Reeko – Samurai Music Official Podcast 58

Mike Parker, Donato Dozzy, Marco Shuttle, Pianeti Sintetici (half of Primal Code) and Reeko himself: many deep techno producers have taken on the challenge of exploring drum and bass through Samurai Music. It makes sense that Presha welcomes them on his label, because he first and foremost frames it as “a deep imprint”, and because, with his other projects such as Horo or Saibai, he has consistently shown a clear enthusiasm for inviting outsiders, encouraged to reinterpret drum and bass through their own distinct, personal lens. This openness is, ultimately, Samurai Music’s main strength, one that also resonates through its podcast series, exemplified by Dozzy’s now-classic Samurai mix.

The above-mentioned artists are not shared randomly, as each of them appears in Reeko’s podcast through selected tracks, as if to trace and carry forward a shared lineage within this deep techno / drum and bass continuum, perhaps even pushing back against the idea that artists should remain confined to a single genre.

This curatorial choice comes at a price: one might argue that assembling such established names in a single mix diminishes its value, under the faintly elitist notion that only mixes featuring obscure producers stand out. Yet Reeko, with his layering expertise, overturns that assumption, crafting such a consistent journey that individual tracks become almost indistinguishable, even those with the strongest sonic signatures, like Parker’s at 29 minutes.

This blurring of individual tracks is not merely an aesthetic trick but the foundation of the mix’s temporal architecture. The intro sets a tribal tone, and the first forty minutes slowly draw you into a trance through steady, looping percussion. Then, around the forty-minute mark, everything drops out during “Thorium” by The Untouchables. The sudden silence at the break jolts you out of hypnosis, only for dubby vocals to warmly draw you back in, urging you onward, as if climbing a mountain Reeko gradually shaped out of sound. From there, the trance becomes more physical: something in the rising motion of the beats makes you want to move, walk, ride, dance. That’s where Reeko and the broader Spanish school really stand out: the music doesn’t just dissolve the mind, it pulls the body in with it.

Some DJs and listeners consider that a hypnotic techno mix should remain deliberately flat in energy, mirroring the repetitive, inward-looking quality of the tracks themselves. Others, ourselves included, believe that even within that framework, a sense of progression, a gradual rise and release, adds an emotional dimension that repetition alone may not provide. In that sense, Reeko’s podcast stands out for bringing both approaches into dialogue. After nearly forty minutes of restraint, balanced with efficient grooves, it evolves into a more dynamic arc, tracing that “mountain” shape, whose peak arrives around 53:31 with “Confront the Serpent” by Reeko. The climax unfolds naturally, then gradually recedes into more introspective depths. By the time Hanzo’s “Book of Soyga” closes the set, you’re returned to the tribe where it all began, closing the circle.

To conclude, the mix unfolds in two distinct yet connected movements: an initial linear, hypnotic phase that gradually dissolves track identity, followed by a more expansive and physical second part that reintroduces tension and rhythmic drive. Rather than opposing each other, these two phases are integrated into a continuous flow, shaped by precise layering and long-form construction. The result is a set that feels both controlled and alive, where the same underlying groove persists throughout while shifting in weight, density, and intensity. It works like a charm, and it is surely inspiring…