Elena Colombi is a fast-rising DJ and radio host, whose sets prioritize energy and emotion rather than function. She was born in Italy, where she fell in love with music through a mix-tape created by a family friend. “I was around three or four years old,” she says. “I listened to it on repeat.” This was the first time she heard the sounds of Airto Moreira, The Slickers, and Liaisons Dangereuses, all of whom have shaped the sounds and styles she curates, presents, and produces. 

Years later, Colombi made her name in London, where she spent nearly a decade running her own parties, refining her skills as a DJ by playing the warm-ups as a means of maximizing her budget for the main act. Nowadays, she bases herself between London and Amsterdam, while touring globally. She’s a long-standing resident of NTS. 

Sonically, Colombi’s sets are geared towards the unexpected. An interest in literature and film inspires her avant-garde selections, which range from cosmic psychedelia and pounding jungle to obscure post-punk and spoken word. In recent years, she’s branched out into the world of production, utilizing synthesizers to craft intuitive sound works, which she presents in a performance context alongside art collective Tutto Questo Sentire.

Since 2019, Colombi has been running Osàre! Editions which, like her DJ sets, presents future-facing music imbued with a sense of freedom, transcending expectations of geographic area, era, or genre—welcoming anything from the punk sounds of Schulverweis to the darkwave of Violetov General. “No matter how deep someone’s knowledge [of music] is,” Colombi says, “there is always more to discover.” For XLR8R+, Colombi recently delivered a label showcase featuring a taste of her own production style with two collaborative tracks alongside Sepehr and The Spy. You can download that package here.

For her much-anticipated XLR8R podcast, Colombi has once again pulled from a diverse range of records. Besides some of her favorite oldies brought to her attention by a dusty hard drive she forgot she had, there’s some forthcoming music from her artist friends, spanning techno and house to post-punk, EBM, and industrial. Press play for a cerebral world of noise that’ll draw you in from the first note.

01. What have you been listening to? 
The Brainwaltzera album on FILM has been on repeat since it came out. But also the Anadol LP on Pingipung, Neptuno by Luis Paniagua, and the new Marina Herlop on album on PAN. 

02. How are things coming along with Osàre! Editions?
There are three more releases coming out before the end of the year, plus some label nights.

03. When and where did you record this mix?
I recorded the mix a few weeks back, on a hot afternoon at Radio Radio in Amsterdam. 

04. What setup did you use? 
Three CDJs, an Allen & Heath mixer, a Tascam recorder. I did it straight onto an SD card.

05. How did you go about choosing the tracks that you’ve included?
The usual digging, plus some forthcoming tracks from fellow artists and labels. Plus a sprinkle of favorite oldies brought to my attention by a dusty hard drive I forgot I had.

06. How does it compare to what you play out?
I can play very different types of DJ sets, so I would say no difference at all!

07. What’s next on your horizon?
I’ll be playing in Tel Aviv, Israel for the first time! I am also returning to Bucharest, Berlin, Madrid, and to Club2Club festival in Turin.  I’ve got a couple of remixes on the way, and hopefully I’ll get some rest in between!

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.

Full XLR8R+ Members can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R+ member, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Elena Sizova “Source Code” (excerpt) (Commes Des Larmes)
02. Talismann “A” (TALISMANN)
03. Acre “Switchblade” (Coldrecordings)
04. Or:la “Mess” (Maricas)
05. CCL “Drum On”  (3024)
06. Rhyw “Sharknado” (WOAM)
07. Delay Grounds “Marcelo’s Whistle” (Tropopause Records)
08. Kasra V “Thousand Year Dream” (Shaytoon Records)
09. Sematic4 “Frozen” (Dalmata Daniel)
10. E-bony “Untitled” (Osàre Editions)
11. Gesloten Cirkel “Quiker” (Solar One Music)
12. Edit Service 20 “by Carisma” (I’m a Cliché)
13. Heimat “ITA” (Teenage Menopause Records)
14. Yukai “Tfos El Naah” (Ceaseless)
15. The Spy “Cobra” (Osàre Editions)
16. Liaisons Dangereuses “Avant-Après Mars” (Roadrunner Records)
17. MZ-Y “17 Die Kraft” (Hämmern Version) (Dalmata Daniel)
18. RAFF “They Don’t Wanna See Us” (NousKlaer)
19. E-bony “Mad Naama” (Dalmata Daniel)
20. Werfol “Your Wife” (BAKK)
21. DKAPZ “Truth is a Ruin” (Kycker)
22. Ploy “Rayhana” (Deaf Test)
23. Power From The Skies “Doesn’t Follow Logic” (No Static Automatic)
24. Filmmaker “The Love Market” (Detriti Records)
25. Das Ding “Marketing Strategies for Main Sequence Stars” (Lustpoderosa)
26. Bot’Ox “Overdrive” (Versatile)