2017 has been a transformative year for rising Ukrainian techno talent Vitalii Babii (a.k.a. Spartaque). He debuted on Christian Smith’s acclaimed Tronic Music with his well-received No Bullets Please EP and dropped his Elements EP on his own vinyl imprint, Codex.
These days Babii is DJing a lot more internationally. In fact, a look at his travel itinerary sees him rounding out the year spinning at clubs in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Bulgaria. Additionally, he continues to helm his consistently excellent Supreme podcast, a forum for Babii to flex his mixing muscles and break new music.
We checked in with Babii on the road and asked him to share five fresh tracks that are currently rocking his world.
Christian Smith & Wehbba – Living In A Vacuum (Original Mix) (Tronic)
That’s a really great piece. I remember receiving this track as a promo from the Tronic label and the next day I listened again to a new batch of tracks I’ve received earlier while I was chilling at Munich Airport. I bumped into this track, which suddenly brought me back to my childhood days, a really great flashback. That’s classic electro funk right here. Of course, I couldn’t have missed it. That’s a super piece, super quality. So I’m grateful to these guys for this great flashback. I’ve played this track a lot in my radio shows, and I will definitely continue to promote it as much as possible.
Arjun Vagale, Juliet Fox – Radiate (Feat. Juliet Fox) (Original Mix) (Odd)
As for Arjun, it’s all clear. This guy has long proven that he delivers quality sound production. Juliet Fox has also been gaining great momentum lately. She has been releasing more and more interesting tracks. I know that just recently, she visited Kyiv where she played at Heaven nightclub. The guys I know have given awesome feedback to her gig. Speaking about “Radiate,” I could say that it is a wonderful track. This is exactly the kind of techno I enjoy playing: really dynamic, really snappy … So, of course I couldn’t not include this track.
DJ Shufflemaster – Re:Weekender (Gary Beck Remix) (Mindshake Records)
There is no doubt that this track has a tremendous old-fashioned element which I believe we heard in that movie Kill Bill, a really familiar part to me, indeed. It does some real magic on the dance floor. Once people hear this sound they go insane and get all ecstatic. There is also an awesome groove work by Gary Beck, a real master in his field. As a result we have an insanely energetic thriller released on Mindshake Records. I truly enjoy playing this track.
Alan Wools – World In Trouble (Original Mix) (Codex)
I’ve mentioned this track several times in previous interviews. It was released just recently on my Codex label. This is the piece I’ve played throughout all spring and summer, and I’m really glad that we’ve released it on my label. Truly, one of the best pieces by Alan and I still play this one with great pleasure. It saw life only in September but given the fact that I had access to a promo way earlier, I’ve been playing it for quite a while and I still continue to do so. So, yeah, I definitely recommend that you all take your time and check it out.
Jay Lumen – Consciousness (Original Mix)(Octopus Records)
I had to include this one by Jay Lumen. Released on Octopus Records, this track practically never disappoints. The label’s owner Sian always releases great artists with high quality material. Great A&R and in general that’s what should be expected from a top artist releasing his track on a top label. A great piece, indeed, that has blown to pieces a great number of dance floors. And I surely will continue to play it in my sets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5IrQcjtjoo