Germany’s RIFT Recordings has suffered a setback after its YouTube channel was abruptly taken down by the platform.
“We are deeply saddened to share that our YouTube channel has been removed without any copyright strikes or prior warnings,” organizers of the Dortmund-based DJ mix series wrote in a statement posted to Instagram yesterday.
The burgeoning broadcast outfit known for spotlighting emerging hardgroove and schranz DJs confirmed that each of its previously published mixes and its entire community of 45,000 subscribers vanished from YouTube over the weekend. Despite the takedown, they’ve reuploaded each mix to a new YouTube channel, where they’ll continue to share new sets.
“This loss hits us hard,” their statement continued. “The hours, the passion, and the connection we built through this channel meant a lot to the whole RIFT team, and we know many of you felt the same. We will not be stopped by this.”
Since its launch in 2025, the platform, founded and curated by Dortmund DJ Per Pleks, has emerged as a leading curator of Germany’s rapidly growing bounce techno scene, anchored by breakout performances from rapidly emerging artists such as Fumi, HUJUS, ÜBERKIKZ, GNRØ, Alarico, Serafina and more, recorded from its abandoned warehouse space in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Read RIFT Recordings’ statement in the post below. You can find their new YouTube channel here.
Featured image courtesy: RIFT Recordings. Credit: Fabian Rocha Pedro.