Redfreya delivers a broodingly dynamic mix filled with intention…
Long-time radio host at Bloop London with her ‘Urban Soundscapes‘ show, and a core resident of London’s Free From Sleep brand, Redfreya is emerging as a standout talent in London’s deep house and melodic scene. Drawing inspiration from labels like Drumpoet, Kompakt, Best Works Records and Innervisions, her eclectic mix of deep, melodic, afro house, indie dance, and progressive techno is fast becoming her signature sound—one that is as reflective as it is danceable.
Already making waves internationally, she’s played for Burning Man’s iconic Mayan Warrior, and shared stages with the likes of Damian Lazarus, Sasha & John Digweed, Mano Le Tough, and Âme. Having graced iconic UK venues like E1 and fabric, as well as playing across Europe, with recent ADE appearances at Selador and WhenWeDip showcases, Redfreya’s journey is only just beginning—and the dancefloors are already taking notice.
Across this two-and-a-half-hour mix, Redfreya takes listeners on a deep ride, emphasizing the power of the journey over the satisfaction of a destination. Featuring tracks and remixes from Chaim, Mano Le Tough, D-Nox & Beckers, and more, this dynamic set demands your full attention.
Redfreya will perform at the upcoming Balance Croatia Festival.
3. Internacional Electrical Rhythms – Kosanba
5. Andre Hommen – Pantone (Donato Dozzy Rmx) [Redfreya Private Dub] 6. Yor Kultura – Mashin
Name: Freya [Redfreya]
Location: London
Alias/Producer name: Redfreya
Labels affiliated with: WhenWeDip, Isolate, Selador, Reculture
Perception – produced in collaboration with REj, out on Hardt Antoine’s Reculture imprint earlier this year.
I was raised on a diverse array of music, with tunes often filling our home. My mum would play jazz, classical, world music, reggae, ska, and Spanish music throughout the house. Growing up in the 90s, I had a few family friends who were DJs, and I have early memories of watching them in action—though at the time, I was too young to grasp “house music” as a genre.
Both of my grandparents on either side were professional jazz musicians, but since I wasn’t very close to them, I don’t think my love for music came from their influence. Instead, I feel it’s something innate—perhaps genetic. Music has always been a central part of my life.
When I was younger, I had a strong love for classical music, particularly modern and cinematic works like those of Nils Frahm, The Cinematic Orchestra, and Philip Glass, Yann Tierson and more, which I think you can also hear influence my DJ sound.
In 2014, I took a trip to Cologne, Germany, to visit a friend from the city. By this time, I had already started listening to artists like Nicolas Jaar, Bonobo, and Boiler Room sets on YouTube, but this trip was transformative. The experience I had in a German club was unlike anything I’d encountered in the UK—the music, the soundsystem, and the crowd left a lasting impression. It was a pivotal moment for me.
Reflecting on it later, earlier moments in my life began to resonate more. On a family road trip, for instance, I had discovered an old Chicane CD and insisted we play it on repeat for hours—I was about 12 or 13 and completely mesmerized. Somehow, my family tolerated it!
When I moved to London in 2015 to begin university, my love for electronic music truly solidified. London’s unparalleled club scene gave me the chance to attend some of the world’s best venues every weekend, exposing me to a wide range of underground genres. It was the perfect education in dance music.
One of the first parties I attended as a first-year ‘fresher’ was the iconic Innervisions: Dixon B2B Âme All Day Long at Fabric. That event profoundly shaped my perspective on DJing and deepened my appreciation for melodic deep house, leaving a lasting influence on my musical journey.
I’m deeply inspired by art that juxtaposes minimalist aesthetics with bold, vibrant palettes while conveying profound emotion. Artists like Rothko resonate with me for their ability to evoke powerful feelings through color, simplicity, and rawness. I’m particularly drawn to distressed or imperfect textures in art, as these raw edges seem to tell deeper stories, revealing more about the artist and their truth. To me, art serves as a bridge for human connection in this way.
When it comes to music, my influences are vast and ever-evolving. In my early days in electronic music, I was captivated by artists like Nicolas Jaar, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, and Rampue, and their impact remains strong. Currently, two producers at the top of my list are Yor Kultura and Clavis, whose work I frequently include in my mixes. I also have immense admiration for Dorisburg and Roman Flügel, particularly their innovative approaches to production.
A special mention goes to the late Hungarian musician Mulya, whose recent passing was a tremendous loss to the music community. His work deeply moved me, both on the dancefloor and in my DJ sets. Mulya was a master of sound design and emotional tension, and his dedication as an artist inspired me to strive for greater artistry in my own work. You’ll find one of his tracks included in the mix as a tribute to his brilliance.
Actually the last full album I purchased was a mix-CD (digital version!) on Bandcamp, the track selection from John Talabot‘s DJ Kicks Mix (from many years ago) – I found it as I wanted one track from the mix but then when I came across the whole playlist I had to get them all.
