Scandinavia is home to a remarkable collection of dj's and producers who have crafted a fun filled take on dance and club music across decades. 

As the co-founder of Karlovak Records and the label boss behind Velvet Pony, Art Alfie has been a crucial figure in the evolution of the leftfield house and techno community in both his native Stockholm and beyond. His sound has been well received and championed by a way of chance taking promoters and dj's who have warmed to his creative experimentation and playful take on the genre.

Over the years he has released numerous EP's via the likes of Toy Tonics, Howl Records and many more. He has also collaborated prominently alongside close friend Mr Tophat and the pair have released a splendid array of music through Junk Yard Connections, Bass Culture Records and beyond. 

In 2017 Art Alfie released his debut album via the acclaimed Studio Barnhus label and ever since has been experimenting with the leanings and evolution of that record since. 

We invited him to record a mix for Ransom Note and we weren't quite sure what we were going to get. That's part of the excitement Art Alfie brings to the forefront and why we are delighted to welcome him to the series.

Read & Download

Art Alfie: The Ransom Note Mix

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.

Brain Hop

fictionalive /
popoems series / hyper media reports 
2001 / 2011 / 2024

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/ to(tally) fictionalive or not

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An artist is someone who creates or expresses ideas, emotions, or visions through a chosen medium, aiming to communicate, inspire, or evoke a response.

This definition embraces all forms of creativity—visual, musical, literary, or performance—and emphasizes the purpose of connection and expression rather than formal titles or external validation.

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Brain Hop

Brain Hop is a musical genre invented by the artist FICTIONALIVE on Monday, December 1st, 2025, at 1:24 PM. The genre seeks to bring depth, intellect, and philosophical reflection into contemporary music, emphasizing thoughtful lyricism, conceptual frameworks, and cognitive engagement across styles. Brain Hop differentiates itself from much mainstream music by prioritizing meaningful content, complex themes, and a cerebral approach to structure, rhythm, and sound design.

The creation of Brain Hop responds to the perception that a lot of current music leans heavily on surface-level entertainment while neglecting intellectual and existential depth. It aims to provide an artistic space where artists explore profound social, political, and existential issues through innovative production and poetic or experimental vocal delivery. Brain Hop can interact with hip-hop, electronic, pop, or experimental traditions, but is defined above all by its focus on ideas and reflection rather than by any single beat pattern or instrumentation.

​As of its inception, Brain Hop is positioned as an emerging genre within underground and alternative music scenes, promising to attract listeners and creators who value music that stimulates both mind and soul.
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Originally from Stockholm, Pernilla aka ‘Pino’ moved to Aotearoa/New Zealand to pursue her passion for nature and outdoor sports in 2008.  Attending her first rave shortly thereafter, she discovered a latent love for electronic music and NZ’s outdoor dance party scene, leading to her jumping behind the decks a few short years later.

Pino is renowned for her high energy sets with rollicking techno bass lines layered with lashings of house and deeper grooves, alongside tech and indie, all infused with old-school rave influences.  
She plays a wide variety of sounds ranging from Disco and House to slamming 140 bpm techno.

She has featured at some of NZ’s biggest outdoor festivals including Rhythm & Alps, Twisted Frequency, Aum,Luminate, Splore, Shipwrecked, Taniwha’s Den, Rolling Meadows, and supported Out Of Sorts, Made in Paris, Sanoi, Logan Baker, Grouch, and many more.

In 2022 she started running her own events called Dysfunctional Disco and has so far showcased Body Ocean, Kristin Velvet, Hey Lady, Cyril Orson, Communicate, Mamadafunk and Warp

She also has a House/Disco indie (genre mashing) music collaboration called Casual Rehab, with accomplished Kiwi DJ and producer, Warp.  
Pino believes that music and dance has the power to connect, heal and expand consciousness, describing it as “sustenance for the soul”.

у меня есть настолько пиздатая музыка, что лучше вы вряд ли когда-то услышите

MystyMoon is more than just a Techno DJ, her spiritual connection to the music facilitates moments of profound metamorphosis on the dance floor. Like phases of the moon, she seamlessly segues between the various terrains of Techno. Something deeper also resonates through her frequencies, a soulful vibration that cannot be easily identified. Whatever it may be, it’s quickly made her a familiar face behind the decks at San Francisco clubs like Monarch, F8, Monroe, The Great Northern, and 1015 Folsom.  ✨🌓🌕🌗✨




For bookings email: msmystymoon@gmail.com