The project of DJ-producers Dori Sadovnik and Niv Arzi, known as Red Axes, is informed by post-punk, post-punk, EBM, disco, new wave, and a plethora of club sounds. This month, they’ll continue their long-term relationship with British label Phantasy with Rhythm Passage, which underlines everything that the Israeli duo are about: charismatic, psychedelic club music that weaponizes hypnotic percussion, dusty samples, and their own studio trickery.

Raised in Tel Aviv, Sadovnik and Arzi have been inseparable for years. As teenagers, they’d attend psychedelic trance parties across the city and jam with Red Cotton, a post-punk band that also featured three more members, but soon they were the only ones left. A short stint in Amsterdam followed, where they’d immersive themselves in the world of house, techno, and disco, and upon returning to Tel Aviv they launched Red Axes, an outlet for the sounds that had touched them on their travels. Their first EPs came out between 2009 and 2011, and they simply haven’t stopped since—shared through labels like Hivern Discs, Correspondant, Lazarus‘ Crosstown Rebels, and Permanent Vacation. In 2020, they released their debut self-titled album on San Francisco label Dark Entries. (Rhythm Passage is the fourth EP they’ve put out on Phantasy.)

For this week’s XLR8R podcast, Red Axes have compiled a DJ set that’s flavored with unreleased tracks. Across 60 minutes, you can expect wonky techno, punk-infused house, and psychedelic rock, plus a taste of Rhythm Passage. Targeted towards the peak hours, it’s high in energy and relentless—a snapshot of what you can expect to hear them spinning in clubs across Europe this summer.

01. What have you been up to recently?
We’ve been on a crazy summer tour, so mostly on the road.

02. You’re set to release a new EP on Phantasy this month. What can you tell us about it?
Yes, it’s the fourth EP we’re doing with Phantasy and we’re keeping the same idea of a club record with three tracks that should be played out in the club. Each one offers a different atmosphere and moment.

03. When and where did you record this mix?
Yesterday at Niv’s home, between 10am and 11am.

04. How did you go about choosing the tracks you’ve included? 
We heard the intro track recently. It’s such a great and touching song and I had to play it for some private reasons. From there the other picks were very random. It’s like we’re playing a Red Axes DJ set for an open dancefloor in between the peak to the twilight zone. 

05. What can the listener expect? 
A bit of depth, some punky electric moments, and a lot of groove. Also, as usual, there’s some unreleased stuff.

06. How does it compare to what we might hear you play out live? 
It could easily be a Red Axes set somewhere.

07. What’s next on your agenda?
We’re going to keep on traveling and playing music for people around the world.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to hear the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel to listen offline, or subscribe to XLR8R+ to download the file. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

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Tracklisting

01. Harry Waller “Down” (NTS)
02. Luca Lozano “Another Fine Mess” (Klasse Wrecks)
03. T.R.A. “Tribal Groove” (Progression)
04. Judah Warsky / Gilbert Cohen “Tout Le Temps Tout Le Temps (I:Cube Remix)” (Versatile Records‏)
05. The Moon & The Sun “Sirius” (Edit) (Superstition)
06. Red Axes “Unknown” (Unknown)
07. Keplrr “Everything is okay” (NEEDS)
08. Red Axes “Oh My Arp” (Phantasy)
09. Farai “National Gangsters” (Edit) (Big Dada Recordings)
10. Ian Blevins “Welcomes” (Secretsundaze remix) (Just Jack)
11. Red Axes “Unknown” (Unknown)
12. Off The Meds “Unknown” (Red Axes Remix) (Studio Barnhus)
13. Sleep D “Airbags” (Cocktail d’Amore)
14. Unknown “Unknown” (Unknown)
15. SunkLo “In Here” (Nonplus)
16. Red Axes “20min” (Phantasy)