XIANNE-XI proved that electronica doesn’t need to pander to passivity with In the Mix—a darkly hypnotic, sci-fi-adjacent alt-electronica fever dream that cranks up the temperature with a bassline that prowls through the shimmering textures until the spiritually transcendent non-lexical vocal lines enter the mix and pull you away from the mechanised void. With drips of funk for good measure and eerie stabbing synth lines adding a touch of avant-garde, which electronica is rarely caressed by, few producers on the airwaves can deliver what XIANNE-XI is capable of.
The grooves they alchemise are kryptonite to the rhythmic pulses. If John Carpenter was more interested in crafting mixes for late-night DJ sets instead of horror scores and took a few cues from Django Django, his work would resound in the same decadently delicious vein as XIANNE-XI’s In the Mix.
Rooted in Maryland and rising from a place of war-born trauma, faith, and poetic purpose, XIANNE-XI doesn’t just produce tracks—she builds altars. Her work fuses conscious healing with rhythmic release, positioning her sound somewhere between the sacred and the cinematic. As a mixed indigenous producer, songwriter, poet, and mother, she pushes sonic boundaries with a beat-maker’s intuition and a visionary’s clarity. Every bar, vocal layer, and synth stab in In the Mix channels her unwavering commitment to creating space for those caught in the crossfire of mental health and generational anguish.
In the Mix is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Soundcloud.
Review by Amelia Vandergast