The Mix 054: Bimini

“Two secs!” Bimini pings through Zoom chat. Suddenly, the glam drag star pops up on-screen, lit up by warm golden backlights at Dalston's Pirate recording studio. Donning a grunge, fuchsia pink and black Punkyfish sports zip-up and bright, neutral make-up, the artist grins, professing their excitement to be sitting down with Mixmag. “I'm really excited about playing some new tunes I've got. I'm testing new music out on the speakers. I've got a little set-up at home, but it ain't no big old mixer, so I've come in here to give it a bit of practice,” they explain.

A lot has been going on for the London-based artist. In 2019, Bimini became a fan-favourite on the reality TV series RuPaul's Drag Race UK – becoming a media sensation overnight. Since then, Bimini has been on an unstoppable ascension, cementing milestones at a lightning-speed rate. They’ve toured with queer pop trio MUNA and made history as the first drag act to perform at rock festival Download. But before they hit the spotlight, it was queer clubbing that shaped Bimini and they were passionate about DJing — something which they were stopped from doing by the at-times disconcerting new world of controlling management and mainstream attention they found themselves in. Now they're refusing to be controlled and refocusing on the world of dance music. Having kicked off the year with a nu-disco-informed single ‘Heartbreaker’, a new release is in the works: a zingy, energetic house track ‘Keep On Dancing’ with DJ and producer ABSOLUTE., coming out on April 11. They've also landed a high profile DJ residency and played alongside the likes of Groove Armada and Chez Damier.

The reintroduction of Bimini isn’t a pivot, it’s a return home. It’s midday and Bimini is laser-focused on one thing: getting their mix right. There's an eagerness and a subtle nervousness to their demeanour. It’s a change, they admit, but one that’s been overdue. And, to put it lightly, the new world of Bimini is no filter, all killer. “I feel really excited about the world I'm in now, what I'm getting to do, and the opportunities I'm getting, it feels like a long time coming,” they say. “It was my childhood dream. My vision was Ibiza from the lens of Kevin & Perry. I was eight years old saying 'I want that'. Dance music has always been so inspirational throughout my life, whether it was childhood or growing up in my teen years going to raves.”

Ahead of their new single ‘Keep On Dancing’, we caught up with Bimini to chat about reconnecting with club music, transcending expectations, finding liberation, and becoming more than “Bimini from Drag Race”. Check out the interview and their queer-loaded hour-long mix, blending genres, high BPM tunes and, of course, a glorious Madonna remix, below.

Since you’ve moved back into the electronic space you've been getting co-signs from some big names, including ABSOLUTE., a HE.SHE.THEY residency, a regular Foundation.FM show, and a hectic tour schedule. How are you feeling about your new roots?

I'm finally getting to do this and it feels liberating. I'm excited by it, it makes me happy, like when Mixmag reached out, being such a reputable place for DJs and producers, it felt like a real moment. I really wanted to showcase where I'm at and what I'm about.

You’ve continued to transcend expectations of what people expect from you, whether it be genre or your next projects. What’s it been like to now be a rising star in the dance scene?

People love to label people and put them in a box. I'm bored of it, let people be themselves. At Download, it was incredible getting to be the first drag artist to be booked on a stage there. We know rock's got a lot of problems. There's been a lot of misogyny within rock, but that's just the industry, in general. I think it's important for me to just do what I love. If people want to come on the journey that's great. But, if not, that's not my place to try and change it. It's all about how it makes me feel and I think the empowerment comes from the music. A lot of dance music is rooted in queerness. It is rooted in Blackness. It is rooted in different things that make these incredible genres. If you think about the origins of house music, even to disco, it was queer, it was Latino, it was Black, and it was empowered.

Read this next: Queer the dancefloor: How electronic music evolved by re-embracing its radical roots

What can you tell us about your early party and DJ days?

