Mixes

Seeds Mixes

Based in Vancouver, Venetta is fiercely independent and has become a crucial figure as far as social and political change goes within music culture in the city. As an underground artist, she is the co founder of NuZi Collective, a platform focused on uplifting and representing black & brown women, trans women & gender non-conforming individuals in the local music scene. 

A keen activist for change she has worked tirelessly to reclaim the black & brown roots of electronic dance music, creating black political spaces as a source of empowerment.

This mix packs a fiery and ferocious punch as she weaves and meanders between techno, electro and bass inspired sounds. Trapped out hooks feature aplenty and this is a hell of a rollercoaster ride through the repetoire of a DJ at the very top of her game. You have been warned...

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Venetta: The Ransom Note Mix

A Potion Activated. Give in to the temptation of The Forbidden Plum. Take a bite and let the juice drip. Your journey begins with a hypnotic seduction, stoking the flames of desire as the voice in your head whispers, Want it so badly. Dark and sexy, the flames get higher. The walls sweat on your descent as you lose control. Flood lights sweep over the crowd of bodies, cutting through smoke.

For several years now ISLA has been serving up the best in ambient, experimental and trance-driven creations, welcoming artists like Ambien Baby, D.Tiffany, Pillow Queen, NAP and Le Fe to the label. Next up they've called on Maara for 'A Potion Activated', marking her second EP following a debut on Priori and Ex-Terrestrial's NAFF imprint. Backed up by a remix and a collaboration from two label affiliates D.Tiffany and NAP, the release teeters 'between heaven and hell', delivering five trance-inducing rides into purgatory.

PREMIERE: Maara - The Forbidden Plum [ISLA]

The waves rolled in against the beach - onlookers danced and moved beneath the glow of the moonlight as the drums bounced and echoed against the cliffs and the cove.

This was a magical place, ethereal and peaceful. The stars seemed closer than ever despite being millions of miles away against a backdrop of deep treacle black.

Soon the daylight would return and the crowds would retreat into the peaceful ambience of the trees and the tropical forests behind.

Perhaps this was to be their forever place...

Demi Riquisimo features on a new split EP from Semi Delicious - a sun kissed summer affair on vinyl only for the heads and dancers.

PREMIERE: Demi Riquisimo - Tutukaka [Semi Delicious]

Every morning without fail, just as dawn broke, a small boat would appear at the waters edge to whisk the most curious of people off to an unknown destination. The boat only ever returned empty, slowly it traced its routine daily journey back and forth across the calm waters. Rumours had long circulated about where those who boarded the vessel disembarked; some said it led to a utopian island, others attested to it taking people to their final resting place. Only those willing to take the risk would find out.

Aldonna's music is perfectly tuned for late nights on the floor; think of sweaty rooms filled with energetic dancers. The Melbourne producer came up through the ranks in the city with her party series Re-Leaf and is now expanding her name across the pond with her bright, supercharged productions. Her debut EP Morph, which comes with remixes from Alex Kassian and Marli, lets us into some of the influences that fuel her as a DJ, taking us on a nostalgic ride through warm proggy trance, euphoric rave and acid-laced breaks.

Morph EP

PREMIERE: Aldonna - The Empress' Acid Line (Alex Kassian Remix) [Homage]

The lights were but a blur from the window as they roared down the M1 in the pissing rain. Horns blared and the occasional squeal of brakes was all that could be heard over the pounding from the car stereo. Everything inside the motor was banging and rumbling beneath the strain as they drove onwards into the darkness as fast as they could.

They'd probably never get away with it - at least they'd tried. What was it? A stolen motor careering up the highway in the dead of night on a Tuesday? Of course it was, a Ford Escort to say the least, hitting 145 with the most brutal pedal to the metal in the glow of the orange floodlights.

In the distance they could hear the sirens coming, it would all be over soon, up in flames in the back end of nowhere as they ran into the darkness.

Papa Nugs is set to self release a new EP which can only be described as being 'no holds barred'. We are talking hair raising dancefloor pumpers reminiscent of old Techno raves, Dance Mania bangers and all of that other good stuff which happened in between.

PREMIERE: Papa Nugs - 145 In A Ford Escort (Vocal Cut)

Every single night he sat and watched as the darkness engulfed everything around him. In the distance he could see the islands vanishing beneath the shadowy cloak of black as if some great magician had simply hidden the world beneath his cloak. He’d never planned to be nocturnal but it wasn’t the darkness of which he was fond but the silence of a quiet world.

It was around this time that he found peace, solace and serenity.

It would all be illuminated again come the glow of the morning. How many nights was it now anyway? He’d lost count but best believe that this was far more than likely to be sunrise 5000.

ELWD draws for the dusty emotive vibes with deep pads and nice percussion on a new EP for Noire & Blanche. Further enhancing his signature style he fits perfectly alongside the label.

PREMIERE: ELWD - SUNRISE 5000 [Noire & Blanche]

Book yourself a hotel room, get your beaver suit on and get that hot coffee brewing ready for some Lokier listening:

http://www.theransomnote.co.uk/music/mixes/lokier-shine-a-light-on-ransom-note-mix/

With a current release on Days Of Being Wild featuring fellow DJ and friend Morgan Hammer, the Mexican DJ/Producer is riding high, making the move to Barcelona to explore all that Europe has to offer. Keeping busy with upcoming EP's with labels Have A Killer Time and Nein plus a selection of remixes, mixes and compilations in the making, we'd say you'll be hearing a lot more of Lokier. 

