To deem Amy Dabbs‘ approach to DJ’ing highly energetic would be a huge understatement. No matter if the UK born and raised artist dishes out straight four-four house, bouncy UK Garage or heavy-hitting bass music, she has ravers on the tip of their toes throughout her sets. That doesn’t mean, however, that there’s no space for heartfelt, profound emotions and a soulful, authentic groove that pays homage to the roots of house music, as she proves in her contribution to our podcast series.

What did you have in mind when recording this mix?

I wanted to create a mix that covers a range of the different styles that I play across the broad spectrum of sounds I grew up on in the UK. I’ve been loving playing more UKG in Berlin recently, since there’s now more of an appetite for it than when I moved here in 2018, but I didn’t want the mix to focus solely on that as I often play a lot of other genres in my sets. So this mix covers house, garage, bass and even some techno vibes. I really love high-energy sounds, so that’s what I like to bring out both in my sets and in my productions.

Where did you record it and which setup did you use?

I recorded it live at my home in Berlin, on two mismatched turntables (a 1210 and a Vestax PDX2000 scratch deck I bought around 2003 for some reason), and a Pioneer controller.

What’s the most memorable gig you played so far?

That has to go down as Panorama Bar earlier this year. It was a dream to be on the decks there, and my friends turned out in force both from Berlin and overseas. It was epic.

The recent Dabbs Traxx party at Renate comes a pretty close second—it’s so special to see a new community come together here in Berlin that loves the UK sound.

Can you name a secret weapon that you use frequently?

Chris Gialanze – Gunna Be. I heard Seb Zito play this at Watergate during our b2b and was immediately hooked. It still features regularly in both my garage and my house sets—it’s a banger.

Three recent releases that caught your attention?

INSTINCT (UK) – Lost From the Vaults. This EP is a masterclass in nodding to original UKG music, delicately using some of the old samples in really fresh original tracks. I’m a huge fan of INSTINCT (UK), he always delivers the highest quality productions and the sound is right up my street. His housey stuff is full of rave and 90s influences, and the garage tracks are all heaters!

OPPIDAN – My Name Is OPP! This whole EP is packed with dance floor energy, it’s a really slick selection of 130-140 jams that would fit into so many different types of sets. I’m loving all the hybrid speed garage x techno tunes at the moment, so „DARWIN“ is a real standout track for me here.

1OO1O – HEARTBREAX. This is the kind of footwork I play in my jungle sets, full of lush pads and emotive sounds. 1OO1O makes 160 beats that sound so modern and so nostalgic at the same time. I only came across him recently and I’m loving the breadth of the stuff he’s putting out, from house through to really rhythmic uptempo breaks.

What do you have coming up?

I just dropped my Green Room EP on Shall Not Fade, named after the room I’ve held my residency in at Renate for the last 3 years, and where I’ve been running my Dabbs Traxx label parties. I have some exciting plans for Dabbs Traxx in 2026, including more events both in and outside of Berlin, and I’ll be opening the label up for demos from other artists next year too. My first release in 2026 will be a solo EP on Dabbs Traxx, including a speed garage track I just finished that’s been going off when I’ve road-tested it at my shows, and a collaboration with the super-talented Berlin-based vocalist, Tee Amara.

Track list:

Anil Aras – Dexed Tek
1OO1O – Génesis Video Disco
Demi Riquísimo, The Trip (UK) – Midnight Shift
Yoke (UK) – Respect The Massive
Instinct (UK) – Desire
Amy Dabbs – Take Me High
CAZ – Rosanna
bullet tooth – Bounce
Amy Dabbs – Over You
KAISUI, aaron2.0 – First Time
Sam Binga & Redders – Oh My Gosh (Gemi RMX)
Zoro – Acid Headtopper
canary yellow, Next to Blue – Front to Back
NIGHT manoeuvres, Chloé Robinson & Riko Dan – Work It Out
Brenda – Ultra—Feral
Bodhi – Get That
OPPIDAN – DARWIN
TODDZ – Full Metal Jacket