Mike Isai

Round two of the sounds that define the season. There’s a specific energy that hits when the music matches the temperature outside. Sun on your face, the breeze in the air, and the music setting the tone. These are a few more records that have been stuck in my head lately, feel free to drop a track that fits this feeling.

“Raving” and “clubbing” historically meant very different things. Now the lines feel blurrier, not because one replaced the other, but because the words themselves are shifting. Language evolves. Culture evolves. Social media speeds both up.

Clubbing. Raving. Same night? Different thing? Depends who you ask.

Mike Isai - Desire

Out now on

These tracks speaks through rhythm with the percussions driving the track. There’s a space these tracks pull you into, where the drums stop playing a role and become the focus. The rhythm runs the show, stacking and circling until you’re fully locked in. It’s not about big moments or payoff, it’s about the push, the weight, the way the groove holds a room together. Built to keep you moving, looping, staying right there in it. Eyes down, head gone, just rhythm. These are some of my favorites right now from the current era, but if you’ve got one that does the same, drop it in the comments.

Techno doesn’t feel like just a genre to me anymore, it feels more like a space where ideas from other electronic styles are able to move again. Certain genres can feel boxed in by unspoken rules. Inside techno, those same ideas seem to open up, shift, and connect with new generations of dancers. I started noticing this around 2018, when music that was heavily trance influenced began showing up under names like Copenhagen techno. Same emotional drive, same forward momentum, just framed differently. I’m hearing it again now with hardgroove, pulling heavily from early 2000s tribal house. Percussion loops and rhythms reworked for today’s floors rather than recycled for nostalgia. What I love about this moment is that it doesn’t feel like genre tourism or revivalism. It feels more older ideas finding relevance again without being trapped by expectations of what they’re supposed to sound like. Between independent labels, Bandcamp, and DJ sets, techno has become a place where experimentation isn’t punished and creativity isn’t policed. You can bring in whatever influences shaped you, as long as it works on the floor.

This is just my perspective from watching how these sounds shift over time. Curious if anyone else hears it the same way.

(Ishkur’s Guide might need an update at this point)

I’m incredibly proud to announce that my new EP “Control” is out today on the legendary 🇦🇷
This project is a direct reflection of my roots🗽 heavy percussions, driving rhythms, and a moody atmosphere that is unmistakably New York. But this video, pure magic. This is raw footage from when first played “Control” at Forja in 2023. I chose to share this raw clip because the Argentine crowd is simply unlike any other, their passion is unmatched. While the official broadcast beautifully captured the massive scale of Forja, I wanted you to hear the roar from the dance floor. This audio captures the real, visceral reaction and the moment the crowd went crazy. You can hear the energy in the room.

Control is out now. Link in bio.

Residencies That Defined NYC Clubbing History. As I begin my residency in NYC with I’ve been thinking about what that really means in this city. When I look back, it’s not only the DJs, it’s the rooms, Larry Levan at Paradise Garage, Danny Tenaglia at Twilo, Junior Vasquez at Sound Factory, David Morales at Red Zone, Victor Calderone at Roxy, Jonathan Peters at Sound Factory, and Tony Humphries just across the river in Jersey at Zanzibar. Those nights were built on trust, consistency, and letting a sound grow with a crowd over time. Not trying to recreate anything. Just stepping into it with respect for the history and letting my own chapter unfold naturally.