INTERVIEW

Lokier - Shine A Light On... Ransom Note Mix

Weaving and winding it moved through the jungle with devilish pace.

Yet to the naked eye you might never know that it was slipping beneath the surface. On the ground and in the rivers the basilisk was king – a scaly creature with a pointed tongue. It’s venomous power was enough to floor even the heartiest of prey.

As the sun beat down upon this desolate place it remained anonymous, almost invisible.

For only a handful of people had ever seen the basilisk, some even believed it to be a myth. However, the reason so few had caught a glimpse of this magnificent beast was because once you had you weren’t likely to be left behind to tell the tale…

High energy material on Hardline. Bouncy and energetic sounds which will echo and cause damage in the club – Prizefight & Trustee are on to a winner.

PREMIERE: Prizefight & Trustee - Basilisk [Hardline]

There was something in the air, a sense of tension. Out here in the middle of nowhere there wasn’t much to be seen for several miles. That had always been the intention.

Gathered amidst a small clearing they all looked tense and excited, for something big was about to happen.

Then someone walked forward, flicked the switch, cranked the generator and let everything rip.

For miles the sound would echo and boom. The rave had began.

X & Ivy hold no punches on a new release for Life and Death – a fast paced affair which flies off the hinges from the get go. This one slaps.

PREMIERE: X & Ivy  - What Is This Sound [Life And Death]

If you’ve spent any time on Seoul’s dance floors lately, chances are you’ve come across the name ffan. And if you haven’t? Well, you’ve got some catching up to do.

ffan has carved out a reputation for his intricate and high-energy sets, navigating seamlessly through genres with a flair that is perfectly controlled. Whether he’s behind the decks or deep in the studio, ffan brings a wild, magnetic energy.

His sharp focus has led him to become a key figure in Seoul’s bubbling underground scene. As the founder of club Nyapi Seoul and Studio Namsan, ffan’s voice shimmers through all projects he touches.

There’s no better time to get acquainted with what ffan is bringing to the booth.

Read more here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/ffan-the-wednesday-alternative-mix/

ffan: The Wednesday Alternative Mix

It were as if the system was operating all by itself, making decisions of its own accord without the same fear or prejudice as that of any man or woman.

It knew each and every answer, it feared not the consequences which may come thereafter.

This was artificial intelligence and this was the future.

The sun would continue to rise and set each day. However, this was very much the beginning of a new dawn, one in which technology reigned supreme.

Love On The Rocks are back with a stellar EP from Pancratio - a beautiful, sun kissed affair which sits somewhere between the realms of house and trance yet is packed with balearic influences. Think sandy beaches and big speakers and you'll be on the right track.

PREMIERE: Pancratio - Artificial Intelligence [Love On The Rocks]

It was time to focus.

Walking through the night he watched as the cars whizzed on by, each presumably with a destination in the darkness up ahead.

He had to concentrate.

The sound of the engines struggled under the strain. The wheels turning frantically under pressure.

The end was nigh. For soon it would be daylight and all of the misgivings of the black haze would be forgotten.

Boss Priester features on a split EP from the ever impressive X-Kalay which continues to release some of the most innovatve, forward thinking club sounds. This time there are however, nods to the past. Wiggly tech house music at its best, a new lease of life for a sound ever loved.

PREMIERE: Boss Priester - Concentrate [X-Kalay]

Telepathic Fish co-founder DJ Food, aka one part of Openmind, takes us on a trip into the world of 90s chill out.

Strictly Kev likes the company of plants whilst working on music so that's handy for us isn't it?! We're assuming he's talking about a beautiful Calathea sitting in the corner for inspiration, tho his dream plant setup - a conservatory packed with Romanesco broccoli, trippy Caladiums, and Persian Shields - is something we'd be well on board with too.

Enough of the plant talk for a second and back to the music, ambient music to be clear. For those that weren't squatting in South London back in the early 90s, Openmind were the four-piece behind the mighty Telepathic Fish - the legendary ambient afterparty that transformed chill-out rooms from dub-playing afterthoughts into proper destinations.

Kev, along with Chantal Passamonte (Mira Calix, RIP), David Vallade, and Mario Aguera, started in a shared house above a shop with no neighbours to complain/bash the door down. What began as art school parties quickly grew into Sunday afternoon sessions in squatted venues - a former dole office in Brixton and even the derelict Roundhouse on New Year's Day. They hosted everyone from Aphex Twin to Mixmaster Morris among wall-to-wall mattresses, UV installations, and  Coldcut's Matt Black with his boundary pushing video projections.

The idea was simple: recreate that post-clubbing comedown vibe but on a massive scale, as an "aural and visual blanket" for club-rattled minds. They even published a fanzine called Mindfood and worked at the scene's hub, Ambient Soho record shop, helping shape what Simon Reynolds called a "wombeldelic sound-and-light bath" in contrast to the current trend of hardcore and it's relentless assault.

