Mix of the Month January 2026 Winner – Crowley

Our first Mix of the Month winner for 2026 comes from the Australian capital. Crowley, a Progressive House, Breaks and Tech DJ from Canberra, takes the January spot with a mix that is a solid reminder of what this competition is all about.

For those unfamiliar, Crowley is a selector who works across a broad spectrum of electronic sounds, moving from melodic downtempo passages through to dark, driving broken beats with a confidence that suggests he has spent serious time in the crates. He also hosts a weekly radio show, showcasing everything from well known producers to hard to find vinyl deep cuts. It is this kind of curatorial approach that makes a DJ worth paying attention to. Anyone can play the big records. Knowing where to dig for the ones nobody else has is a different thing altogether.

His winning mix reflects that mindset. The progression feels natural and unforced, building through layers rather than relying on obvious peaks and drops. There is a considered quality to the programming, and it is the kind of mix that holds up on repeat listens. Canberra does not always feature in conversations about electronic music in Australia, but submissions like this are a good reminder that solid selectors turn up everywhere.

Congratulations, Crowley.

How did you approach your mix from a creative and technical standpoint – what story were you aiming to tell, and how did that influence your selection, sequencing, and transitions?

For the past 2 years I’ve been pulling together weekly mixes for a community radio station with a goal to get the majority of my music collection into mixes so I can share the music I love and can listen in a mix rather than an unmixed playlist. In my sets, I am generally looking for a cruisy opening, and building to some banging tunes around the 30-40 min mark and wrapping up with something a little different or memorable. For better or worse I usually try to blend tracks as long as I can rather than quickly cutting between.

I often find some happy accidents this way where 2 tracks go really well together and you get a mini remix on the fly like the Caliber x James Blake blend in this mix. I do these mixes live because again, in the moment I sometimes get some really interesting combos which probably wouldn’t happen if I planned everything out. I also try to include some tracks from Australian artists/remixers/labels which punch above their weight and often less known e.g. Seep D and Andy Garvey in this mix. I have generally had a better response on my breaks mixes which is probably down to the fact that I find good progressive/tech breaks tracks are a bit harder to find and not as many people are into this sound. 

Were there any particular production or mixing techniques you used to maintain cohesion or enhance dynamics across the mix? For instance, did you favour long blends, harmonic mixing, or any custom edits to help the narrative flow?

I definitely go for a longer blend in order to create something unique and more interesting than putting up a playlist or hard cutting between tracks. These days you see a lot of artists putting out 3 min long tracks which I generally steer away from. Having said that, if I really can’t live without the track, I will use loops to make it work. I tend to do this on the fly rather than pre edit because I think it makes it more interesting (and entertaining for me!) I like to use some effects for the same reason, I’m trying to create something more unique and interesting, with better flow than a playlist. Given its a pre recorded mix I can take risks that I wouldn’t necessarily attempt at a live gig.

How have your musical experiences and influences shaped your sound?

I’m really fortunate that I’ve been able to see a diverse range of quality artists over the years. I spent 4 years living in South East London and so got to regularly attend legendary venues like Fabric, The End, Ministry of Sound, Corsica Studios as well as a bunch of other underground events. The first DJ I really latched onto was probably Sasha and have definitely been inspired especially by the intros he puts together. I also follow John Digweed and Anthony Pappa pretty regularly.

Early on I got really hooked into the progressive breaks sounds particularly out of Melbourne including Phil K and Luke Chable but also artists like Habersham, Prodigy and James Zabiela have had a big impact. I have also spent some time digging into dubstep e.g. Skream and Benga, DnB including Marcus Intalex and DBridge, Electro e.g. Anthony Rother and more recently Dub techno sounds. I try to bring a range of these influences into my mixes and am constantly looking for new and interesting music along these lines that I think could go well together.

About the Decoded Magazine Mix of the Month

Our Mix of the Month competition is open to DJs worldwide, regardless of profile or experience. Upload your mix to a streaming platform such as Mixcloud or SoundCloud and send us the link along with a tracklist.

For more information, including rules of entry and where to submit, head here

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