We all piled in, five of us crammed into one of the tub-shaped cars, giddy and giggling. There was a brief commotion as we argued over who was going to sit next to who, but soon we were off and the laughter continued, slightly more hysterical now. A surly teenager working on the ride immediately gravitated to our car and gave it a spin, sending it lurching in the opposite direction that the undulating ride was travelling. Some cheesy old-rave banger was playing over the soundsystem, Rozalla maybe, it was hard to tell. "Scream if you want to go faster!" Jonny shouted above the din, so of course we did. And the kid with the furry upper lip and biro tattoos duly obliged, the car rotating into oblivion until I was so dizzy I felt sick.

Ransom Note fave Timothy Clerkin has remixed Queen, the latest single from the feminist pop duo Seagoth, which was released on Bytes on June 10. The Manchester-based producer, DJ and boss of Insult to Injury Records has taken Queen on a trip to the free party scene of 1992, with echoes of the Prodigy and old-school rave anthems in the thunderous breakbeats and day-glo melodies.

The glittering glam-rock original was written and produced by 20-year-old Georgia Ochoa (guitarist/lead vocals) in her bedroom at home in Cheshire. Exhausted by the inequality of the sexes, but also fuelled to instigate change, Ochoa wrote this song to highlight the effects of modern day misogyny.

PREMIERE: Seagoth - Queen (Timothy Clerkin Remix) [Bytes]

SONIC TREASURE 2ND ANNIVERSARY SHOW FEAT ANDY BELL

A joyous sonic excursion featuring guest mix from The Patron Saint of the show ANDY BELL..

SONIC TREASURE SHOW OCTOBER 22

NIMBUDALA - Nan Midol
HOLY LOAF - False Summit
COLE PULICE - Astral Cowpoke
BT COP - Just A Disco ( light on the hill mix)
SAADA BONNAIRE - Second Face
JIMI HENDRIX - Are You Experienced ?
USE - Tamponne Moi
TURN ON THE SUNLIGHT - Our Growing Family
CLAIR - Body Blossom (polypores streamtime dreamtimemix)
JASON PETERS - What are you saying ( villas on acid mix)
SONIC BOOM & PANDA BEAR - Everyday
MARKOS VAMVAKALIS - The spinner
LAURENE HELEN GREENE - Cactus Bloom
FARGO DEVIANTI & VONGOLD - Sucubolokh
TAKAYUKI SHIRAISHI - Fluorite
NIKLAS WANDT - Vera Pelle
SELENZIONE NATURALE - Scala Dell Essere


HALDANES HALF HOUR
1. Cosmosis (feat. Nienke Deiter) - Aeonium
2. Back to Vid - Khidja
3. I Miss the Shack(Marlon Keith Remix) - The Economy
4. Purple Haze, Yellow Sunrise (David Holmes Remix) - The Vendetta Suite, David Holmes, Timmy Stewart
5. Stratosphere - Youth & Gaudi
6. A Nations Dub - Augustus Pablo

ANDY BELL GUEST MIX

1/ Steve Queralt and Michael Smith “In a wonderland”
2/ Pye Corner Audio feat. Andy Bell “Saturation Point” (Sonic Boom Remix)
3/ Andy Bell “The Sky without you” (David Holmes Radical Mycology Remix)
4/ GLOK “Tories in jail” (Unreleased version)
5/ GLOK “Pulsing” (Unreleased version)
6/ Pye Corner Audio feat. Andy Bell “Warmth of the sun” (Sonic Boom Remix)
7/ Andy Bell “Way of the world” (Bdrmm remix)
8/ Black Bones BEEF
9/ Andy Bell “Our last night together”

Happy birthday to the show X

SONIC TREASURE 2ND ANNIVERSARY SHOW FEAT ANDY BELL

The air in the city was thick with smoke and ash, and the buildings were grey and towering. The streets were filled with people, all walking with their heads down and their faces covered. It was a dystopian world, where hope was rare and joy was even rarer. But on this foggy night, there was a glimmer of something different. The people had heard whispers of a firework display, something that hadn't been seen in the city for years. The display would be a celebration of hope, a chance to consign the bleakness of their lives to oblivion and momentarily revel in something beautiful.