Thirty years on, that spirit's having a comeback. Events like London's A Loose Ting are bringing back the bedding and the hushed reverence, while Berlin's Overflow is going full sensory overload with vibrating mattresses, fountains, and harpists. New York's Planetarium gatherings have people mostly horizontal, inspired by psychedelic therapy sessions. There's even and ambient sauna in South London you might have come across via the wonder of Music To Watch Seeds Grow By's recent takeover.  Our very own Watching Trees dabbled in said chill out space this year, pairing the abstract and the ambient with projected dappled sunlight visuals from the mighty Jamie House. Turns out people still need those little havens away from the madness, especially in this day and age!

Also handily 30 years on the Openmind crew have just compiled the first-ever Telepathic Fish retrospective for Fundamental Frequencies - a double vinyl love letter to those hazy early-90s mornings when the music finally slowed down.

For this Seeds Mix, Kev has leaned into his love of minimalism and systems music - repetition built from layers of loops offset against each other to form subtle polyrhythms. There's a deliberate avoidance of drum machines here in favour of organic percussion, and around the eight-minute mark, a section from Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia that captures the feeling of being deep in the forest, phone abandoned, discovering that paradise was just a forage away.

Full interview here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/seeds-mix-005-openminds-leave-your-phone-at-home-discover-paradise-after-a-forage-in-the-forest/

@strictly

Seeds Mix #5: Openmind's Leave your phone at home & discover paradise after a forage in the forest

Hailing from Ghent, Belgium, Asa Moto is the dynamic electronic music duo of Oliver “Oli” Geerts and Gilles Noë—a pairing forged in 2012 that has since become one of the most inventive forces on the continent’s club circuit.

Signed to Soulwax’s DEEWEE label, they blend analog synths, voice, funk and uncanny grooves into a sound both club-potent and artistically bold. Through acclaimed EPs like Martino and an ever-evolving live show, they invite you to dance differently—together.

November see's the pair return to the imprint with a new EP called 'Music For Disc Jockeys Pt.1'.

This mix is a tour de force if you will, they cram 82 tracks into one hour and somehow manage to make that make sense. We have no idea how they've managed it but somehow in a precariously bonkers fashion... it works.

Asa Moto: The Ransom Note Mix

Angela Lin, aka Angie QQ, producer and A&R behind the Sounds of Taiwan compilation, returned to Taiwan in May 2019 seeking refuge after the loss of her mother.

Angela Lin，又名 Angie QQ，《台灣之聲》合輯的製作人與 A&R。2019 年 5 月失去母親後，她選擇回到台灣，尋找心靈慰藉。

What she discovered in Taroko National Park became the seed for this mix: a meditation on grief, memory, and the way certain places hold us when we need holding most.

她在太魯閣國家公園的體悟，成爲這張混音作品的起點：一段對悲傷與記憶的沉思，也是一種在最需要依靠時，被某片土地溫柔擁抱的感覺

Taroko’s hidden temples and fervent lushness offered Lin sanctuary. She describes the experience as feeling “totally alive” – each leaf, each butterfly, each beam of light made sharp from grief. High in those mountains, she felt her mother could finally see her. Later, her father revealed that Taroko was one of her mother’s favourite places in the world. Though earthquakes have since closed many of the park’s paths, this aural journey captures what it’s like to walk and meditate there: spiritual, powerful, introspective, and healing.

太魯閣隱密的廟宇與蓊鬱的山林，給了 Angie QQ 一處心靈的庇護。她形容自己在那裡感到「完全活著」——每一片葉子、每一隻蝴蝶、每一道光，都因悲傷而變得格外清晰。在高聳的群山之間，她彷彿覺得母親正在看著她，那份被看見的感覺，不只是來自母親，更像是一種對自己悲傷的覺察與釋放——她終於能正視自己的情感，並感受到母親的慈愛與支持。後來，父親告訴她，太魯閣其實是母親生前最喜愛的地方之一。儘管地震封閉公園裡許多步道，這張聲音作品呈在那裡漫步、冥想的感受：靈性、深刻、內省，並帶著療癒的力量。

Understanding how music can hold both landscape and loss, the mix moves like a meditation, like the scene in Totoro where they dance to make their garden sprout, capturing the moment when grief sharpens everything into aliveness, when even the sound of light becomes audible.

音樂可以同時承載風景與失落，這張混音作品如同一場冥想般的流動——就像《龍貓》裡，他們隨著舞蹈讓花園萌芽的場景，捕捉到悲傷將一切都銳化、化為生命力的瞬間，連光的聲音也彷彿能被聽見。

Angie QQ is a Taiwanese American cultural producer based in Los Angeles. With her label Pure Person Press, she “creates and collects records that preserve the spirit of Taiwan.” Her latest collaboration with composer Lim Giong, Sounds of Taiwan, is an ambient record that invites artists to sample Lim Giong’s personal field recordings of Taiwan – a sonic landscape of the island’s people, nature, and spirituality. Through her other company, East Never Loses,, she has transformed mahjong into a cultural movement. Whether through music or mahjong, her work seeks to connect people to Taiwanese culture.

