Max HeyraudWe dive into five classic Irish mixes from the island’s most treasured selectors, spanning Homelands, BBC Essential Mix, Life Festival, Australian tours, and Tresor—legendary sets that define Irish dance music.
Jon Hussey – Tresor, 2013
A classic in every sense, Dublin techno veteran Jon Hussey has shared an excerpt from his set at Berlin’s legendary Tresor. True to form, the mix showcases Hussey’s trademark excellence as he navigates a selection of trudging, warehouse-style techno cuts built for the club’s murky vaults. From raw, nasty acid to distorted 90s-adjacent techno, it’s an all-killer, no-filler affair.
Annie Mac – Essential Mix at Privilege Ibiza, 2009
Dublin-born, London-based DJ, curator, radio presenter, writer, and all-round dance music luminary Annie Mac delivered a set at the seminal Ibiza club Privilege—now the colossal [UNVRS]—that perfectly captured the spirit of 2009. Entering the BBC’s coveted Essential Mix series, the session leans into a wonky, funk-driven house groove, weaving through disco-soaked anthems, electro-clash warpers, and outright club classics. A true party-starting mix by every measure.
Blawan b2b Sunil Sharpe – Life Festival, 2013
Two titans of brute-force techno collided by chance when British Airways failed to bring Karenn’s gear over on their flight. The result was a last-minute back-to-back that lived up to the fantasy: hard-hitting, abrasive techno from the likes of DJ Shufflemaster, Marco Carola, and Richie Hawtin. What followed was two DJs at peak form, locked in a battle of the DJs, a no-holds-barred mix that has since become the stuff of Irish festival folklore.
Mr Spring – Homelands 2000
There’s no two ways about it: this mix from Mr Spring defined a generation of Irish ravers. The sound, the presentation, the location, the crowd noise—it was a definitive pinnacle in Irish dance music culture. As the poster boy for Ireland’s hard house and trance scenes, Mr Spring stood as a legend of the era, delivering the sounds that ruled the Emerald Isle at the time. On the biggest stage, to droves of ravers, he was the man of the moment, and for good reason. This is heritage.
Jenny Greene – The Electric Disco Live, Sydney, Australia, 2013
It’s anthem after anthem as Jenny Greene touched down in Sydney on her 2013 Electric Disco tour, delivering an all-killer, no-filler set to what could only have been a sprawling, adoring Irish crowd. When she shouts into the mic, “Yeow, g’wan Sydney, if you’re Irish let’s hear you!”—there’s no mistaking the atmosphere. The mix is unmistakably 2013: post-dubstep, post-electro, packed with big breakdowns and even bigger synths. High-octane, relentless energy, exactly as Greene does best.