Dress rehearsal | Re/Set 02

Dedicated to my original get-ready crew
Ammi, Maham, and Amna
My mum and my sisters
Whose birthdays this month remind me
that getting ready was always a ritual in our family.

---

The second Re/Set is ready just in time for fall festivities and the holiday season. As we move through these uncertain and heavy times, going out and experiencing joy feels like an act of resistance. For me, bathing in sound while in community shakes the sadness and anxiety out of me for a bit. Looking good makes me feel better too, so getting dolled up has become part of the process. This house/indie dance/electronica mix is a whole pre-party experience to get yourself ready - whatever that looks like for you. I do hope it involves snacks and electrolytes, also. It is intended as a femme-forward hour to:

• tap into your fiercest self

• charge you up

• wrap you in energetic protection before you step out (if you choose, reiki is only received with permission).

Why do a dress rehearsal?

Soak in your own essence before anyone else gets access. Think of it as a vibe calibration ritual for nights worth remembering. Whether for Halloween or a rave. A festival or a family holiday dinner. Or just a night in of singing to yourself into a hairbrush. Even if you’re just headed to work, pretend you’re en route to your favorite event.

Here's a suggested experiment for anyone who has a tough time getting up in the morning like I do: Keep headphones by your bed and explore this mix when you wake up. Lately, this is the most effective way for me to distract from mental chatter and chronic pain long enough to start my morning routine.

The mix is a love letter to the women who taught me how to get ready like it’s an art form. To take my time. To witness myself in the mirror. To dress like the badass I am. Do yourself one even better: Play dress up to it with people you love.

About the track journey:

We start with pure joy and anticipation; Nostalgic tracks get you excited about The Party, remind you that you’re Flawless, and that The Looks you give can make The Men All Pause (an iconic 80s RnB tune).

I wanted a segment in the intro to feel like a shower concert. First you Take It Off, feel So Hypnotic in the shower, and then decide your Dress Code. Honestly, this part of the mix gives such Vegas pool party energy that you may not even leave the house. Just a warning. In the true spirit of duality (ya know, similar to my reiki’d mix about going to hell and back), this track list is femme-forward in intention but hilariously bro-coded in sound… between Fisher, Mau P., Purple Disco Machine, Dom Dolla, and Chris Lorenzo.

[Side note: So Hypnotic is by €URO TRA$H - Yellow Claw’s house music project.]

Reminders to stay embodied come with Body Funk and Might Just. Need an extra boost of Bad Bitch energy? Chris Lorenzo and Chynna have gotchu. Put on your Lipstick and give us Drama, Action, Movement, Passion. It closes on Mutant Exotic, a queer liberation banger that repeats like a mirror chant - mutant, exotic, erotic - until you remember your own divinity.

More than a mix - it’s a pre-game protection spell. Press play and begin your transformation:

Track List

1. Justice - The Party (Original Mix)

2. George Michael - Flawless (Go To The City) [Luke DB & Rino Santaniello 2K17 Mash Bootleg]

3. Klymaxx - The Men All Pause

4. MSTRKRFT - The Looks

5. FISHER, Aatig - Take It Off (Extended Mix)

6. €URO TRA$H, Wax Motif, Bok Nero - So Hypnotic (Original Mix)

7. Mau P - Dress Code (Extended Mix)

8. Walker and Royce, James Patterson - Might Just (Extended Mix)

9. Shyam P, Rich NXT - Natural (Original Mix)

10. Chris Lorenzo, Chynna - Bad Bitch

11. BLR, Robbie Rise - Lipstick (Extended Mix)

12. Purple Disco Machine - Body Funk (Dom Dolla Remix)

13. DRAMA - DRAMA (Original Mix)

14. Red Axes - Flawless (Club Mix)

15. Audion, Tiga - Let's Go Dancing (Original Mix)

16. LSDXOXO - Mutant Exotic (BADSISTA Remix)