Angie QQ 是一位定居洛杉磯的台美文化創作者。她透過自己的公司 Pure Person Press，創作並蒐集保存台灣精神的唱片。最近，用和作曲家林強合作的作品《台灣之聲》，是一張環境音專輯，邀請藝術家取樣林強在台灣田野間錄下的聲音，呈現島上人文、自然與靈性的景象。透過另一家公司 East Never Loses，她把麻將變成一場文化運動。不管是透過音樂還是麻將，Angie QQ 的創作都希望把人們帶回台灣文化的懷抱。

“This mixtape was inspired by my time in Taroko National Park in May 2019. My mother had just passed 6 months ago, and to mourn, I returned to nature. Taroko has hidden temples and places of meditation tucked in all of its crevices. I was able to disappear and hide in its fervent lushness. Inside Taroko’s incredible energy, I felt totally alive. Up high in those mountains, I knew my mother could finally see me. I found out later from my father that Taroko was one of my mother’s favourite places in the world. Sadly, Taroko in recent years has been decimated by earthquakes. Many paths and roads are no longer accessible. Nature reclaims nature. I hope however, this mix offers a feeling of what it would be like to meditate and walk in Taroko: spiritual, powerful, introspective, and healing.”

這張混音作品的靈感來自我在 2019 年 5 月太魯閣國家公園的時光。那時母親剛過世六個月，為了悼念，我回到大自然的懷抱裡。太魯閣的山谷裡藏著隱密的廟宇和冥想之地，我得以在這片蓊鬱的綠意中消失、隱匿自己。在太魯閣那股令人震撼的能量裡，我感覺自己完全活著。在高聳的群山間，她彷彿覺得母親正在看著她—她終於能正視自己的情感，並感受到母親的慈愛與支持。後來父親告訴我，太魯閣其實是母親生前最愛的地方之一。可惜近年地震破壞了許多步道和道路，自然，最終還是屬於自然。我希望這張混音作品能帶給大家在那裡漫步、冥想的感受：靈性、深刻、內省，並帶著療癒的力量。

Interview: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/seeds-mix-6-angie-qq-a-meditation-through-taroko-taiwan-%e7%a9%bf%e8%b6%8a%e5%a4%aa%e9%ad%af%e9%96%a3%e7%9a%84%e5%86%a5%e6%83%b3%e4%b9%8b%e6%97%85%e5%8f%b0%e7%81%a3/

Seeds Mix #6: Angie QQ – A Meditation Through Taroko (Taiwan) 穿越太魯閣的冥想之旅(台灣)

Odopt is the musical partnership of Ivan Maslov, a Buenos Aires-based producer and composer, and Gregory, a DJ with two decades of experience behind the decks, now residing in Paris.

Since 2015, they've dropped rugged, hardware-driven bangers, carving out a niche in the space of Electronic groove.

Their music is constantly doing the rounds on dance-floors worldwide and you may have crossed paths with Odopt over their latest release on Club Blanco, which has seen ongoing support from the likes of John Talabot, Orpheu the Wizard, Secretsundaze, Chida and Alexis Le Tan to name a few, or perhaps you crossed paths with them over last year's album on Snaker.

Once a live act, today Gregory's marathon DJ sets carry the duo's spirit forward, packed with exclusive tracks, secret edits and a decade’s worth of unreleased material - this mix for Ransom Note stays true to their sound, which is their first podcast in three years!

Let's go!

Read the article: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/odopt-the-ransom-note-mix/

@odopt

Odopt: The Ransom Note Mix

Channeling the imposing physicality of brutalist concrete monoliths into that thing we call dystopian techno.

The UFO95 flew over Brussels one night, With Absence Has Shape tucked under its light, Through brutalist towers so starkly imposing, Where concrete dreams lay decomposing.

“Oh MORD!” cried the vessel, “Oh MORD!” it did say, “I’m bound for the club on the sixth of Febru-ay! With radiophonics both retro and keen, And dystopian grooves never before seen!”

The Tresor did rumble, the Berghain did shake, As techno Tardises whirled in its wake, With low-end saturation and thunderous throb, It zipped and it zingled, it wobbled, it bobbed!
 
Brussels-based electronic musician Killian Vaissade – better known as UFO95 – constructs brutalist sonic architecture from the ruins of utopian dreams. On “Absence Has Shape,” the second track from his forthcoming album A Brutalist Dystopian Society Part 2, the Tresor resident channels the imposing physicality of concrete monoliths into that thing we call dystopian techno.

Brutalist structures as monuments to failed promises, their stark minimalism now haunting reminders of what never came to pass. Vaissade translates this visual language into dark, dramatic, stripped back essential techno. “Absence Has Shape” throbs with hypnotic tension,  interlocking grooves and low-end density.

Drawing inspiration from Function, Jeff Mills, Surgeon, and Sandwell District, UFO95’ approach is “Moroder-meets-Mills” – melding retro radiophonics that address brutality in its many forms: war, repression, corruption.

A Brutalist Dystopian Society Part 2 drops on February 6th via MORD on vinyl, download, and streaming. The album follows acclaimed releases on Tresor, WSNWG, and TSSRCT (which he co-runs with Hadone), cementing Vaissade’s reputation as a masterful producer whose tracks cut through the noise.

Vaissade doesn’t DJ, opting for improvised live sets, a practice that’s earned him a residency at Berlin’s legendary Tresor and slots at Berghain, Berlin Atonal, and Bassiani. Catch him on tour throughout January and February, including upcoming dates at Berghain (Jan 10), Razzmatazz Barcelona (Jan 17), and Fuse Brussels (Jan 24), with stops across Europe and the Americas.

