Eternal Volume 1 is the upcoming V/A compilation featuring trans* producers from around the world, out on November 21st, 2025 - one day after the annual Trans Day of Remembrance, with proceeds split between mutual aid organization Casa T Lisboa, the artists and trans-run label. It’s the second release from newly created exude records; initially a Berlin event series founded in 2023 by DJ/producer mx.pinky and her partner enby faerie, now with regular showcases at Outra Cena Lisboa, they continue to build community centering trans, non-binary, intersex and gender non-conforming voices.

The first installment in a series of sonic love letters to the trans community, Eternal offers a panoramic view of the trans experience with its own lingo, challenges and moments of joy. Their message is bold and direct, framing trans people as a continuum rather than something that needs to be supported by historical evidence or argued for - proclaiming “we have always been here and will never be erased.” 

Eternal is raw and unapologetically queer, showing the trans experience through the unfiltered lens of a community presenting itself to the world. There is no guidance or handholding for those on the outside, like a privileged glimpse into a sanctuary.

In the face of rapidly encroaching fascism throughout the globe and its targeted campaign to erase trans people, trans existence is resistance. Existing is not just about visibility and representation, but access to gender-affirming healthcare, housing, jobs and income, documents that match one’s gender identity and the right to live without constantly fearing for one’s safety. Eternal navigates these topics by playfully using various club music tropes to deliver addictive bangers with a twist. Eternal is not bound to a singular style, moving fluidly between genres while keeping a techno-leaning approach.

The tone is dystopian but rebellious, with tracks like label co-founder mx.pinky’s “mone control”, a luscious techno track where the ethereal incantation “HRT / Put the juice in my body / Point the needle on my skin / Euphoria will set me free" set against spacey acid flourishes adds a cheeky-cyborg levity to the subject of hormone replacement treatment. Berlin-Philadelphia artist Ixa pairs grief and strife with exuberance on irreverent electro track “Wanna Be (Broken Doll)”, where she raps about passing, surgeries, sugar daddies and self-acceptance over a disarmingly danceable beat. Other tracks are more direct in their messaging, like opener “Two Spirit Existence Is Indigenous Resistance” from New Mexico author and musician Marcy Angeles, a meditative affirmation of the indigenous trans experience and her community’s plight against colonization, erasure and forced assimilation.

At its core, Eternal is a release that centers the dancefloor, with seductive club tools like acid-tinged techno bop “Toric” from Chicago DJ/producer Zvrra, elastic kuduro hybrid “LÀ VEM” from Lisbon’s BLEID, or high-BPM cyberpunk EDM anthem “I Know It’s Hard” from Berlin-Toronto producer Infinity Division. LA DJ/producer Cherry Lee brings a more old-school techno vibe to the table with the hypnotic “quAnTum leaP”, a sprawling DJ tool embodying the sound of energy.

Quieter tracks like the spoken-word ambient poem “Ineffable” from Paris duo Positively Tragic or Marseille-based edna’s dubstep meditation “Lavande plombée” add some solace amongst the dance-oriented tracks.

Eternal is a testament to the diversity and bubbling creativity of the trans community, in a time where both our art and existence are facing erasure. This is for trans people to feel that we’re not alone and our lives are valuable.

CREDITS

Mastering: Cherry Lee + mx.pinky (track 5)

Artwork: babyfiend

Text: andra nikolayi

Label: exude records