Desert Festivals to Visit Around The World

Palms Trax is the stage moniker of English producer and DJ Jay Donaldson. Now based in Berlin, Germany, Donaldson always had an inclination for music. He cites his parents as “creative people” who always inflated his inspirations. Born in Saltford, UK in the early 90’s, he initially played jazz piano and had a stint in a Metallica cover band. He went on to pursue sound engineering in university. But as his interest in dance music and production grew, his coursework didn’t resonate as much. “I just wanted to make a dubstep wobble base, and they were trying to show me how I would mic up a drum kit for Nickelback,” 

Already a musical aficionado, he had previously developed skills in Logic Pro (macOS’s MIDI sequencer and audio workstation) during his lunch hours at school. During an internship at the iconic London vinyl shop Phonica, Donaldson discovered classic house and Detroit techno. The simple elegance and punk nature of classic house caught his ear. He eventually relocated to Berlin and began pursuing his DJ career full time.

His first official release, the Equation EP, was distributed by London’s label Lobster Theremin in 2013. The title track gained massive traction. With an old-school house feel, “Equation” began to dominate underground dance floors throughout the UK. The album was enough to catch the attention of Dekmantel, the Amsterdam-based events company and record label. Palms Trax joined their roster of artists and released three EPs with them.

Nowadays, thanks to his timeless sound, he’s gained a global following and a busy performance schedule. His monthly radio show, ‘Cooking with Palms Trax’, has been broadcast since 2015. The quarterly showcase was 

 on NTS Radio at the end of 2021. The show is an insightful look into Donaldson’s influences: from dub and reggae, to West African funk, house and techno: the Palms Trax sound is uniquely funky and full of soul.

Germany

float house

lo-fi house

Palms Trax

belgian techno

electra

Charlotte de Witte

minimal dub

techno

Dax J

Helena Hauff

minimal techno

DVS1

irish electronic

KETTAMA

russian electronic

russian techno

Nina Kraviz

Job Jobse

experimental house

Sofia Kourtesis

Junction 2

United Kingdom

Boston Manor Park

Junction 2 2025

deep disco house

melodic house

Rampa

electronica

german house

german techno

microhouse

minimal tech house

Âme

Ben Klock

Chloé Caillet

Dixon

garage house

Honey Dijon

italian techno

Joseph Capriati

house

latin tech house

melodic techno

Maceo Plex

tech house

Michael Bibi

deep house

detroit house

detroit techno

Seth Troxler

uk house

TSHA

Spain

DC-10 Ibiza

Circoloco Closing Party

Desiree

Eliza Rose

Enzo Siragusa

jazz house

Folamour

O.Bee

Tania Vulcano

urbano ecuatoriano

Sossa

ambient techno

Aurora Halal

Mochakk

Mita Gami

Jay Nortown

Circoloco

Circoloco at DC-10

Adam Port

deep techno

Mano Le Tough

brostep

complextro

electro

pop dance

Skrillex

dance-punk

danish indie

experimental pop

WhoMadeWho

CiCi

Mink

irish rebel song

Saoirse

australian ambient

Jennifer Loveless

Bradley Zero

Circoloco week 20

uk dance

The Blessed Madonna

Damian Lazarus

Mathew Jonson

classic dubstep

future garage

uk bass

Skream

Circoloco Week 6

afro house

latin house

afro tech

Massuma

United States

boston electronic

nu disco

Soul Clap

France

bass house

dubstep

electro house

electronic trap

filthstep

gaming dubstep

Habstrakt

Ukraine

ukrainian electronic

ukrainian experimental

Woo York

alternative dance

electroclash

french techno

neo-synthpop

Miss Kittin

Italy

Richey V

Australia

australian house

deep groove house

Dom Dolla

Kaleena Zanders

Brazil

Aline Rocha

Portugal

hard techno

acid techno

tekno

ØTTA

Palms Trax

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