PREMIERE: UFO95 - Absence Has Shape [MORD}

For Glasgow-based artist Susannah Stark, the walk from the city to Carbeth becomes a meditation on paying attention, on taking your time with things, on letting roots guide the way.
In Stark’s work, sensitivity isn’t fragility; it’s a form of attentiveness, a willingness to be present with the human voice, with the spaces between sounds, with what emerges when you slow down enough to notice. Her approach to creating music mirrors the patient rhythm of plant growth – something we like around these parts – not forced or rushed, but allowed to unfold at its own pace.

“Pay attention to the roots!” Stark says. It’s a gardener’s wisdom that applies equally to music-making. Sometimes the most beautiful things emerge when we’re open to what’s already there, quietly waiting beneath the surface.

For this mix, Stark draws on her love of vocal harmony and polyphony, choral music and modular synthesis – the human voice and electronic landscapes working together like walking and listening, movement and stillness, roots and growth.

Her “Minor Gestures” album on Nightschool Records explores these same territories: softness, rhythm, encounters between beings, and the different dimensions of speech and sound.

@SusannahStark |  @nightschool

Seeds Mix #7 - Susannah Stark’s mixtape for walking to Carbeth from Glasgow

Thomass Jackson has built a sound through bands, traditional instruments and massive raves held in Buenos Aires.

From releases born in friends’ studios, world tours as a bassist for Capri on Gigolo Records, and a steady run of releases on Gomma, Correspondant, Multi Culti, La Dame Noir and Viscera Transmissions - Thomass clearly knows what he’s doing.

By the late 2000s his sound blended to more psychedelic and percussive rhythms, which developed into playing across countries that include China, Lithuania, Serbia, Bolivia, Mexico and Germany to name a few - along with sharing booths with the likes of Manfredas, Jennifer Cardini, Tiger & Woods, In Flagranti, Blond:ish, Horse Meat Disco and Mike Simonetti.

Based in Mexico City, Thomass Jackson delivers  a mix that contains bass-first selections, weird corners and slow hypnosis into full-body motion. Music that doesn’t chase drops and trusts the listener to stay.
 
For The Ransom Note Mix, it felt right to hand him the controls. Press play.

https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/thomass-jackson-the-ransom-note-mix/

Thomass Jackson: The Ransom Note Mix

Deep in the woods at our very own Bush of Ghosts stage at Watching Trees, Scottish producer Brian d’Souza, aka Auntie Flo, brought his ‘Plants Can Dance’ project to life in a five-hour ambient set beneath a canopy of trees.

Drawing from the playlists he’s been curating for Imperial College’s psychedelic therapy trials, d’Souza transformed the clearing into what he describes as “a sanctuary away from the main stage,” where human – and non-human – audiences alike could experience music designed to mirror the quiet intelligence of the natural world.
 
This 90 min excerpt captures the heart of that nocturnal performance, guiding listeners through the Ascent, Peak, and Descent phases – a journey filtered from the vast database of ambient music d’Souza has amassed over five years of running Ambient Flo radio. The setting itself became integral to the experience: darkness creating a natural sensory deprivation that, as d’Souza notes, allows listeners to become “more absorbed in their other senses, including the sounds they hear.”

At the core of d’Souza’s ‘Sunflowers’ next instalment for our Music To Watch Seeds series: auntieflo.bandcamp.com/album/music-to-watch-seeds-grow-by-007-brian-d-souza-sunflowers
 lies a profound botanical truth: sunflowers practice cooperation over competition. Recent research reveals that when these plants encounter nutrient-rich soil between neighbours, they deliberately root elsewhere to avoid conflict – a form of underground etiquette that challenges our traditional understanding of survival of the fittest. D’Souza’s album captures this behaviour sonically, using biodata from his son’s sunflower in their London garden, converted into sound through his modular synthesiser via Instruo’s Scion module.

This live performance extends that concept into the forest, where ambient music fulfils its original definition – having enough space to mix with environmental sounds, creating a novel soundscape at all times. As d’Souza reflects on Peter Wohlleben’s ‘Hidden Life Of Trees’ and its description of forests as interconnected social networks, the Bush of Ghosts set becomes a meditation on what he calls “the More Than Human world” – a space where silence represents the fragility of life, and where trees, unlike festival-goers, “aren’t going to leave the dancefloor if they don’t like a track.”

The result is an invitation to forge a deeper connection with the natural world, to witness how plants can indeed dance.

Full interview here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/seeds-mix-8-brian-dsouza-live-bush-of-ghosts/

@auntie-flo
@watching-trees

Seeds Mix #8: Live @ Brian d’Souza - Live @ Bush of Ghosts

Cornelius Doctor & Tushen Raï held no punches with a hard hitting acid driven EP released on their homestay record label Hard Fist at the tail end of last year.

It was a nod to the Goa inspired days of old, excellent rave fodder with beeps and glitches galore.

The pair are based in Lyon and have been a familiar presence amidst the underground music community in the city for a long time now, we at Ransom Note find them to be pretty great too.

Anyway, this mix spans two hours and is a wild ride through fast paced leftfield dance music which pays homage to the roots of the genre in the best way possible.

Cornelius Doctor & Tushen Raï: The 'Shine A Light On' Mix

Deep in the Yorkshire woods, multi-disciplinary artist and producer Jamie House – aka Hamie Jouse – has been quietly splitting light into a thousand tiny rainbows.