As the sun set and the fog rolled in, people started to gather in the streets. They were cautious at first, not sure if the rumours were true. But then, they saw the first burst of colour in the sky, and they knew it was real. The fireworks were breathtaking. They exploded in the sky, sending showers of sparks raining down on the city. The colours were bright and bold, and for a moment, the people forgot about the darkness that surrounded them.

Edinburgh experimental composer Jordan Russell-Hall, aka Jordan Stanley, makes his debut on Bytes with his exceptional second album, A Cry For The Moon. There are shades of his Scottish contemporaries Hudson Mohawke and Rustie in these colourful experiments in microsampling. Like a magpie snaffling shiny objects for its nest, Jordan has procured samples from all corners of the electronic and pop music realm - from Charli XCX and Mr Mitch to Ariana Grande and Jimmy Edgar - to help form a vivid sound palette of vibrant synths, frenetic Jersey Club-influenced rhythms and lush ambience.

PREMIERE: Jordan Stanley - Impossible [Bytes]

Edinburgh-based experimental composer Jordan Russell-Hall aka Jordan Stanley released his second album, A Cry for the Moon, on our offshoot Bytes last Friday.

There are shades of his Scottish contemporaries Hudson Mohawke and Rustie in these colourful experiments in microsampling. Many of the synth chords are made up of minuscule samples of existing songs - from Charli XCX and Mr Mitch to Ariana Grande and Jimmy Edgar - which have been warped to the point that they are virtually unrecognisable.

According to Bleep, Jordan “uses these tools to recreate classic dance tropes with a modernist twist that steps outside the usual overcooked sound design.”

With the addition of vibrant synths, frenetic Jersey Club-influenced rhythms and lush ambience, A Cry for the Moon is a stunning album packed full of futuristic glitch-techno bangers. A couple of the tracks feature on Jordan’s excellent, eclectic mix for Ransom Note.

“It's quite all over the place at times - especially in terms of BPM.” Jordan explains. “But I'm proud of it and I feel like it's a good representation of a lot of the stuff I listened to while making the album.”

Jordan Stanley: The 'Wednesday Alternative' Mix

On Versions, Queralt and Smith’s four tracks have been reimagined by Nandele, Flug 8, GLOK (Steve’s RIDE bandmate Andy Bell) and Nina Walsh, kindred spirits and treasured members of the extended Bytes/Ransom Note family.

And so I walk along the beach, turning my back on a world that’s stopped making sense, and the feeling that maybe sense is the first thing to go; before our civilisation falls, it will stumble through a long delirium, like an old man with Alzheimer’s, before it finally grinds to a halt … I’m trying to turn my back on all that, before me the great unknown, the poetry of the magnificent blue distance … to gaze out at the blue and open myself up to that which is beyond us, to let the blue beyond wash all that away like pebbles in its foam …

Bytes is proud to announce Sun Moon Town Versions, a companion piece to last year’s EP, on which Steve Queralt, bass player of pioneering shoegazers RIDE, joined forces with the writer and film-maker MIchael Smith for a stunning four-track EP featuring Steve’s music and Michael’s spoken-word musings.
 

On Versions, the four tracks have been reimagined by Nandele, Flug 8, GLOK (Steve’s RIDE bandmate Andy Bell) and Nina Walsh, kindred spirits and treasured members of the extended Bytes/Ransom Note family.

Premiering here is the GLOK remix, continuing Andy’s hot streak under his electronic alter-ego, which has seen him deliver stunning remixes for Dot Allison, Maps and A Place to Bury Strangers. For his rework of ‘Chaldean Oracle’, Andy eschews Michael’s vocal almost entirely, transforming the track into a Detroit dub-techno monster that has echoes of Bandulu and Carl Craig in its shimmering melodies, eerie distortion and pounding drums.