I loved Drag Race. It was an incredible opportunity, but I've always been in the clubs and I've always been part of that space. When queer East London was coming up, I was getting to see Honey Dijon, Hannah Holland, and all of these incredible parties. I used to DJ before Drag Race. I was pretty shit, I'm not gonna lie - I didn't know anything. I've always just loved playing music and I'm giving back to people who inspire me and have been around me like HE.SHEY.THEY. Prior to Drag Race I was DJing but post Drag Race, I was stopped from DJing and management was telling me you can't do it, but this is what I wanted to do. It wasn't making me happy when I wasn't able to do what I wanted to do and being kind of controlled. I didn't want to do the easy route and be 'Bimini from Drag Race who's DJing'. I'm on the journey for myself and that's the most important thing to me. I just want to be part of the world of music that inspires me and has raised me.

Do you know why you were discouraged from pursuing dance music by management?

I don't know what that was. To be honest, I went from going on a reality TV show, which was a successful series. It was a successful year and there were amazing opportunities. My life changed overnight. I went from doing a sexy performance on a chair down in East London, where I used to carry my chair to all my gigs for my choreography, to being thrust into these amazing opportunities, shooting covers of magazines, and it was a whirlwind and incredible. But when I said I want to DJ, I was told not to do it right now. I've always wanted to do it. So the transition has always felt authentic. It feels real.

Obviously, people are probably going to be like "Bimini from Drag Race". The transition was something that I decided to do myself. I'm not being controlled by people again. There were too many people at one point, whether it was with agents and different management doing a lot of different things. I kind of lost myself over the years. I wanted to do it, because I was being told how I should do or what I should be, and that doesn't make me fulfilled. Nobody should have to feel like that. So, I've come out of that feeling and I'm doing what I want to do.

Do you have a favourite party club memory?

East Bloc was a club in East London, it was 2013/2014. and it was my first time going to a queer space. I was like, 'Wow, this is insane'. It was techno and house music. It was amazing but it wasn't the commercial shit that I was hearing back at home in the clubs. It was Larry Tee DJing. It was his party, the Super Electric Party Machine. I remember that was the first time I was like 'These are my people'. I was running around in a little mesh vest, which I'd never got to wear before. It was really liberating!

You’ve talked about your experiences in the East London queer club scene. We’ve seen more venues closing across London. What do you make of this happening?

It's really sad, it's depressing. Music and culture are so important to us. The nightclub is where I found my people. Losing spaces is something that we need to at least put a halt to right now. The government need to do more. We need spaces. We need music. We need new artists. We need free-thinkers. What is the world going to become? We need spaces where you can experiment and lose yourself. I've have been working with George at Save Our Scene, who recently just won the Radio 1 Dance Impact Award for their incredible work with grassroots venues and music venues. I've actually got a song coming out called 'Keep On Dancing', which is right towards the end of the mix. It's about that, because we met in the clubs and it's a fucking '90s house banger. It's about how we need to come together. We need to latch onto that and not let it die out. A lot of people left because we were seeing this happening 10 years ago. We lost, especially in the queer spaces, over 50% of venues, and then we're losing more and more rapidly. The final closing song is produced by ABSOLUTE. too…but that’s coming later.

Shout out to Electrowerkz, Divine, and all these incredible queer spaces. We need to keep spaces sacred. It needs to become culturally significant so that nothing can happen to them. We don't need more unaffordable luxury flats. Sort out the homeless crisis first! There are so many issues with the system that need to be sorted out. Taking away our nightlife and our culture is going to make everyone feel lower.

How was it working with ABSOLUTE. on 'Keep On Dancing'?

Working with ABSOLUTE. is the most fun. We’ve known each for so long and I have huge respect for his ability to bend genres, his knowledge and credibility within the world of club and dance music and the fact he’s a fucking good guy. When we’re in the studio it’s always a riot. We were down in Australia writing with BIG WETT, who’s a big icon, and we did like five songs in four hours. Whether they’re any good is a different story but the pressure and expectation isn’t there—it’s all about having fun while respecting the music and what has inspired us.

Can you tell us a little bit about the process behind your previous single 'Heartbreaker' and how that came to be?