Best known for his hypnotic visual installations and art direction across DIY music spaces from Old Red Bus Station to Resonance,  House found himself at last year’s Watching Trees festival doing something beautifully meta: filming daytime trees to project back onto their evening counterparts through a cascade of prisms.

The “arty bullshit” behind it, as he puts it, was about bridging gaps of time and space and memory – creating past tense ghosts of daylight. But really, “it just looked pretty, and the trees and sun had it all covered.”
 
Whilst setting up his spectral light show on the Bush of Ghosts stage, Tia and Wil (that’s us) caught wind of the music he was playing. What unfolded in those early morning hours was something special – patient, ambient-soundscapes with a deep understanding of the fractal nature of the forest, where every process is made up of countless sub-processes doing their best impression of one solid bit.

This mix captures that philosophy; energised yet gently held, pulsing yet ambient. Mirroring both the slow, steady rhythm of plant growth and the constant, quick reactions within the cells. There are rarely right angles in the forest, just lots of individual leaves doing their thing- a benevolent collusion with the kodama, those forest sprites that House channelled through his psychogeographic, hauntological light work.

From the Rhubarb Triangle of West Yorkshire, where he dabbles in ambient matters with his long time friend Aaron during hazy Sunday afternoon straggler zones, overlooking different vistas, House has created something that feels like plugging into the mainframe with beings deep in the woods, under a very full moon.

Always bring a memory stick, indeed. 

Interview here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/hamie-jouses-mixtape-for-benevolent-collusion-kodama/

Tracklist - 
Ironic Hill - Chorus
Kuzich - Morning Sun
John Haycock ft Rob Dunford - Dapple Shade
Palta - Tabt optagelse
ssssoftpatch - Bowling for Loops
Agron - Should I feel bad for doing This
Wizold Sage - Comfort Heater
Christian Kleine - Beyond Repair (Version)
Golden Bug & In Fields - Blind
Ex-Terrestrial - Everybody Dreams
Takao - Bird Ensemble
David Versace - Heart to Heart
Barker - Fluid Mechanics
Shhhhh - Pond Natter
420 aka Galcher Lustwerk - Untitled 6
Motoko & Myers - Plover
Zammuto - It Can Feel So Good

@hamie_23

Seeds Mix #9: Hamie Jouse's mixtape for benevolent collusion Kodama

A transmission from deep within the French underground.

Sarcus Soundsystem, the trio of Ubik, Jacky Jeane and Olga B, have been quietly doing something right in Paris for a while now. Their various endeavours around the capital have drawn attention through noise, care and curiosity. A genuine investment in the spaces they use and the people who fill them.

As a collective, their extended sets are built on patience and a restless instinct. Fast-moving rhythms colliding with strange, slippery melodies that work their way into your head before your feet have even caught up.

This is a dancefloor with a mind of its own. Follow it somewhere.

https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/sarcus-soundsystem-the-shine-a-light-on-mix

Sarcus Soundsystem: The 'Shine A Light On' Mix

Chapping on the door to wake me, YOU CUNT. 
I have been waiting here all night. 
You could've picked me up. 
Oh, she had more "strings" to her did she? She can fuck off, am telling you.
I don't wanna hear about her ways. 
You know you love it this way, get a grip and hold my neck. 
Make it dirty baby. Make me throb. 
Like when we first met. 

Read more at: http://www.theransomnote.co.uk/music/premieres-exclusive-streams/premiere-cabaret-nocturne-blind-trust/

MORE INFO

PREMIERE: Cabaret Nocturne - Blind Trust

Sling & Samo are the exiting duo behind the Born Free record label which resides in Stockholm. Over the last few years the pair have been releasing a vast array of weird, wonderful, oddball music: some built for the dancefloor and some certainly not. The pair are colourful characters who don't take themselves or what they do too seriously. Samo is also well known in his own right as a producer and dj having released music for the likes of LIES, The Trilogy Tapes and Public Possession but together with Sling the pair enter a new realm of musical exploration. We asked them to record a mix for us. 

Sling & Samo DJ: The Ransom Note Mix

The days had grown long and tiresome, there was little light in the place in which he sat. Four walls surrounded his very being, he had not known he would miss her as much as this once she had gone. Now there was little left to do but brush the tears from his eyes, dive, dance and enter the abyss of a new and wonderful world. Only, without her. 

Folamour steps up to deliver a five track EP for the newly formed imprint Noire & Blanche. He blends emotive melodic twists with percussion and club sensibilities.

PREMIERE: Folamour - You Never Told Me I'll Miss U That Much [Noire & Blanche]

The corridor seemed endless as the bell buzzed in his ear. Leaving school was his favourite time of the day, such attention to detail in concentrated spells left him feeling numb and dry. As he walked through the wooden doors out into the daylight he could hear the sound of screams and chants from the nearby playground. He remembered the innocence of youth, back before exams, house parties and ate nights. He had never imagined himself to be a teacher, yet here he was lecturing the youth of tomorrow with the knowledge of today. Walking home he sighed. 

Scissorwork is set to release his first EP on the recently founded record label The Other Planet. He delivers four cuts of dreamy house and dusty grooves.

