🎧 Kamma & Masalo – Boiler Room x Dekmantel 2019
It's been six years since I first listened to this set. Why review it now? No particular reason, I just randomly stumbled upon it again recently.
FYI: I mostly review older stuff. I rarely checkout the latest ones.
Back in 2018-2019, when I first started buying vinyls, Dekmantel Festival was my go-to reference for discovering new artists and music. That's when I came across Kamma and Masalo, a duo from Amsterdam, whose eclectic selection instantly grabbed my attention.
I remember reading in 2019 that both of them were heavily influenced by Amsterdam's iconic record shop, Rush Hour, where Antal helped mentor their growth as DJs. You can hear the lineage clearly in this set.
So, what's special about this set? In this set, they seamlessly fuse some 80s-inspired disco and italo-disco with their own productions(tracks produced and edited by Masalo). Many of the tracks are remixed and re-edited with their own flair, adding surprise and joy to the listening experience. One standout track is Prince's "Rave un2 the joy fantastic", where Masalo re-worked a live version with some added drum kicks and higher BPM, boosting the bounce. This version completely flips the original-now with thumping kicks and a driving bounce that grabs the crowd's attention instantly.
Where's the highlight? My personal favorite moment of this set is when they drop Cerrone's "Vaudou aux Caraibes". Kamma lays a beat-heavy 80s EBM/New Beat/Hi-NRG groove, hypnotizing the crowd before dropping the melodic Cerrone bomb. What made it even more powerful was her use of the isolator, killing the low frequency to create a beautiful tension before release. A textbook build-up, but with total confidence and control.
Final thoughts. Their set feels intentional and rehearsed, not just technically but emotionally. You can clearly hear that the style aligns with Antal, Hunee, and the broader Amsterdam scene, but they add their own character. Their DJ techniques, utilizing looping and editing, really build momentum and tension leading perfect vibes for the crowd. This set really sparked my deeper interest in 80s New Beat, Cerrone, and newer forms of Italo-disco. I'm definitely planning to explore more of their mixes and look forward to find more gems. The tracklist is captured from youtube comments (Thanks to the bedroom diggers.)
Check out their other mixes as well.