An eclectic tiptoe between dance appropriate territory and soft but sincere listening hours.

Perth raised, Naarm based selector Mintox lulls us into her sonic world with soothing cuts from the likes of The Future Sound of London, Thomas Brinkmann, Underworld, Faze Action and many more.

Can you please tell us a little bit about your journey into music? How and when did the music bug bite you and when did that lead to DJing?

Hello! Thanks for having me. My journey into music (electronic specifically) was pretty spontaneous and almost accidental. Honestly, I have my time volunteering at FBi Radio to thank for broadening my taste when I was in my late teens/early twenties. Before that, I was a pretty religious listener to triple J’s House Party, but I never really envisioned myself dipping into that world deeper. Becoming part of the community radio world was really the catalyst for loving and exploring music as I do now and was also the key factor in starting to DJ. I’d come in early before presenting Overnight shows at FBi and practice mixing in the off air studio, clanging the same 20 tracks together until something stuck. It honestly took six months to feel confident even cueing a track, so when for some reason unbeknownst to me people started asking if I’d like to play their events, I’m not entirely sure how I plucked up the courage to say yes! But I’m glad I did.

How did you decide to approach your lazydaze mix? 

I was originally going to record the mix I’d semi-prepared to play in the Greenhouse live at Pitch, but much like the festival, the set didn’t really turn out to be what I anticipated playing. I dance between liking and hating to prepare mixes because I like to go with my instincts and read spaces and faces in a listening context, which is hard when you’re trying to prescribe the vibe! I think for the first time in a while, crafting this mix felt really comfortable as I decided to pick out my 30 favourite tracks from everything I’d packed for Pitch (plus a couple of new additions) and rework whatever sounds and genres they ended up being. I think it’s a pretty accurate reflection of how broad I like my musical brushstrokes to be; the push and pull between borderline dance or delusion appropriate territory and soft but sincere listening hours.

Are there any favourite tracks or moments in there for you?

Picking favourites of favourites is always a challenge, but Lagrimas De Rocio by Audio Lotion in the first half is up there. I so vividly remember listening to this for the first time when my YouTube algorithm auto played it - I was staring out of a car window and re-fell in love with the world for a brief moment, which I never thought would happen to me in an Uber of all places. Also shoutouts to the new Roza Terenzi & Mike Midnight collab, trickpony on Step Ball Chain! Snuck that one in too.

So Pitch festival wound up being marred by problems related to potential fires in the area. What are your thoughts on what played out there now that the dust has settled?

I think the most important conversation we should take out of what happened at Pitch is the impact climate change is already having on our live music landscape. No matter how well resourced or prepared you may be, it’s only going to get more difficult and more dangerous to host events in our summertime. Pitch is certainly not the only festival that has been impacted by this (Hopkins Creek, 2 Degrees anyone???) and won’t be the last. I hope that there are some major learnings taken out of this year’s iteration and I also hope that everyone can appreciate how challenging the circumstances were, as well as any positives they can take out of the weekend. To be honest, I personally had a really fun time, but I can’t speak for everyone. I was only on site for all of 18 hours and they were the only hours of uninterrupted programming, so maybe I’m a lucky charm? Jury’s still out on that.

Can you tell us about your Club Jewelz project? What’s it all about and is there anything exciting on the horizon? 

Club Jewelz is an initiative started by my friend Kailyn and I a couple of years ago about trying to bridge the gap between mentorship, resources and members of the wider dance music community who may not feel as if they have access to them. When both of us were based in Boorloo/Perth, we were running DJ workshops pretty consistently that I’m proud to say reached more people than I could have ever imagined. At the moment, Kailyn and I have both moved to Naarm/Melbourne in the last year, so we’re on hiatus whilst settling into our new homes. But if anyone out there reading is interested in what we do and would like to learn more or get involved, please hit me up! 

It’s a chill Sunday afternoon at home. What album are you reaching for?

At the moment, it’s Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun compiled by Paul Hillery. The final song of my mix features on it. Just gorgeous.

What can we expect from Mintox throughout 2024? 

I’ve been keeping it pretty mellow so far, but I think it’s time to come out of my self imposed hibernation and share some sounds. There’s a couple of things I can’t talk about just yet, but you’ll be hearing from me in the not too distant future! 

Check out the full tracklist for Mintox’s mix over on SoundCloud.