PREMIERE: Scissorwork - Walking Home [The Other Planet]

The field of dreams was yet to be found, for now they were still searching. In the distance there was a faint glimmer of light but as they tread forwards through the darkness the hope of progress was fading fast. The wind blew fiercely in the midnight hour and the trees rocked back and forth with a creaky groan. She shivered as she paced, waiting in eager anticipation for her friend to emerge. In the ghostly hour, she would never return. 

Hamatsuki is set to release a new cassette for GASP Records on the 10th of March next month, six tracks of elegant dusty electronics with a glistening edge.

Uncertain Loops

PREMIERE: Hamatsuki - Still Searching [GASP]

The dim glow cast a hazy flourish of light across the early morning sky. Soon it would fall beneath the surface of sight and the soft moon would vanish into the warm blue of daylight. In the greenhouse the flowers began to blossom and awaken beneath the first hint of the morning glow. The glass flickered beneath the glimmering beams and the murky green shadows within were illuminated and set alight. The rest of the park was quiet and still as the day broke. The night was gone. 

Coastdream is set to release a debut EP on X-Kalay who have consistently released music of supreme quality. This one is a sun kissed, summer ready house track with sublime form.

PREMIERE: CoastDream - Soft Moon [X-Kalay]

The beachfront was the place to hang as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. The shadowy figures were dotted in clusters up and down the pier as they smoked in the warm night air. In the evenings there was very little to do around these parts but drink and dance, perhaps move a little under the flickering spotlights of some sleazy nightclub. The summertime madness engulfed this place with a progressive sense of purity and freedom. Hedonism, decadence galore. 

Loure is set to release a new EP on Noire & Blanche, gorgeous deep house with a sun kissed twist.

PREMIERE: Loure - In The Evenings (Hidden Spheres Remix) [Noire & Blanche]

The sky was lit up brightly by an orb a million miles away. Deep in the dark and murky backdrop of space glowed a raging hot ball of fire known only as the Sun of Lemuria. It was a beautiful, god like blossom amidst the otherworldly darkness which swamped all else. Down on earth they observed the burning resolution from afar, worship it they did for it was what made plants grow, water run and the morning light when they awoke. 

Rigopolar is set to release a new EP on the newly formed imprint Nazca records, the label was founded in homage to the ancient Nazca people who loved to dance whilst celebrating nature and music.

PREMIERE: Rigopolar - Sun Of Lemuria [Nazca Records]

The sonics inside the metal chamber were at times overwhelming. The factory continued to pump out goods at a rate of flying proportions. They were now the industry leader and the Mu Tai empire was ready to capitalise on the industrial revolution. Soon enough their world of magic would be unleashed upon the unsuspecting, revolutionising the life and times of people far and wide. In his tall tower he observed the work from a glass prism, little did he know that he was being watched. 

X-Coast steps up with a sensational heavy hitting EP on UNDERTHESEA Records. Rave cuts which sit somewhere between beautiful soundscapes and purpose built club destruction.

Transformations EP

PREMIERE: X-Coast -  Mu Tai feat DJ RaDa [UNDERTHESEA]

The diner was exceptionally busy as he opened the front door into the plastic coated maze. The smell of bacon radiated from deep inside the restaurant as if it were a part of the very furniture itself. Waitresses ran hurriedly between impatient tables pouring drinks and serving customers. They looked frazzled beneath the artifical glow of the neon lights... Breakfast at Wendys was always a finely tuned affair, a cultural eye opener if you will. 

Dj Windows XP is the latest in a long line of eccentric dj names and perhaps one of our favourites thus far... He releases a new EP on the Live Ones imprint run by Lorca.

PREMIERE: DJ Windows XP - Breakfast At Wendys [Live Ones]

He was deeply uncertain as the lights began to flicker prominently in the dark of the midnight hour. The street was illuminated by the pearly glow of orange beams from pillars which looked like metallic aliens had landed precisely spaced upon the earth. Are friends electric? Were the flickering objects his moonlight companions amidst a dream which had left him feeling lost and far away. Walking slowly he began to moved between the glowing frames, he danced. 

Djedjotronic is set to release an album on Boys Noize Records and we are delighted to premiere a track from the forthcoming project featuring the lovely Lokier.

PREMIERE: Djedjotronic - Are Friends Electric Feat Lokier [Boys Noize Records]

Expect the unexpected. That's the philosophy Rotterdam-based DJ mad miran promotes in her DJ sets. A regular on the Dutch capital's mainstay Red Light Radio and a face behind the counter at the infamous Clone record shop, Miran has fast become one of the country's most promising DJs. 

Although she only played her first DJ set in a club a couple of years ago, she's already landed a residency at Trouw successor De School and become part of the Strange Sounds From Beyond family, seeing her name spread like wildfire and lead to a string of gigs across Europe.

We invited her to dive into her record bag for us and the result is 80 minutes of leftfield electro, raw breaks and introspective electronica. Enter into the crazy world of mad miran...

mad miran: The 'Wednesday Alternative' Mix

Amsterdam has been graced with a fearsome array of fabulous selectors and disc jockeys in recent times, the city is abuzz with experimental music and talent. 

Orpheu The Wizard has been a pivotal figure in the development of the scene, crucially helping to nurture new faces through his key role as a co founder of Redlight radio - a distinctive platform which has acted as a gateway and an open door to a new wave of music, producers and dj's. 

