TRAVIS

Renaissance: Bmore Club mix for @subtle_radio

Without further ado, this 2k26 has started quite hectically for me. I’ve been really busy, first thing going on for me was the recording of my Subtle Radio show, I decided to go for something that I had been working on for the last couple of months: Baltimore Club.

Like many people outside the city, my first image of Baltimore came from The Wire. Distant, fictional, heavy. Years later it became something real when a friend introduced me to DJ Swisha and his incredible set for Sorry Records. That was the turning point. From there I started digging deeper into the sound, the history, and the culture around Baltimore club, and into how this music traveled, mutated, and stayed rooted at the same time.

That journey eventually led me to Al Shepard’s book Tough Breaks, which gave more context to the social and cultural weight behind the music. This mix grew out of all of that. It is meant as a tribute to the scene and the people who shaped it, blending OG tracks with the newer generation, moving between rougher, nostalgic textures and brighter, more celebratory moments that reflect the energy and creativity of the city.

It also feels important to acknowledge the work happening around what many call the Baltimore Renaissance. Music is part of how cities reclaim their narratives and imagine different futures. Even when the world leans toward division, sound and culture still create shared ground and shared memory. In that sense, music is never neutral.

A Journey Across Space and Time: Soulquarians Galaxy at @the_station

People who know me probably know that the Soulquarians sound doesn’t quite run through my veins, but almost. I grew up around it. My parents, and especially my dad, introduced me to it at a young age. I remember listening to Things Fall Apart in the car on the way to school. Not long after, I discovered D’Angelo and ordered his music online; Black Messiah was probably one of the very first records I ever owned myself.

To me, the Soulquarians represent a peak in music. Their sound is beautiful, their lyrics are impactful, and there’s an effortless cool that seems to surround everything they do. They embody an era I wish I could have lived through, and judging by how their style and sound have never really gone out of fashion, I’m clearly not the only one who feels that way.

That’s why I wanted to dive deeper into their origins and then expand outward, toward some of the artists they’ve influenced. The idea of a galaxy came to mind because I don’t see the Soulquarians as a narrow moment in time, but as something broader and deeper. I began to imagine them in conversation with Afrofuturism, and with how African American culture, in its ongoing search for roots, often balances spirituality and ancient traditions with modern and contemporary influences. One of my long-standing obsessions in that realm is Drexciya, which I see as one of the summits of Afrofuturist expression.

All things considered, the Soulquarian sound feels transversal: it reaches back to Africa centuries ago while simultaneously looking toward the sky and the stars. There is something deeply human about it, and beyond that, something fundamental about music itself, and why we need it.

Music Non-Stop

Gig @shimmy_gallery

This was probably the peak of my energy this month. It lasted three days, during which music felt like it never stopped. An old friend was visiting for the weekend, which automatically put me in full host mode. I took her everywhere and introduced her to as many friends as possible, all while juggling a couple of small gigs I’d booked before she even decided to buy her tickets. Long story short, it turned into one of the best three days of my life.

Starting with a Rap gig for the people of Rose Production and Shimmy Gallery joining forces for the Festes de Sant Antoni. Since they needed a DJ to play tracks and do a little before and after session, I obviously said yes since it was something I always wanted to do to work with rappers. It allowed me to meet very nice people and keep building on my network, I hope that in the future I will be called to collaborate with them again.

Vinyl B2B with @dj_tabs at @co_laab

The next day was a whole different story. It was pouring rain in Barcelona, but that didn’t stop me or my brilliant B2B partner from pulling out all the records we’d picked up a few days earlier. We played at a brand-new coffee shop and record store called @co_laab. Abi and I, also known as DJ Tabs (@tabs.mp3), started with what was meant to be an Aaliyah tribute on her birthday (RIP queen). It eventually turned into a really beautiful RnB and hip-hop afternoon, despite some technical difficulties at the beginning. That was followed by a fun night out filled with drag performances and pop tunes.

Heaven is just a Soundsystem @foc.tot

Finally, through the radio station where we are both residents (Subtle Radio), I got in touch with the @azadi_Sound crew. I was delighted when they invited me to bring some records and test them on their brand-new sound system. But the month still had one last surprise in store. I met Hans, and we immediately clicked. When it was my turn to hop on the decks, he kept the mic in hand and asked if he could sing over some of my tracks. Of course, I said yes.

We ended up having an absolute blast. Before I even realized it, I had been playing for about thirty minutes. It was time to crack open a delicious handcrafted beer, sit down, and enjoy a homemade Ital stew while DJs kept rotating behind the decks, dropping hidden gems and classics. I was in heaven for a Sunday afternoon. Everything made sense. The sounds, the community behind them, the space it was all happening in. I couldn’t be more thankful.

We Ride Slow: Chopped and Screwed @ The Station

After a fast-paced period filled with beautiful new encounters and, unfortunately, farewells, I decided to host a chopped and screwed session. While I am far from being the most knowledgeable person on the subject, I returned to what I do best: researching intensely in a very short amount of time. The result was a mix of old tunes and newer ones, stitched together through exploration and curiosity.

As I dug deeper, I started connecting the dots between DJ Screw’s original invention and a more recent internet trend I find quite amusing: slowed and reverb. That led me to search for tracks carrying that same atmosphere and to experiment with making those worlds work together. I have to be honest: I love this kind of experimentation on the fabric of sound itself. Stretching it, breaking it down, and giving it a new emotional weight.

It took me back to a few moments from previous years, including a particularly difficult time in my life when I remember listening to King Krule’s The Ooz slowed down and discovering even more beautiful chords hidden within the album. Another strong memory is my first encounter with Nicolas Jaar’s album, and eponymous track, Space Is Only Noise. The idea behind the lyrics may be straightforward, but the execution and the feeling instantly make me float.