I have a really cute home-studio – I spent a lot of time making part of my apartment a cosy and welcoming space that makes me feel inspired to write music. Alongside moodlighting, motivational quotes and candles, I also have a nice production desk, solid production headphones, Macbook Pro and my current go-to midi which is an AKAI MPK Mini (although I soon plan to invest in a small synth such as Korg Minilogue and/or a larger multi-octave midi keyboard).
Ableton is great because you can do so much in the box with plug-ins (my go to is usually Arturia/Pigments), but I don’t really enjoy working on a screen, clicking around a lot and I prefer to jam things out on a keyboard etc, so I plan to shift to a more hardware based approach in future when I can invest or get my hands on more equipment. DJ-wise, I have a modest vinyl collection but I’m always playing from USB + CDJs in clubs. 🙂
My fav mixer is a Rane MP2015, they’re just beautiful, although I like to also have an effects rack for reverbs etc, and I like to DJ with at least 4x CDJs to have flexibility of looping, adding vocals, and planning a few tracks ahead during a club set.
I’m still in the early stages of music production—though I started a couple of years ago, I didn’t consistently dedicate time to it until early 2024. Something clicked for me at the start of the year, and since then, I’ve been putting in a lot of effort. I believe it takes a few years to develop strong production skills, and learning about sound design and the intricate programming within a DAW is crucial, even if you’re not planning to become a full mix/master engineer.
So, I still consider myself a bit of a newbie producer, but I’m currently sitting on 10-15 demos (not all completely finished). I’m really excited about some of them—it’s taken a lot of hard work, countless midnight hours, and plenty of blood, sweat, and maybe even a few tears to get to this point. I have a good feeling about 2025, as I hope to release a lot of music that year. It’ll be a new experience for me to release my own solo tracks—I always think it’s special when you do something for the first time!
I’ve included two unreleased tracks in the Balance mix, which will be fine-tuned before any potential release, along with a private edit I made of a Donato Dozzy remix. In addition, I’m working on some exciting collaboration projects—while the music isn’t finished yet, I’m likely releasing something with my friend REj (possibly a follow-up to Perception?), as well as a track involving my vocals and lyrics with co-producers Carlos Barbero and Kimao, which I hope will eventually make its way to dancefloors. Watch this space! For now, I’m playing my tracks regularly in my sets, and I’m curious to see how people respond to them in the mix.
I host a regular radio-show on Bloop London Radio – Urban Soundscapes – which is currently monthly, you can catch new uploads and the last 4 years of shows up on soundcloud – sometimes I invite guests on and interview them too, we’ve had Anthony Pappa, Murat Uncuoglu, Alican, Sascha Braemer, James Harcourt and more on the show.
After a busy summer and ADE recently, I am now taking some deliberate time off from DJ gigs (+ social media) for a couple of months/ in Dec and Jan – it’s winter in London and I want to lock myself in the studio and work on production and my track catalogue with deep focus every weekend. I currently work a fulltime office job alongside music, so my time for producing is a bit limited when also playing gigs on weekends.
In 2025, I’m playing at Snow Machine festival in Japan ! in March and then will likely be doing a small Asia Tour (Australia is not entirely off the cards either so I may be visiting). And then of course, Balance Festival Croatia in August. <3
I’ve been really busy recently, so I didn’t have the time to do the process I usually follow for podcasts, where I might plan out the whole mix tracklist before I record it. Instead, this time I made a master playlist of 150 tracks that I knew fit the mood, and I recorded it in one take without a pre-plan, around midnight in my home-studio, mostly recording in my headphones to not piss off the neighbours. I just burned some incense, lit some candles and got into the flow.
Because of this approach, it’s a little bit more unusual /spontaneous than some of my other podcasts, with some sudden twists and turns, more similar to how in a club but I actually love how it turned out in this way, I feel like it has deep introspective moments and then the energy picks up and it’s more fun and playful and this oscillates across the 2.5 hrs. Although generally speaking my music is always quite moody, a bit melancholy and introspective which is definitely purposeful. Loads of music in here also from friends and producers I admire, I hope you’ll dig into the tracklist if you enjoy the mix.
It’s a personal mix, as recently I’ve been pushing myself to get deeper into my own sound, sort of reminding myself the importance of ‘not being for everyone’. It’s also the first time ever that I include two of my own tracks on a podcast, which are not even fully mixed/mastered and still a bit WIP, they are fresh out the studio so they’re a little messy but there is something v raw and real about them. I like that including them in this mix makes it into a time capsule on my music journey – when I’ve been producing for years and my skills are more advanced, it will be nice to look back and cherish this special moment where I started sharing my own productions with the world.
I’m obsessed with this track and have been playing it in a lot of DJ sets.
Thirsty Eyes – Manguito (released on Acrylic On Canvas, a label run by Joone)
This is my fav track ever, it got me through some difficult experiences.
Perfect Days (set in Japan, a must watch)
Well, I’m currently obsessed with Desperate Housewives so there’s that :’)
Scandinavia / Iceland
