Apple Music Hosts Special ADE Panel with Jeff Mills on Spatial Audio and the Future of Immersive Sound at Dolby Atmos House

Jeff Mills was joined by Stephen Campbell, Global Head of Dance, Electronic and DJ Mixes, Frankie Hutchinson, Head of D&E Artist Relations, and Clif Norell, Apple Music’s Lead Spatial Audio Mixing Engineer. Together, they traced the evolution of Jeff’s work in immersive sound before playing both pieces in full.

The One Mix is Apple Music’s premier showcase of the world’s best DJs and producers, now mixed and presented in immersive Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. To relaunch the series three years ago, Mills crafted Outer to Inner Atmosphere: The Escape Velocity Mix — a set inspired by the cosmos and designed to simulate breaking Earth’s gravitational pull. The mix, featuring selections from his Axis Records catalog, also marked the beginning of One Mix in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.

Jeff Mills on creating the first ever DJ Mix recorded for Spatial Audio and his broader perspective on working with the medium:

“The idea is to put the listener in a completely different scenario, to make them believe they’re somewhere else entirely. When I recorded the album, I was thinking about what the different circumstances would be that music could be listened to. By creating alternate configurations, you give the music the ability to be experienced in new dimensions.

“I’ve been imagining what happens when I’m no longer here, how I can still be involved in electronic music even after I’m gone. This technology replicates how I might play records together. It simulates that process and allows someone to imagine how I would do it in the future.”

Jeff Mills on the future and importance of Spatial Audio technology:

“We can hear things in 3D. That’s already there. But it’s the visual aspect we still need to address — how to convince someone they’re no longer where they are. That’s where things like classrooms, studios, and performance spaces will change. One day, you might be sitting next to Miles Davis and the sound engineer. These things will come. It’s going to make us rethink sound completely.”

“Ideally, if you had the choice to be in the studio with me while I was making The Bells, you’d understand the context it was made in. You’d begin to learn everything that led up to that moment. Spatial Audio gives people the chance to be part of that experience.”