Mixmag

NOTION stars on the cover of Mixmag. It’s been a whirlwind 18 months for Rob Penny. After releasing one the biggest dance remixes in recent memory, the career milestones haven’t stopped piling up. But the hype isn’t going to his head, and the plan remains the same: make the music he wants to make, forever. Read the cover feature on mixmag.net — and stay tuned for NOTION in the Mixmag Lab London dropping this Thursday. Words: @jasmineks Photography: @taylerprincefraser Art Direction, Design & Motion: @nennotnan 1st Photography Assistant: @eddie.davi3s 2nd Photography Assistant: @031999130t0sr Stylist: @itsdaryon Editor & Digital Director: @patrickhinton Shot at: @studiomondelondon

When Nene H released their debut album ‘Ali’ in 2021, the DJ and producer, real name Beste Aydin, was 34 years old and about to get married to their former husband. They were also experiencing a certain peak in their career but, as they reveal in our interview, they weren’t happy. “I was fighting for my life! Fighting on a day-to-day basis. Fighting with the world. Fighting with Germany. Fighting with myself. Fighting with my music. Everything. There was no sense of safety within myself and within who I am,” Aydin recalls. Five years on, Aydin’s life looks rather different. Their sophomore album, ‘Second Skin’, out on their own label @umay_works , tracks that journey. They’ve broken free from the mirage of external perception and brought power back to themself. It feels like they’re having more fun than ever, both in life and music. That energy translates into the accompanying mix, which is their take on a house set, recorded live at @fold.ldn ’s beloved UNFOLD party. It’s a genre seasoned fans may not necessarily associate with Nene H, but reflective of the newfound sense of liberation they’ve arrived at. Read and listen at mixmag.net. ✍️: Sophie McNulty 📸: @julientell

“Absolute honour to get in the Mixmag Lab last week, unreal energy from everyone in the room start to finish! Hope you have as much fun watching it back as I did playing the set” - @notion_dj Our latest cover star NOTION lays down a peak-time set in the Mixmag Lab London 🔗

“An ever-evolving beast” 🐲 With the return of fan-fave stages, new districts, and an “evolved” line-up that promises to scale up the festival’s eclecticism, @boomtownfairofficial is back bigger and better than ever this August. Ahead of the 2026 edition, we sat down with the festival’s Director of Music Strategy & Programming, James Cousins, to chat about the planned expansion of Boomtown ‘26. Read more at Mixmag.net 🔗

Entrenched in love 💗 Launched in 2021, Body Language is the Berlin-based femme party spreading a message of resistance and positivity through charitable efforts, community building, and queer-friendly spaces. Body Language proudly stays true to its values five years on, having donated €2 per attendee to grassroots music at every single event since it began. “To this day, we’ve donated more than we’ve paid ourselves,” says co-founder Caitlin. The non-profit party continues to run sporadically throughout the year with a run of femme and queer DJs, both Berlin-based and overseas, with music for “the house heads, the stomper ravers, the polyrhythms lovers, and the ones that love it faster or slower”. In our 2022 Functions feature, we caught up with Caitlin, the brains behind Body Language, to hear how the Berlin party sets itself apart from the rest.

“London was calling again, and I answered ☎️ Definitely one of my favourite cities to play. Schranz will never die” - @x.nikolina Queen of schranz NIKOLINA was unstoppable in the Mixmag Lab. Watch the full set now 🔗⤴️

On a sunny beach in Ibiza, Manuka Honey shares with us her dream line-up from Open to Close @mariimals mixes up the format to shout out as many of her favourite DJs and MCs as possible. Shatta to the world!

Keeping schranz alive, @x.nikolina ’s high voltage set drops tomorrow at 10:AM (BST). We’re ready, are you?

Competition time... Got plans May 25? We’ve teamed up with ZYN to give one person (and their plus one) the chance to win exclusive VIP tickets to this year’s City Splash Festival. To enter: Follow @zyn_unitedkingdom and @citysplashfest Drop this post a like Tag the adult nicotine user you’d bring with you Entries close at 23:59 on 21/05/2026. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. T&Cs linked in @zyn_unitedkingdom bio. 📸: @garryjonesphotography

Amsterdam event platform and collective Intercell has called off all events at its regular outdoor site De Binnenplaats this summer, citing permit issues. The news comes just days after Amsterdam’s Music On festival cancelled its 2026 edition due to similar permit issues, pulling the plug hours before it was due to open to the public over the weekend. Intercell explained that issues are beyond its control, writing in a statement: “We know you’ve been [looking forward] to it and we have too. We’ll miss it this season.” The collective’s scheduled June show, set to go ahead at an off-site location named Balkenhaven, will still take palce as planned on June 13 as its “only Dutch outdoor event this summer”. Read more at Mixmag.net

“So buzzing to get this out, feel like it’s a perfect representation of my sound at the moment - house, garage and whatever else fits into that.” - @fasterhorses_ Faster Horses delivers a power hour of a set for his Mixmag Lab debut Watch the full set now 🔗⤴️

It’s the year of @fasterhorses_ His full Mixmag Lab drops 12:PM (BST) tomorrow. Saddle up!