As well as these four new remixes, due to popular demand the release also features instrumental versions of the original tracks, with fans keen to hear Steve’s exceptional electronic soundscapes in isolation. It’s out on July 21, available digitally and a limited edition cassette, only available from Bytes Bandcamp.

More Info: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/premieres/premiere-steve-queralt-michael-smith-chaldean-oracle-glok-remix-bytes/

Chaldean Oracle (GLOK remix)

More Info/Buy cassette

PREMIERE: Steve Queralt / Michael Smith – Chaldean Oracle (GLOK remix) [Bytes]

In the realm of extraordinary lives, there existed a person named Elysia. Blessed with an inexplicable longevity, Elysia defied the boundaries of time, living for nine centuries. Yet as the years marched on, an insidious anxiety crept into their soul. Witnessing the cyclical nature of existence, the rise and fall of civilizations, and the inevitability of loss weighed heavily on Elysia's heart. The burden of accumulated memories grew overwhelming, eclipsing the joy of longevity. With each passing day, Elysia longed for the simplicity of mortal existence, where moments were fleeting but cherished. Their extraordinary longevity proved to be a paradox, a testament that even immortality cannot shield one from the ravages of anxiety.

Maps (aka James Chapman) has worked his magic on ‘Methuselah’, the latest single from the Liverpool trio Seagoth. Chapman, who records for legendary imprint Mute, has delivered a stunning and emotional remix of the original New Age-inflected indie-rock track. Layers of euphoric synths are set alongside epic drums, while snatches of Georgia Ochoa's powerful vocal sing out as the track builds and builds into a resolutely optimistic and melancholic electronic symphony that fans of Maps will know and love.

"I am a big fan of Seagoth so I was delighted to be asked to remix 'Methuselah',” says James. “It is a beautifully melodic and mysterious track, and I was instantly drawn to how the original song felt like a constant 'push', until the uplifting resolution in the outro. I took this as inspiration for where I went with my remix. I wanted to keep this sense of a journey, which then resolves into a huge and uplifting feeling of joy. Georgia's vocals are so deeply emotional and enigmatic, and they really are the heart of the remix. I really enjoyed working on this!"

The Maps remix is available digitally in all the usual places, including Bytes Bandcamp

Methuselah (Maps Remix)

PREMIERE: Seagoth -Methuselah (Maps Remix) [Bytes]

Mozambican live artist and producer Nandele kicks off our sub-label Human Endeavour’s 2024 schedule with an ode to his home city, Maputo.

As a key figure in the capital’s electronic music scene, Nandele has earned a reputation for producing hypnotic analogue beats shaped by his wide-ranging tastes; spells in grunge bands, boom bap crews and hip hop collectives, and releases for Tresor, Cotch International, Already Dead Tapes and our own Ransom Note Records, are just a few footnotes in a nearly 25-year long career.

Plans for a full body of work for our R$N sub-label have been in motion for some time - Nandele’s track ‘Incomati’ opened the label’s first ever release in 2022 - so this EP marks an important chapter in the imprint’s journey.

Across the EPs six tracks Nandele weaves field recordings captured around Maputo with tense rhythms; at times they crawl and slither, at others they rumble and clatter.

Lead single and opening track, ‘Sou Plastiko (Meu Lugar)’, is a prime example. Dripping with suspense, its rhythmic skeleton is fleshed out with trippy vocals, ringing synths and sharp, crisp percussion.

Maputo

Sou Plastiko (Meu Lugar)

Pre-Order

PREMIERE: Nandele - Sou Plastiko (Meu Lugar) [Human Endeavour Records]

Bytes readies reissue of the killer 1990s electro EPs by SEM aka Damon Baxter.

