Time for a respectful tip of the hat to Shimotsukei for one of the finest sets so far this year. As you’d expect, Shimotsukei covers all the TYFTH bases from twisted synths to melancholy, moving between Japanese and Finnish sounds with some very high quality mixing.

The set fits a huge amount into two hours, but the careful arrangement of Hase and Pain on Creation tracks was what first caught my ear – the two of them really are leagues ahead when it comes to the filters we all love. The problem then becomes how to blend their tracks with the rest, and the first third of the set does a superb job of running through NRGetic Romancer friendly NRG in as smooth a style as you’ve ever heard. I often wince when I hear promos being shoehorned into a set for reputation’s sake, but well played Shimotsukei on the use of Disintegration – that combo with Eternal Cannon is one of the moments of the set, and more than worth waiting for.

In some ways it’s a shame the set isn’t shorter/split in two for these sections to be completely self-contained, as the move into the second half features some great old and new selections but lacks some of the smoothness of the opening. Often comes with the territory when mixing freeform, but there are still some very nice moments, like an especially ferocious combination between Freeform Mercury and Silver Cube.

A look at the tracklist should be enough for most TYFTH readers, but as in all the best sets, the transitions add a lot to the atmosphere and make this far more than just a roll call of classics and promos.