'Heartbreaker' was done with producer Alex Virgo. We got to the studio and we were going back and forth on ideas. It's quite interesting because of the whole genre clashing. With Drag Race, I was like the gender bender. Now, I'm DJ Genre Bender! It's hard to pinpoint with it, because people say new disco vibe, which I can see. It's got Euro synths and Nintendo Game Boy-esque sounds. I was delivering lyrics, but they're quite heartfelt, meaningful, and it brings in a level of emotion to it, even though it feels so light and pop. I've got so much music coming. You and I spoke about Download, and I did bring more of a punk edge, in a sense, but it was all dance music rooted. Most of my songs have always been electronic-inspired, whether it was '90s rave or a punky Prodigy vibe. I get that I came from a reality TV show. I also had a life before that, and music has always been so central to that.

Read this next: Grace Sands: “As I've become more queer, so has the music I play”

You've got loads of new shows and festival appearances coming up, including Homobloc, Mighty Hoopla and Pride Berlin and Montreal. How does it feel to have these big dates coming up?

It's so exciting. I feel privileged that I made the decision for myself. I've been able to have that this journey because I was hustling at it for a minute. We did a small tour and I was selling out little clubs. I want to show the grit. I'm up from this. I'm not the best DJ in the world. I might be one day, but who knows? Anyone can get there if you believe in yourself. I'm not the best DJ, but I'm a fucking hustler, and I will keep going. I'll keep working, learning, and honing. I'm loving everything that I'm getting to do. I feel very grateful, and for everyone around, like my label who believe in me. I definitely lost myself over the years on where I wanted to be, so this feels exciting.

What are you inspired by?

My inspirations come from everywhere, whether it's the underground or whether it's pop culture. I have something to say and I'm trying to bring it to my music and my sets. We're in a political climate where it's important not to just keep your mouth shut, as a queer person whose rights could be easily taken away. Music has the power to bring us together and to have a message.

Can you tell us about your mix?

This mix is a riot in rhythm. It opens with Madonna’s voice—a reminder that freedom of expression isn’t up for debate—and spirals into something sexier: a nod to the queer underground and the artists that inspire me. Then it starts getting moodier before it turns. Darker. Sweatier. More defiant. I wanted to take listeners on a journey—from dreamy dissociation to full-bodied release. It’s chaotic in the best way: laced with political rage and drenched in dancefloor ecstasy, because music should make you feel every kind of emotion. It’s gritty. It’s euphoric. It’s queer liberation in sonic form.

There are tracks that feel like protest chants and moments of blissful release. I didn't want a mix that was tied to one genre, it's genre-bending. At its core, it’s about resistance, joy, and the urgent belief that there’s still something worth fighting for.

I’ve laced the set with my own music, too. It opens with a 2022 track that feels naive but hopeful, and closes with an unreleased piece that’s louder, prouder, more assured and confident. It’s a mirror of my own journey—from the early days of releasing dance music to where I stand now. I’m here. I’m hungry. I'm just getting started and I’m not going fucking anywhere.

'Keep On Dancing' by Bimini & ABSOLUTE. is out on April 11

Zoya Raza-Sheikh is a freelance music journalist, follow them on Twitter

Tracklist:
Madonna’s freedom of expression speech
Bimini - Tommy’s Dream (2025 edit)
Fat Tony & Fierce Child – Men Adore (Catz & Dog Tribal Dub)
DJ RBR - Re-Energize
King James Lee - You Hear Me Girl?
Sozef - En Route
Bimini - Different Kinds of People
Tiga - Mind Dimension (Ben Sterling remix)
Fabrication & Melody’s Enemy - Control Chaos
Bimini - SYSTEM FAILURE
DAX J - Escape The System
KAS:ST - Hell On Earth
Madonna - What It Feels Like To Be A Girl - (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix)
Quench - Dreams
X CLUB. - Say No More
Layton Giordani - New Generation (Space 92 Remix)
BURNR - Rush ’97 (Extended mix)
DLV - Rave Instructor
Jackie Hollander & Lizzy Land - I Look Good
Love Struck - The Trip
Bimini & ABSOLUTE. - Keep On Dancing
??? - ???