Renegade Riddims: TheLena

Almost 4 years ago, TheLena packed up her decks, her dreams, and her fire and landed in the UK from Ukraine with one clear mission: to carve her name into the international Drum & Bass scene. Fast forward to 2026, and she’s doing exactly that.

A pure energy conduit at 174bpm, TheLena isn’t just playing Drum & Bass. She’s living it. Her sets are a high-voltage blend of rolling liquid soul and dark, snarling neuro, catching ravers off guard with deep emotional swells before dropping basslines that rattle ribcages. Whether it’s her sharp selections or her razor-sharp production, there’s always a sense of surprise and sophistication pulsing through her sound.

Her debut track ‘Like That’ dropped on Soulvent Records almost 1 year ago and immediately marked her as one to watch. Lyrical, punchy, and crafted with intention. She’s no stranger to big stages either. From Hospitality in the Woods and Soulvent’s 10th birthday to High Tea’s takeover in Amsterdam and Rotterdam’s Eatbrain x Korsakov blowout, not to mention tearing it up at Hospitality Weekender on the Valve/Virus stage, TheLena is making serious moves across Europe.

But it doesn’t stop there. Back home, she’s one of the driving forces behind Sounds of Ukraine, a platform repping her country’s talent to the world. And now in the UK, she’s taken things a step further with Valkyrie, a female-led neuro collective already making noise, with a room takeover at Virus in London on the horizon. I hit up a Valkyrie night in May last year, and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. The energy was next level. As a committed Junglist, I don’t usually dip into many Neuro events, but this one at Colours Hoxton totally flipped the script. The place was bouncing. Dancefloor packed within 15 minutes, serious vibes, and heavy selections all night long. Pure electricity from start to finish.

With more sets planned for 2026, which will give even more heads a chance to catch what TheLena brings: passion, power, and pure progression. She’s not just playing tracks. She’s building a legacy.

Today, TheLena joins our Renegade Riddims series with a new mix featuring music from the likes of herself, CrucifyMe, Agressor Bunx, Enta, Phenom, Perplex and loads more!

Check out the mix below and download it for free here!

Q&A:

Sum up this mix in 10 words…

High energy neuro and hard dance floor projecting motivation and drive!!

What’s your personal favourite track on it?

This is such a hard question. I love them all and I enjoy playing them all. Tunes by Involver, CrucifyMe and Phenom are of course my favorites!!!

What’s the special ingredient in this mix?

This is a special mix for me, as probably it is first time I am confidently using so many of my own tunes and bootlegs together with new and old material from so many amazing producers from Ukraine and Europe. It is very important for me to use the music of my friends from Ukraine. They are all very high-level producers, and I want the international DnB community hear their music.

Tell us about your next release…

In March, I have two releases and I am very excited about both. One is called Drifting which is in my set and the other is called Flamenco Massacre. Drifting is a tune I enjoy a lot and it is part of a compilation EP on VTO Records for IWD, led by amazing MEL. Flamenco Massacre is special for me because it has Spanish elements and I am looking forward to playing it in High Tea Barcelona on 20^th of March. The tune will come out on Automata which is a Spanish label with an incredible team.

What have you got coming up?

I can’t believe that 2 months of 2026 is already gone and my baby is almost 1.5 years old!!.. Now that he is more interactive, I am finding more time for music. I have some interesting collaborations in the making and planning to release 7/8 more tunes this year.  In addition to High Tea Spain, I will be playing in Virus Trinity, Korsakov Kings Day and Hospitality On The Beach and, some other very exciting events that are not announced yet. Of course, as always, I am working with my Sounds of Ukraine team to help our community in any way we can. We are already finalizing the plans for another two events in Lviv in 2026. And finally we will release the Sounds of Ukraine documentary to public in the next month or so. However, the most exciting for me is what we are planning to do with Valkyrie together with amazing Anny. What started as a female collective is turning into something much bigger very soon. Be ready for surprises..

When was the last time you actually raved?

At the end of January ☺.. I played the opening set for the neuro stage at Korsakov in Rotterdam and then enjoyed the most amazing lineup in that stage for the rest of the night. However, after SKY (my baby) my rave habits are much calmer and my raves are shorter…

And finally, do you have a special message for our readers?

My general message to all ravers is embedded in my opening tune: “Better Version”. However, more important than anything else; 24^th February marks the 4^th year of start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. I would like to ask everyone not to forget that the war is still ongoing. Our friends are dying; our families are suffering… Please don’t let what is going on in my country to drop out of global agenda. We are resilient; however, we need every bit of support, in any form… Slava Ukraini!!!!

TRACKLIST:

TheLena – Better Version 
Frannabik & Phenom – Aurora 
Anizo – Thrax
Telekinesis – Bias
CrucifyMe – Avalanche
Skrillex – Bangarang (Grafix Bootleg)
Theezer – Feel
HighThere – Falling for You
Agressor Bunx – Inner Line
CrucifyMe – ID 8
Confusion – Better Feeling
Frannabik & Phenom – Aurora
Absu_NTQL – Conclusion VIP 
Timo Maas – First Day (TheLena Bootleg)
HighThere – Ac130
TheLena – Drifting
Phenom & Kevela – Simulated Freedom 
Enta – Rile em Up
TRCD & Bad Ace – Im Alive
Phenom – Haunted
TheLena – Obsidian Factum
TheLena – Like That
Absu_NTQL & Tremr – Summon
Bad District – Thriller   
TheLena – Face Off
CrucifyMe Slayer
Agressor Bunx – Supersonic VIP
CrucifyMe – Redemption
CrucifyMe – ID 6
Enta – Closure
CrucifyMe – ID 9
Phenom x Vici – Rubadub
HighThere – Wimbo VIP
TheLena – Show Me 
Absu_NTQL – Knock It Down                                 
Absu_NTQL & Prdk – Brain Damage
Phenom – Thunder
TheLena – Jurassic Dancefloor
Perplex (DNB) – Let The Bass Guide You 
CrucifyMe – Money Maker
Metanoia – Awake                                      
Kanine – Feel the Vibration
Prdk – I Want It
Absu_NTQL – Result
HighThere, Smeerlapp – The Komodo Dragon
HighThere – I Want it                                                 
Sub Focus – Solar System (INVOLVER Bootleg)
Bl4ck Owlz – Dat One
Rasmus – First Day Of My Life (TheLena Bootleg)
Phenom & Discharge – Goblin (Remix)
Meph Neonrush
DJ Hazard & D Minds – Mr. Happy (INVOLVER Bootleg)
HighThere – Lost to History
Sub Focus & bbyclose – On & On (Kanine Remix)
Karpa, Zigi SC & Konquest – No Regrets