His own background is well versed, he's earnt his stripes and played the long game building a respectable array of musical knowledge and selective talent which he uses to entice and delight crowds across Europe and beyond. Eclectic, far reaching and multi purpose - his sets often run wild across a sprawling spectrum of sound. 

This year he will play at Love International festival, an appearance which should not be missed.

Orpheu The Wizard: The Ransom Note Mix

Step back, this is a big one. 

Across the past couple of decades there have been very few who can attest as much influence as that of Joakim, a singular producer who has been charted as an influential figure by many of the leading producers and disc jockeys in the present.

The French outsider has amassed a notorious reputation for his eclectic style as a disc jockey and producer having released music on the likes of Versatile, Kitsuné Music, Life And Death, Crosstown Rebels and beyond. As the founder behind Tigersushi Records and Crowdspacer he has been responsible for leading a new generation of talent into the dance and has played a key role in the future development of dance and electronic music. 

As an individual his own take on music is wide and vast, not one to shy away from the alternative or experimental he has done well to channel a sprawling array of style, genre and sound across his own lengthy career and in all honesty Joakim continues to surprise and intrigue with delight. 

A Dj's dj, he is a firm favourite and we welcome him as part of the series.

Joakim: The Ransom Note Mix

Thick white snow pelted down from above; the path in front of them was barely visible now the sun had set. It was a long walk back through the forest and the group had grown tired after fighting through the wind and the hail. Winter had arrived and it wasn't taking any prisoners. As they reached the depths of the forest they soon realised the snow had covered their tracks; their Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs were no more. How would they find their way back to base? They would have to take a punt and follow their gut instead...

Following his euphoric debut release on Feel My Bicep, James Shinra brings his skilled productions to one of Scotland's best exporters of electro, Craigie Knowes. Over the last few years Mitch and Max, the guys behind the label, have released heavy hitters from some of the finest artists operating in that sphere, like Carl Finlow, Jensen Interceptor, Maelstrom and Textasy. James Shinra adds to that healthy discography with some acid driven cuts that have a "sinister, wintery feel"...

Darkroom EP

PREMIERE: James Shinra - Gritti [Craigie Knowes]

The clouds moved slowly across a sun kissed sky, little fluffy shapes shuffling across a dense blue backdrop in the midst of the afternoon heat. They were shifting and shaking in the wind, passing over earth as they gazed down upon an empty planet from miles away in outer space. Beyond them were the stars which danced in an ocean of blackness, the planets bounced and moved in ways we could not comprehend. Beneath it all was us, a humanity lost in its own sense of self entitled worth. However, it was all about to change. 

Today marks the release of a new album on the dance and electronic music powerhouse that is Cocoon Recordings. The German label has acted as an outlet for an endless wave of cutting edge musicians and their latest offering is no different. An LP from Harald Björk, a hugely talented producer who has released music previously on Studio Barnhus and Traum Schallplaten.

Shiftings

PREMIERE: Harald Björk - Shiftings [Cocoon]

The phone had been ringing off the hook all morning, each time he chose to ignore it. He'd debated unplugging it at the mains but the repercussions would be even worse than they already were. He knew that not answering wouldn't help him in the long run, but right now he couldn't face it. He would continue to live by the notion that what he didn't know couldn't hurt him.

Manchester party Off Beat make their first steps into the label world, launching a new platform to share their love of UK bass culture. For the inaugural outing, they've enlisted the talents of Breaka who's previous releases for Desert Sound Colony's Holding Hands, his own Breaka Recordings and Leeds' Stretchy Dance Supply have caused quite a stir since 2018. Titled The Startup, the two-tracker moves from UK bass grooves and warm subs on the A Side to jungle-inspired breaks on the flip; a perfect indicator of what we can expect from the newly-founded imprint in future.

OBR001

PREMIERE: Breaka - The Startup [Off Beat]

Days had turned into weeks and weeks into months; it was as though time no longer existed, nothing defined one day to the next. Failed attempts at keeping the mind and body active had quickly been cast aside, replaced by bad habits and squandered hours. Reality would return soon and in turn balance would be restored...

London-based imprint X-Kalay add to their healthy catalogue with an instalment from Holding Hands affiliate, Adam Pits. Marking his debut on the label, following a string of releases for Coastal Haze and Wex this year, he brings yet more styles to the table, adding proggy house influences and driving synths into the mix alongside signature breaks and techno. On the flip, illusive Magicwire artist Bliss Inc. puts his own spin on title track 'Piston Pump, twisting it into a euphoric peak time cut.

PREMIERE: Adam Pits - Piston Pump (Bliss Inc. Remix) [X-Kalay]

Ransom Note is an online music, arts and culture magazine. We provide a home for readers and writers with boundless enthusiasm, esoteric knowledge, fierce opinions and impeccable taste.

With our core team immersed in all aspects of dance music, we publish news, articles, and interviews covering the greatest in innovative, underground culture from across the globe. We offer regular, exclusive music and mixtapes from our favourite artists, and publish features shining a light on everything from the freshest new artists to the untold tales from rave history.

Alongside this we offer musings on film, books, life, and art, generating some context and controversy as an antidote to the reheated PR that clogs up the internet. Our office is fuelled by Tunnock’s Bars, cat memes, hangovers and a ridiculous, never ending love for our culture.

We're always interested in getting new writers on board – feel free to get in touch if you’ve got a story to tell.

With love until the grave.

Ransom Note

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