Whether you're a DJ/Producer or a fan, SoundCloud's pull-back on API permissions is making it even harder to share free music. Hypeddit released a statement that they'll no longer be able to create follow/like/repost gates for downloads. Whether SoundCloud will implement native download gating remains to be seen.

If you're looking for new ways to connect in the community, I wanted to share Nekta - a social platform built for music. Not a sponsored post, just something I've been playing around with this week. Producers are already sharing exclusive downloads on there.

Let's get into it.

Record of the Week - Yoto Swords - Gimme Da Mic

If you've never come across Cambridge-based Yoto Swords before, it's time you did. His records are rooted in classic UK sounds, garage and beyond, with bass always at the front. He's found earlier success remixing tracks by Little Simz, The Streets and others. His latest, Gimme Da Mic, is a faster-paced beat with a drawn-out bassline. A record that would land well in warehouses from Bristol to Sheffield to Manchester.

Gandalf - Skanking Crew is a nostalgic guilty pleasure, a bassline number reminiscent of the noughties, pitched-up vocal sample, organ in the background. Growing up in this era, I can't not enjoy these. On the flip side, Sami, Sir E.U - Wicked Ways is a more minimal breakbeat number where the drums do the heavy lifting, and they're hard to ignore.

DANN, Axefield, Kamohelo - ZINTO is dark, deep and a little scary, but when it drops it goes hard. If you're after something groovier, Hardline drops the funkiest UKG records. DJ Cosworth - Mic Control is a corker. The label continues to be top of the game for modern releases that hark back to the early days of the genre.

Plenty more to get your ears around.

Tom (japanese.knotweed)

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DJ Heartstring @ Soenda Festival 2026 (Closing Set): Closing sets tell you more about a DJ than anything else. You can't hide behind an early slot or a warm-up, you're the last thing people hear, and it they need to leave feeling fulfilled. DJ Heartstring closing Soenda 2026 is a statement of trust from a festival that knows its crowd. The German producers deliver a set that is high energy - emotionally direct as it is technically considered. This is an hour and a bit that earns the slot.

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