxes me straight away. It’s a proper listening track that you need to hear from beginning to end. I love to study the simplicity and detail of it - the apache is so sick, and the baseline gives the track this laid back feel whilst also driving it forward - magik!

‍Roza Terrenzi & DJ Zozi - G Step‍

Bit obsessed with these 2, pretty much everything they release blows my mind. Love the arps, synths, groove of the drums…perfect 5am driving through the streets of London track.

‍Coco Bryce - Wish we Didn’t‍

What a tune, the whole Night of Earth album is just brilliant. The way he’s worked the track around the sample, it’s simple, raw, stripped back but filled with emotion. Love.

‍The Black Dog - Virtual‍

What can I say about this track - a total masterpiece and track that takes you on a journey. It was made in 1989!  It’s such a beautiful track. It's also been sampled in Jo - Imagine the Future and DJ Junk - Monsters & Demons (and I'm sure loads of other stuff too). Double O dropped in at Rupture’s 15th Birthday last year and it sounded totally glorious on Corsica’s system!