Zone Magazine Issue 049 – Woktrax – Cover
– Woktrax –
Well Folks, Lots of great things happening here at Zone HQ just for you lot, so keep coming back! Our team have been working hard as usual and we have a packed issue with the regulars, and lots of interviews! Welcome to Autumn 2025! Please welcome some new guys to the team Mel Donnellan, Patrick Evans, Jose De Sousa and Alessandra La Montagna.
NOTE – Sorry folks, due to a tech issue we have to delay the print, and PDF / Digital copy just for now, it will be published as soon as possible!
From Belgium we chat to long standing artist, WOKTRAX. He started DJing in 1994 on second-hand decks, worked clubs through the late ’90s/early 2000s, then life pulled him away.
After a decade-plus hiatus, Peter Wok returned as Woktrax—lean, percussive techno with acid fingerprints and the occasional quieter detour. Today his catalogue spans imprints like Dark Distorted Signals and FenixFire Records (both steered by Willem Voet), alongside labels such as Blanc Stone Digital, Hot Peppers Raw, Bunk3r R3cords, Alpha Gem and Ibiza Boys. We catch him mid-momentum to connect the dots between 1994, the break, and what’s next.
From the UK we speak to the legend that is SMOKIN JO! Smokin Jo is one of the most talented DJ’s to emerge from the British dance music scene, her undeniably cutting-edge sound has carved her a niche in clubland.
Jo has had a truly successful career and 35 years of experience, she has played at numerous renowned venues around the world, including Space/Hi (Ibiza and Miami), Fabric (London), Womb and Aghea (Tokyo), Panorama Bar (Berlin), Warung (Brazil), and Pacha, Crobar, and Vinyl (New York).
She is the only female DJ to have won DJ Magazine’s DJ of the Year Award. In recent years, she has played at events such as Glastonbury, Glitterbox at Hi Ibiza, Defected Croatia Festival, Pacha Ibiza, Cream Weekender, Clockwork Orange, and Fabric. She has also appeared in a documentary for Ministry of Sound and headlined the Ibiza Space final opening and closing parties.
From Germany we speak to Felix Raphael. Felix’s passion for music was evident from the earliest moments of his life. As a young child, his mother introduced him to singing lessons, sparking his fascination with vocal expression.
This early exposure set the stage for a musical journey that would see him explore various instruments and ultimately embrace singing as a vital part of his artistic identity.
Initially hesitant about blending electronic sounds with his musical background, Felix eventually found his unique musical signature in the synergy of electronic beats, organic indie feels and his distinctive voice. His style defies easy categorization, but it can be best described as Melodic House with a pronounced infusion of organic and classical elements.
From Spain we chat to Valdritz Ferraro, born in Reus, began his relationship with music in the mid-1980s, when he began to develop a deep interest in it.
In the early 1990s, he discovered the electronic music movement, which, combined with the synth pop of the time, catapulted him into the booths under the name Ted Records. In 1991, he performed his first DJ set, and his dedication to the public continued until November 18, 2019, the date on which he offered his last live session.
During this time, he managed to carve out a niche in his area’s electronic music scene, playing in multiple venues on the Costa Dorada and Priorato, and participating in several DJ competitions, where he achieved top positions three times.
Brazilian-born DJ and promoter Milady brings rhythm, heart, and authenticity to Spain’s Afro House scene. With the THABO Afro House Festival about to hit Málaga, her rise shows no signs of slowing down.
Brazil-born and now lighting up Spain’s Costa del Sol, Milady has fast become one of the most exciting new names in Afro House. From gospel and samba roots to deep, percussive club cuts, her sound is pure energy — warm, soulful and unapologetically real.
We jump over to Ibiza for the closing parties and have a chat with Red Jules! Red Jules is originally from East Yorkshire but lives in Spain now and travels to Ibiza for the season every year.
She runs Facebook groups & a WhatsApp community for people aged 40+: Ibiza Clubbing for 40s+, Ibiza Meetups 40s+, Ibiza Solo Travel 40s+ and hosts weekly meetups in Ibiza, which she runs voluntarily as well as an annual group holiday event at the end of September in collaboration with One More Time Ibiza.
EVENT REVIEWS
Inside the Machine: Audio Obscura × Innervisions at ADE
We arrived right at the start, 2 p.m. sharp, as Jamiee was warming up the large, covered outdoor stage. The sound rolled through the space with the confidence of someone who knows they’re opening for giants. Her set bridged warm house, stripped-back techno and a few jazzy flourishes that softened the edges. It wasn’t just a warm-up; it was a welcome. The kind that sets a tone instead of just filling time.
IBIZA 2025 Closing Parties
I hadn’t been in Ibiza since June 2023. At that time I stayed there for 2 weeks and visited several clubs – more information in this article – page 66 onwards. This year, on September 6, I had a very nice surprise… My dear friend Alessandra, who I met in Ibiza, in June 2023, sent me a message that shifted my focus for more than a month…
Web Summit – Portugal – 2025 –
Web Summit Lisbon 2025 Post party – Before you go home…You still need to connect and party, or party and connect another time…
RELEASE FEATURES
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IK86 — Life As It Is: a candid return from WD2N roots to a warmer, club-ready self
After years moving between monikers — from Ifan Kovny to the duo WD2N with Yuri Lima, plus side aliases Yellow Page and Zumbador — IK86 resurfaces with Life As It Is, a track that trades bravado for radical honesty. It’s the sound of an artist rebuilding instinct first: warmer harmonics, patient grooves, and a low-lit intensity that still lands squarely on the dance floor. No grand rollout, no trend-chasing — just a producer returning when there’s something worth saying. In this interview for Zone Magazine, IK86 unpacks the break, the rebirth, and how acceptance—of time, change and mess—became a bassline you can actually feel.
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From the UK we speak to Jay Newman and NEO-X on their new collaboration. Two exciting DJ/producers come together this month to release a new collaboration called ‘Echoes’, which is out on Krafted Records. Zone magazine needed to find out more from Jay Newman and NÈO-X (aka Andre Sammut).
REVIEWS
Mel Donnellan – Dance
Jay Dobie – Progressive House Classics
Patrick Evans – Trance
Richard Coombes – Prog House and Breaks
Mark Neenan – Techno/Acid
John Ricketts – Dance / Electronica
DJ CHARTS HERE!
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