Episode 8 comes from Brooklyn-based DJ and selector slipnat, whose DIY-informed, mood-first instincts shape a wide-ranging approach to sound and curation. Recorded bedroom-style in Brooklyn, this mix plays like a mixtape that simmers through ambient drift, shoegaze and dreampop, leftfield turns, and a handful of full-body peaks, all without losing the thread. Quick pivots, clean landings, and a razor-sharp sense of pacing and momentum make it eclectic in the best way. A masterclass in arrangement.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__slipnat
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/slipnat
Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/dj/slipnat
Tracklist
Grand Prix – Nala Sinephro
in motion – Ann Annie
When It's Cold I'd Like to Die – Moby
Afternoon & Murakami – Dot Da Genius
Squeeze-Wax – Cocteau Twins
No Ordinary Morning (Original Mix) – Chicane
Erik’s Song – Slowdive
Snake Dance – Mychael Danna
5 Strings (lake) ft. j. fisher – OHYUNG
Firen (reading edit) – Yimino
Day You Told Me – Colle
Go Away – Strawberry Switchblade
Dust – Kosaya Gora, Kedr Livanskiy, & Fl
Tren – Sylvia Meyer
Trama – Laura Canoura
Rain Rain – Li Garattoni
I'm Not In Love – 10cc
Bahlam Maak – Najat Al Saghira
Lana del Rey – Born to die (Version Cumbia) – Tatsu 19
Blessing – Marçal
Dallyvius Ephai – Sunshower
Young Lungs – Stereolab
Nasin El Donya – Ragheb Alama
Nesrin Zreik – Khalilni Ma'ak – mazika video e1
benedicamus domino – Hildegard von Bingen
زواج Zawaj – Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy
Queer – Garbage
Dance To The Beat (Piano-Groove-Mix) – Masterboy
Too Late – Gui Boratto
domine deus meus – Hildegard von Bingen
mirabilis deus – Hildegard von Bingen
Sexual (original radio edit) - Amber
favus distillans – Hildegard von Bingen
يا حاج Haj – Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy
Ojos Del Salado – David Pasajero
Grave diggers Have more fun – DJ Arne LII
Barabas – Hooverphonic
By This River – Brian Eno
Love Is Stronger Than Death – The The
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For anyone new to you, can you introduce yourself, tell us where you’re from or currently based, and what it is you do? How would you describe your sound?
"I’m slipnat, currently based in Brooklyn, NY. I lived in Houston during the beginning of my childhood and then moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’ve been in NYC since 2016. My family is from New Delhi, India, and Antigua, Guatemala.
I would describe my sound as eclectic. I make mixes to have existential crises to, to write to, or to listen to in the shower at 9 p.m. I’ve been deep in trip-hop and shoegaze this year, discovering new mix series and DJs on SoundCloud that have shaped what I unwind to. Outside of music, I’m an adjunct professor at Queens College and a 4th-year PhD student in Clinical Psychology. A lot of my musical sensibility comes from my time in Ann Arbor and a DIY space for live gigs, readings, and organizing called Arbor Vitae."
Tell us about the mix you’ve recorded for us. When and where was this mix recorded and with what type of equipment? Any stories or quirks from the session worth sharing?
"I like to mix to unwind and consider myself a proud bedroom DJ (non-derogatory). I use a DDJ-400, a standing desk, and a pair of Yamaha HS5 studio monitors. That’s basically it. I’m honestly overdue for an upgrade. I recorded this mix on a Tuesday after making myself chicken bone broth with mixed veggies in my crock pot, which is probably responsible for 50% of the vibe."
This mix features a wide range of genres, tempos, and styles, all blended beautifully. Was there an idea, concept, or particular vibe you were going for?
"I make playlists on Apple Music by season. This mix started as my summer soundtrack. These are songs that lived in my 14-year-old Saab 9-3 Aero that whole season. He’s my son. It’s a mix built around the feeling of motion and impending goodbyes: windows down, whistling to melodies, warm air, and late-night drives back from Riis beach. It’s about the sounds of July and the openness in ones heart that summer creates."
With such a diverse set of tracks, can you walk us through your creative process when approaching a new mix?
"Being a classically trained violinist makes blending different keys together something I love to play with. My tagging system is chaotic. I organize by genres I’ve invented (“commuting music” or “songs I wish I could send you”) or by colors the tracks remind me of. The color system ends up guiding most of my mixes, because they capture moods better than any genre label could."
You mention that a lot of your musical sensibility comes from your time in Ann Arbor and a DIY space called Arbor Vitae. What was that space like, and how did it influence the way you think about music, community, or organizing?
"I’m really grateful to have grown up so close to Detroit and to have had older friends in high school and college who would drive me out or host me. They were the ones who first took me to Club Toilet back in 2015 which is still one of my favorite parties ever. Arbor Vitae, though, was the first space that made me feel like music, community, and organizing could all blur into one thing.
It was a DIY loft above a clothing store called Bivouac in downtown Ann Arbor. There were two entrances: one from State Street that led you up into an atrium and kitchen — shelves packed with books, scrolls, random potions, and trinkets left behind by previous residents. There were instruments tucked into the back corner: a drum set, piano, standing double bass, and enough gear for live performances, readings, DJ sets, and everything in between.
The other entrance was up through an alley that opened into the lofted living space. The layout was maze-like, almost like a giant treehouse. All the walls were painted in every color you could imagine, and at any given time four or five artists lived there. It had a grungy, secretive feel, like you had to have known at least one person who became an anarchist before turning fifteen to even hear about it (kind of kidding).
Arbor Vitae introduced me to noise, punk, metal, and techno, and it completely shifted how I think about genre...how porous it is, how things relate more through feeling than form. It also taught me the value of communal experimentation, and, importantly, how good mulled wine can be. For the angsty kid I was in Michigan, it was an oasis: a place where ideas, sounds, and emotions could be pushed to their edges. I’ll never forget the time I saw someone perform spoken word while intermittently barking like a dog and playing a drum machine. Moments like that still shape how I think about performance, community, and the freedom that comes from making something with other like-minded and conscientious people in the room."
Does the New York scene play in your sound right now? Are there parties, venues, crews, or local DJs that have been especially influential or that you would like to give a shout out to?
"I think it's hard to find places to play out moody soundscapes but I hope I can play at LSD next year. S/o to Teeyam (https://www.instagram.com/baba_pishi) for putting me on the bill with Jay (https://www.instagram.com/jsc.001) at Dada in Ridgewood back in March. Some mix series that have been especially influential this year have been pleasure gallery (https://soundcloud.com/pleasuregallery), ghosts (https://soundcloud.com/ghosts-mix-series), theory therapy (https://soundcloud.com/theory-therapy), and any mix that Mike Midnight, Smilegoth, or Hysterical Love Project put out."