In the neon-lit alleys where the shadows creep,
In Area 5, where the code runs deep,
Beneath the hum of SEM’s thrumming beats,
Lies a city of circuitry, where reality retreats.

Detroit techno pulses through the veins,
As dystopian dreams dance in chains,
In the flickering lights of byte-laden screens,
Where echoes of the future meet shattered dreams.
 

Strings of dystopian sci-fi weave,
Through the fabric of what we believe,
In the symphony of cybernetic cries,
Where humanity fades and the machine’s sighs.

John Carpenter’s ghosts haunt the streets,
Vangelis’s echoes in every beat,
In this city of shadows, where no one’s free,
The soundtrack of a world lost in entropy.
 

Earlier this month Bytes announced the reissue of the killer 1990s electro EPs by SEM (aka Damon Baxter, who would go on to record as Deadly Avenger) on May 17, 2024. The second track to be made available for public consumption is Area 5, taken from The Demon EP, the second SEM release, on which Damon expanded the pure old-school electro SEM sound to include elements of Detroit techno and dystopian sci-fi strings, giving off serious John Carpenter/Vangelis’s Blade Runner soundtrack vibes.

https://www.theransomnote.com/music/premieres/premiere-sem-area-5-bytes/

@/byteslabel @deadlyavenger

PREMIERE: SEM - Area 5 [BYTES]

RIDE’s Andy Bell, recording under his electronic alter ego GLOK, and the producer and Insult to Injury label boss Timothy Clerkin have joined forces for Alliance, a new seven-track album released by Bytes on November 8. The collaboration finds Andy and Tim with their freak flags flying, working in a freewheeling environment where nothing was off limits, with influences ranging from Death in Vegas and Boards of Canada to James Holden and New Order. “It’s a proper collaboration, where we both tried new things and nothing was off limits,” says Tim.

“We didn’t discuss much in the way of direction,” says Andy. “I was having quite a creative spell at the time, to me it felt like making music was keeping me sane but when I think back, it was actually making me more insane, just in a different way.”

“It was all done remotely,” Tim continues, “firing ideas back and forth between 2020 and 2021 while I was in Amsterdam and Andy in London. I think people will probably think that I did the synths and Andy did the guitars, but we actually played a pretty equal amount of both! That’s one of the reasons I love it, it’s a proper collaboration, where we both tried new things and nothing was off limits.”

“I handed control over to Tim for the production side,” Andy reveals. “My role was coming up with, and recording, musical ideas — and playing on his ideas. I’m not entirely sure who played what on what tracks, it all goes into the Clerkin blender and amazing music comes out!”

Amazing is an understatement. The woozy ‘Empyrean’, which combines the analogue-decayed production of Boards of Canada and the ethereal vocals of ‘Xtal’ from Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92 with a fizzing behemoth of a synth line, is a fitting way to open the album as it was the first track they worked on together. “It’s basically a Timothy Clerkin remix of a demo I sent him,” Andy explains. “I can’t get enough of it. To me, it’s one of the best tracks I’ve ever been involved with since I started making music.”

Of ‘AmigA’, Andy says, “A few of the tracks led me into a kind of Pagan, pre-Christian headspace. ‘AmigA’ is kind of like an ancient prehistoric rave at a Stone Circle — I’m just gutted Tim took off all of my grunting noises!” This is proper head music, a thick swirl of pastoral acoustic guitars, Ghost Box-style vintage synths and angelic harmonies.

Tim got his friend Beth Jeans Houghton, aka Du Blonde, to provide vocals for ‘Nothing Ever’, which is a hit single in waiting. It’s a fuzzed-up, scuzzed-up, dazzling indie-dance banger, with Beth’s lip-curling vocal a perfect fit for Andy and Tim’s music.

