Mix of the Month May 2025 Winner – Molotov

Every so often, a mix lands in our inbox that doesn’t just tick the technical boxes, it transports you. This month’s Mix of the Month does exactly that, and it’s with real pleasure that we spotlight the talented Molotov, aka Trevor Phillips, as our May winner.

Trevor’s journey into electronic music is one born from pure passion. He fell in love with club culture at just 14 years old, sneaking into his first all-night rave, a rite of passage that would ignite a lifelong obsession. By his late teens, armed with a pair of turntables and an ear tuned to perfection, he began teaching himself to beatmatch by syncing identical records. Hours spent on the dancefloor were matched by hours spent studying the DJ booth, watching, learning, and eventually becoming one of the figures behind the decks.

Growing up in the golden age of trance, his influences read like a hall of fame: Marco V, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, Digweed, and PVD. In more recent years, Trevor has found his calling within the deep and hypnotic sounds of Progressive House, though his heart still pulses to the rhythms of Psytrance.

With five years as a resident DJ on Subcode.club, countless podcast features for labels like Droid9, Big Bells Digital, Pangea Recordings, and Vesta Records (where he also works as A&R), Trevor’s sound has matured into a rich blend of melody, drive, and atmosphere. His involvement with Celtic Tribe, a Psytrance collective hosting bi-monthly events in South Wales, further showcases his diversity and love for the underground.

This month’s mix is a testament to Trevor’s deep musical knowledge and innate storytelling behind the decks. A journey built on emotion, progression, and expertly blended transitions

We’re also excited to announce that Decoded Magazine has teamed up with Argentina’s Golden Wings Music Radio as an official partner for our Mix of the Month competition, giving our winners even greater exposure across the global underground scene. June submissions close on the 20th, so if you think you’ve got what it takes, now’s the time to send us your finest work.

Let’s start at the beginning. Tell us how you approached this mix from a creative and technical standpoint. What story were you aiming to tell, and how did that influence your selection, sequencing, and transitions?

When I saw the advert for Mix of the Month, I thought to myself, “Right, I want to bring the listeners on an emotional and mind-opening, energetic journey.” So I chose 11 tracks that I felt captured everything I wanted to express through this mix. I began with a track by Static Guru called “Crystalomancy” (Twins in Mind Remix). Twins in Mind’s music is very enigmatic and really opens my mind and senses.

From there, I gradually increased the tempo over the next four tracks, guiding the mix into Progressive House. I then added one of my favourite breaks tracks, “When Worlds Collide” by Alex Vidal (Manu Riga’s Balearic Dreams Remix), and transitioned into Hypnotic Progressive to bring the journey to a close.

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?

For this mix, I used some FX, like flanger and a touch of colour, mainly during a couple of track breakdowns. I also used fairly long transitions to make it less noticeable when one track ends and the next begins, allowing the flow to remain seamless. After finishing the mix, I ran it through a program called Audacity to adjust the levels. That way, when it’s uploaded to SoundCloud or Mixcloud, the listeners hear it just as I did during the creation process.

From a curatorial perspective, how do you balance introducing fresh, lesser-known tracks with maintaining a sense of familiarity or emotional connection for the listener? Does this balance influence how you define your own sound or identity as an artist?

I carefully balanced the selection of tracks between older and fairly new productions. If you listen closely, you’ll notice I have a real love for vocal elements and shaker samples, shakers, especially, which give the tracks a real sense of motion.

Coming from a Trance background, I tend to push the tempo of my mixes a little faster (forgive me, haha!). I’m also fortunate to be part of some of my favourite music labels, Droid9, Vesta Records, Transensations Records, Deepersense Music, to name a few, which means I receive promos almost every week. I love sharing them with the world and introducing people to the music I truly believe in.

Tracklisting

1. Static Guru – Crystallomancy (Twins In Mind Remix)
2. The Bitzpan,Banyattti – Out Of Bounds
3. Banyatti – Sky Highway
4. Sasha Vs Junkie XL – Beauty Never Fades (Andy King Refit)
5. Slavlotski – Crystal Nova
6. When Worlds Collide – Manu’s Balearic Dreams
7. Emmanuel Dip & Faruma – Minsk
8. F-Act – Angular Momentum (Allan Mcloud Remix)
9. Ignacio Salgado – Cyan (Ezequiel Perini Remix)
10. Mlab – Cph4 (Alex Vidal Remix)
11. Latin Intelligent – Hoodoo Basement (CJArt Remix)

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