Mix of the Month June 2025 winner – Uncle GRAMpa

Each month at Decoded Magazine, we highlight a mix that stands out not just for technical skill, but for its sense of character and connection to the broader electronic music community. For June, we’re pleased to feature Uncle GRAMpa as our Mix of the Month.

With his winning mix, Brian demonstrated an absolute mastery of his craft – it’s a flawless, seamless and magical journey through Breaks which takes in some incredible undiscovered gems alongside better known tracks.

Based in South Bend, Indiana, Uncle GRAMpa has been involved in underground music since the early 1990s. His introduction to electronic music came in 1994 at a breakbeat night in Charlotte, NC, headlined by Simply Jeff, an experience that shaped his long-standing connection to the scene. It wasn’t until 2017 that he began DJing himself, with support and guidance from a close-knit circle of friends and local mentors including DJ Nieko, Thomas K, and DJ Astropimp.

His approach is straightforward: thoughtful track selection, smooth transitions, and a strong sense of how to pace a set. Drawing from a range of influences, Uncle GRAMpa’s sets often move between deep and classic house, jackin’ grooves, and heavier breakbeat styles. There’s no rush to impress, just a clear understanding of how to build and hold a vibe.

He currently co-hosts Get Down Saturdays, a monthly event at McCormicks Coney Island, where he shares the bill with DJ Nieko. The atmosphere is relaxed and community-focused, with an emphasis on supporting local talent and maintaining a space for consistent, quality music.

This mix also features as part of our ongoing partnership with Golden Wings Radio, where each month’s selected mix is broadcast to their international audience, bringing wider recognition to artists whose work reflects depth, passion, and a love for the craft.

How did you approach your mix from a creative and technical standpoint – what story were you aiming to tell, and how did that influence your selection, sequencing, and transitions?

I have truly believed for some time now that music is the only form of TRUE magic left in the world. What other force can transport you back in time, fuel your rage, or make you fall in love? The story I wanted to tell is of a time when magic had just faded: “the dragons have gone, the giants are dead, and the children of the forest are forgotten…” and how the magic of music remained to tell the tale…

As for selection, sequencing and transitions, I felt I needed tracks that talked about: nature and the cosmos, stars, different worlds. Broad, sweeping tracks that painted magical landscapes in your mind, all with an undertone of melancholy at the loss of almost all magic.

Sequencing wasn’t too difficult: I knew I wanted the first track to be Quivver, Floating on the Surface because I cannot get enough of that track OR the producer Quivver. Using that bpm as a baseline I selected most of my tracks in the same range, with the exception of Nolan & Luke Brancaccio’s See the Stars because it fit the theme and I LOVE the track, and Rabbit in the Moon’s River and Rain remix of God Within’s The Phoenix because that track was played at the first rave I ever went to, it holds a special place in my heart AND it fit the theme. Transitions were tricky at times because I wanted long, seamless blends, but with a bit of rearranging it all fit wonderfully together!

Were there any particular production or mixing techniques you used to maintain cohesion or enhance dynamics across the mix? For instance, did you favour long blends, harmonic mixing, or any custom edits to help the narrative flow?

I recorded a snippet of dialogue from Game of Thrones that struck me as perfect for the intro. I’m also addicted to the spiral effect combined with the noise effect to enhance breakdowns and/or drops. I made it a point to include some of the longest blends I’ve ever done, Xpander into The Phoenix was around a two minute transition, and I had to set a loop on Xpanders last 20 seconds to get it where it needed to be, but it worked great! I have a pretty straightforward philosophy about mixing; I’m assembling a chain, I need to find out where to hook the end of one link (track) to the next link at the best place, so it’s as strong as possible!

How have your musical experiences and influences shaped your sound?

Oh holy crap, how long do you want this answer to be? I can go back as far as about 10 years old when I saw the movie Breakin and learned how to breakdance, to my best friends mom introducing me to Disco and Motown at around 15 by dancing around in her living room, to listening to stuff like The Cure after breakups as a teenager.

Those were the early influences. I’ll always be a Househead after walking into a local rave and hearing my buddy DJ Astropimp laying down a bootleg of Prince’s When Doves Cry, learning how to mix on House with my good friend and teacher DJ Nieko, and hanging out with Paul Johnson for a whole night. I’ve also been influenced by my homies in our crew Underground Tribe, guys like Chase the Ace, CJ Hansen, Chucke, Kid Lemon Fresh and Dancefloor Derek.

But Breakbeats stole my heart… from producers like Stanton Warriors, Framewerk, Quivver, Ranj Kaler, Rabbit in the Moon, Keith MacKenzie to online podcast DJs like Joe Wink and Lynsey Whitwam, to great friends like my tag team partner Pandora Love, and my OG breaks buddy Timothy Getz… I’ve never met a broken beat I didn’t like!

Tracklist

1. Intro (Game of Thrones excerpt)
2. Quivver – Floating on the Surface (Extended Mix)
3. Bicep – Atlas
4. Acidova – 42
5. Luke Brancaccio, Nolan – See the Stars (Extended Mix)
6. Dusky – Take Me High (Extended Mix)
7. Human Movement – Athena
8. MANT – Another Place
9. Sasha – Expander (Axel V Mind Remix)
10. God Within, Rabbit in the Moon – The Phoenix (River and Rain Remix)

Entries for July are now open… enter your mix here.

by Damion Pell

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