The New York City-based electronic musician 8ULENTINA wanted their Early Hours DJ mix to reflect their open-minded approach to DJing: “I mix multiple genres across a wide range of cultures and BPMs,” they tell Apple Music. “Before making this mix, I thought a lot about my environment in the morning—the sounds I’d hear, and the temperature as it warms up each hour.” The artist, who co-founded the underground music collective Club Chai, describes the mix’s themes in atmospheric terms: Sunrise, spring rain, and humidity are a few. Actual set and setting are up to the listener. “It could be for the walk home from a night out or a morning mix; I wanted it to have both moods,” 8ULENTINA says. “[But it should] feel like that transition from dawn to a full sunrise.” The selections are full of gentle soundscapes drawn from a morning palette: synths that sound like birds chirping (Anadol’s “Gizli Duygular”) and naked vocals that linger in the air (Kelela and Ahya Simone’s “Enough” remix). The colorful final track, “A New Kind of Love” by Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, and Guy Sigsworth, is bright enough to shake you out of your waking stupor and thrust you into the day. “I couldn’t believe this one just came out,” 8ULENTINA says. “I had to check online because it sounded so familiar. I’m really excited to hear Frou From and Imogen Heap in 2022. This song makes me feel very nostalgic.”