Oscar Mulero takes the helm for the final party of the year, leading a lineup of heavy hitters. Across his sprawling, three-decades-and-counting discography, Mulero balances impact and elegance and has again and again found new ways to breathe life into heady, mandala-esque loop techno. Working with a rigor that borders on severity, the Spanish pioneer has become a definitive name in hypnotic, muscular techno. French-born, Berlin-based Quelza imbues his music with an icy, cinematic scope. Embracing the cutting edge of sound design and hybrid forms, Quelza bends the language of techno like putty, molding it to his needs. Although he can push into huge, widescreen territory, he’s just as comfortable with restraint and finesse. Last year’s “Origami” on Vault Sessions is a perfect example, moving through vividly-etched hues that glimmer with infinite detail, occasionally collapsing into fascinatingly eerie digital detritus. Cotton returns to the room. The New York artist wraps a banner year, with standout sets at WIRE, on her home turf at Outlaw and across many of the best dancefloors in the city. An artist of sprawling creative ambition, Cotton’s own words describe her music best: “Deep broke textural acid swing.” STUDIO resident Massimiliano Pagliara takes us out. One of the great voices in modern house music, Pagliara’s fusion of classic Chicago rhythms, elegant melodicism, glistening italo disco and heady, transportive cosmic with transcendent artistry. Pagliara is a producer and DJ whose soul is attuned to the dancefloor, a true vessel for dance music’s core, spiritual message of liberation through movement. ISAbella joins from Spain. The Maricas founder has become a regular at STUDIO. She dives into the deep end with chuggy, sultry bangers delivered with a heavy dose of swag. With a few simple flourishes, ISAbella can set off a dancefloor, never letting the energy dip or falter. The Carry Nation seals the deal. The duo of Will Automagic and Nita Aviance needs no introduction. They are, bar none, some of the best to ever do it. Pillars of NY’s queer nightlife community and visionary DJs, The Carry Nation have played a definitive role in US house music in the new millennium. Their sets have been some of the most joyous in the room.