TuneLab
SITA ABELLÁN techno set in The Lab LA
Sita Abellán walks into The Lab LA and immediately cues up Joey Beltram's 'Subsonic Trance'—a move that says 'we're not here for pleasantries, we're here for business.' The vibe is all LA darkness, a sweaty, concrete bunker where the only light comes from the DJ booth screens and the occasional flash of a phone. This is a techno set with a tech-house heart, operating in a tight 122-125 BPM band and heavily favoring the 12A key for its hypnotic, loop-based foundation. Abellán builds tension through layered percussion and rumbling sub-bass, with the mid and high energy reserved for well-timed vocal samples and synth stabs that slice through the mix.
Her style is direct and functional, using long blends to keep the energy at a persistent simmer rather than boiling over. The track selection is a clever blend of classic and contemporary, with Beltram's opener setting a purist tone before she slyly introduces the edited, driving pulse of Shouse's 'Won't Forget You.' The Disciples & Unorthodox remix of Calvin Harris's 'How Deep Is Your Love' is a genius, peak-time re-contextualization of a pop hit into a dark, rolling weapon. Lane 8's 'Loving You' gets a muscular, peak-hour makeover via Solee's remix, and Marc Molina's 'More Than Physical' remix adds a funky, physical bounce.
She guides us from the trance-inducing opener, through the calculated euphoria of those vocal cuts, to the gritty, cyclical close of Luca Lozano & Mr. Ho's 'Different Circles,' leaving us in a satisfyingly foggy headspace.