Mau5trap’s Next Wave
We Are Friends enters another chapter as mau5trap unveils disk one of Vol. 12. The compilation series remains a launchpad for boundary-pushing producers, sustaining the label’s legacy of discovery and risk. 
Since debuting future stars like REZZ, i_o, ATTLAS, BlackGummy, and No Mana, We Are Friends has defined the label’s scouting ethos. Disk one arrives on the heels of 2025 releases by deadmau5, BlackGummy, Becking, Screamarts, Skellytn, and Lamorn, signaling a sharpened vision for 2026.
Key Players Emerge
The XTTC leads with “1 of My Kind,” introducing an anonymous duo spanning DJ craft and visual culture. The project imagines three vigilante alter-egos—X, Ruby Knives, and Lil C—stirring chaos against systems of control. Their electro-forward sound melds dark-room propulsion with seductive vocals and cinematic pacing.
The anonymity is intentional, rejecting surveillance-era identity commodification while centering story, tension, and creative freedom.
We Are Friends Spotlight
The set also features Ciauru’s “Supersonic Electronic (on acid),” a title that telegraphs peak-time mischief and warehouse grit. Midway through disk one, the lone remix reimagines deadmau5’s canonical “Strobe,” inviting new ears into We Are Friends lore. Emerging force &friends teams with Italian duo Moeaike for a retake that balances reverence and modern drive. Their inclusion places them alongside heavyweights like Layton Giordani, Dimension, and Lane 8 in the “Strobe” remix lineage.
Culture And Context
This volume broadens the roster with Avis Vox, Hreez, ELAC, Me & You, Meyer, Micha Mendel, Quantaloo, and Ludicrous. Each artist advances the label’s palette, threading progressive melodies with psychedelic excursions and unforgiving percussion. The curation underscores how We Are Friends remains a living archive of contemporary club vocabulary. It is a snapshot of shifting tempos, bass architectures, and narrative textures in global electronic music.
Beyond The Records
Mau5trap’s influence has scaled beyond releases into experiential spaces, from stage takeovers to festival footprints. Mixmag readers named it among the Top 50 Labels of the Decade, cementing its cultural capital. Support from Billboard, DJ Mag, Forbes, and Insomniac affirms the imprint’s cross-scene resonance. Live expansions across Ultra, Creamfields, EDC, and Electric Forest extend the label’s storytelling from studio to stage.
The Ongoing Thesis
We Are Friends continues as a statement on how discovery should sound and feel. It champions future-forward minds while honoring the catalog’s deep roots. With Vol. 12, mau5trap again treats curation as editorial, and editorial as community-building. The result is a forward pulse with historical memory, aimed squarely at the dance floor. We Are Friends keeps the door open for the next movement—and the next headliner.
