December Round Up

A snapshot of the past month of music and mixes at Delayed

Jan 07, 2026

FAVORITE RELEASES

December tends to blur into accounting exercises and best-of rhetoric, but the music itself had other plans. The month arrived with a steady stream of releases, making narrowing things down genuinely difficult. Refracted’s album for Mind Express stayed grounded in slow-moving ambient and downtempo structures, while the long-awaited return of Voices from the Lake delivered a record shaped by melody without slipping into sentimentality. Rambadu’s new album on Hypnus leaned firmly into hypnotic and tribal frameworks, and Anthony Child’s latest work on Old Technologyexplored arpeggiated synth forms with a focus on pacing and space.

Our own Never Late imprint returned with Gëinst’s Hiber Trace, a release built around subtle shifts and internal tension. Samurai Music’s sublabel Saibai continued to take shape through Pianeti Sintetici’s new EP, where halftime rhythms stretch and reconfigure. Human Space Machine and Sunju Hargun launched the HSH Series with four tracks designed with the dance floor in mind, while Zohar and Nymfo’s collaboration lets contrast function as its core mechanism. Monochrome’s Primärwald III extended a strong compilation run, and Unrush Tapes 03 once again set aside space for inward-facing music that feels intentional rather than ornamental.

https://www.delayed.nyc/delayed-blog/favorite-releases-from-december-2025

FAVORITE MIXES

The evolution of the DJ mix hasn’t been about getting shorter or longer. It’s been about intention. What was once dismissed as insufficient (60-70min) has matured into a format that rewards precision. A good portion of December’s mixes operate within those timeframes, but nothing here feels abbreviated. 5rvz and Marco Ragni sink into slow-moving atmospheres where space does as much work as sound. Velvia drags techno into a humid, low-visibility zone. Marco Maldarella’s polyrhythmic constructions keep tension gently simmering, while Katatonic Silentio shows just how wide her studio range is with a podcast built entirely from original, new, and upcoming material.

For those willing to stay longer, December also rewards patience. Binomi’s two-hour opening set from Extramostra in Malta shows a duo fully in control of pacing and context, arguably their most mature set to date. Timnah’s Paral·lel set continues to refine a language built on restraint, timing, and technical precision. Presha’s recording from Ohm in Berlin delivers the kind of tense, rhythm-forward momentum that has defined Samurai Music for years. Vlada’s extended eclectic downtempo session feels like an invitation to disengage from the clock entirely, while Vinsen closes things out with a smooth mix that balances warmth and momentum with ease.

Here’s to many more exceptional music stories in 2026!

Happy New Year from Team Delayed.

SUNDAYS ARE FOR…

When we talk about it, it makes you want to smile, but at the same time your eyes can fill with tears. And, speaking about saudade, I have a lot. Sunday is a saudade called Minas Gerais. Of the dreams I dreamed, of others that I didn’t even allow myself to dream. In any corner of the world, saudade follows me, but especially in autumn. This sensation of things lost, past and future, grips me in the present. Sometimes it flows through my fingers, run over by the rush of everyday life. Saudade is what proves to us that we love, that we lived moments that were worthwhile, and that we have stories that deserve to be remembered. It’s what connects us with what we were and who we were. Sunday is a day to remember everything you had, have and could have had. It’s a time to be grateful, despite anything else.

To me, this mix conveys a feeling not only of nostalgia but also the alchemy of saudade into a deep moment of rest and introspection. Watch the sun’s rays come in through the window and smell the lush birth of a new day. I hope this selection brings warmth and spurs energy for your day.

Words by Albin

Another year comes to a close. Albeit not the easiest of them, there were still good moments to reflect back upon and cherish. So much great music, mixes, and times spent abroad and here in New York with friends afar. I’m now looking forward to some family time as they’ll be arriving soon for a week-long stay in the big city. I wish everyone joyful celebrations and I’ll see you all in the new year.

Sundays are for… Dec/25