Jay Donaldson aka Palms Trax is a UK producer and DJ based in Berlin with releases for the likes of Lobster Theremin and Dekmantel. With an extremely diverse catalogue of music you are never quite sure what he is going to play which is especially the case with the following mix from his residency on Berlin Community Radio.
This mix encompasses a lot of South African house music, a genre which Palms Trax is including more and more in his sets. The influence of this sound can also be heard in some of his productions, through the use of similar drum patterns and high pitched synth melodies. Mixes of this ilk are usually down-tempo however Palms Trax provides a high octane mix by switching it up often rather than letting all tracks play out. Each time he does so you feel as if you are being gifted another present as the DJ plays a constant stream of rare records. which feels as if it would be perfect a house party.
The opening track, Normalizo with the powerful vocals of Letta Mbulu sets the tone for the mix. While the likes of Mim Suleiman – Bibi Na Mpu (Maurice Fulton Dub) and Ahmed Fakroun – Love Words keep the groove going. If you’re looking to discover more music from around the world, look no further than this mix. In his recent feature with the Guardian, Palms Trax was boldly quoted as saying he has never played a bad track and with this mix as a small sample of things to come I’d have to agree.
Full track list available here…