There are echoes of Death in Vegas in tracks like ‘Scattered’ and ‘The Witching Hour’, where 1960s counter-culture rock mixes with psychedelic electronics. Fans of baggy will be at one with both of these tracks, where the sweat, throb and frenzy is reminiscent of live at the G-Mex-era Happy Mondays (circa-1990), with Weatherall and Oakenfold at the controls. Of the vocals on ‘Scattered’, Andy says: “I was just talking, I genuinely felt very scattered. I don’t know what to do when asked to provide vocals, I don’t see myself as a singer at all, so I thought I’d chat instead. It was very free and open, our freak flags were flying!”

And RIDE fans will be delighted as the future Balaeric classic ‘E-Theme’ opens with a guitar riff not a million miles away from ‘Vapour Trail’, underpinned by the laidback breakbeat that adorned many an indie-dance track in the early-90s, smeared rave synths and swooning vocals. It’s a moment of pure bliss and one for the 3am dancefloor.

GLOK/Timothy Clerkin - Empyrean

RIDE’s Andy Bell, recording under his electronic alter ego GLOK, and the producer and Insult to Injury label boss Timothy Clerkin have joined forces for Alliance, a brand new seven-track album released by Bytes on November 8. The collaboration finds Andy and Tim with their freak flags flying, working in a freewheeling environment where nothing was off limits, with influences ranging from Death in Vegas and Boards of Canada to James Holden and New Order.

The woozy ‘Empyrean’, which combines the analogue-decayed production of Boards of Canada and the ethereal vocals of ‘Xtal’ from Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92 with a fizzing behemoth of a synth line, is a fitting way to launch the album as it was the first track they worked on together. “It’s basically a Timothy Clerkin remix of a demo I sent him,” Andy explains. “I can’t get enough of it. To me, it’s one of the best tracks I’ve ever been involved with since I started making music.”
credits
released September 19, 2024

Written and produced by Timothy Clerkin and Andy Bell
Mixed by Timothy Clerkin
Nothing Ever lyrics written by Beth Jeans Houghton
Mastered by Keith Tenniswood at Curved Pressings
Artwork by Nick Taylor
(P) and C) Bytes 2024

Alliance

PREMIERE: GLOK & Timothy Clerkin - Empyrean

This is a mix of stuff that either makes me feel like I want It All Levels Out to make people feel, or music that made an impression on me years ago and inspired it. Hopefully it provides a soundtrack for thinking, maybe while walking the dog around in the rain. Lots of instrumental stuff, so it’s blank for your own message.

Out last week on Bytes; It All Levels Out, is album no 10 from Minotaur Shock, aka the Bristolianelectronic multiinstrumentalist/producer David Edwards. The album is a hopeful meditation on getting older and Edwards’s most personal and reflective album yet.

Full interview here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/minotaur-shock-the-monday-is-ok-mix/

01 waltz (in memoriam old ways of living) - More Eaze
02 Milkweed - Holly Waxwing
03 Another Haunted Mirror - G S Schray
04 some days felt like home - mu tate
05 Die Dinge des Lebens - To Rococo Rot
06 Drive My Car (The Truth, No Matter What It Is, Isn’t That Frightening) - Eiko Ishibashi
07 Each Dream is an Example - Gastr Del Sol
08 Overbraid - 7038634357
09 Cryptic Reserve - Wim Mertens
10 Surface Pan - Sofie Birch
11 Side Lengths - Grand River
12 Appalachian Grove III - Laurie Spiegel
13 Dub One - Egil Kalman
14 Overand - Autechre
15 Blink - Hiroshi Yoshimura
16 Echo’s Answer - Broadcast
17 8:07 - Global Communication
18 Pendulum Man - Bark Psychosis
19 Plays John Cassavetes 2 - Ekkehard Ehlers

@Byteslabel @minotaur-shock

INTERVIEW

Minotaur Shock - The Monday Is OK mixtape

Tasty electronic music. Est. 2019. Big up @the-ransom-note! Likeminded artists please send demos to bytesbytes1@gmail.com

GLOK/Timothy Clerkin - Empyrean

Bytes

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