DJ-sets & podcasts

A relentless mix from the Warsaw-based artist and Oramics member, who chooses to spotlight tracks from Polish and Eastern European artists.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3vclc8Z

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Crack Mix 402: Avtomat

We're not in the habit of quoting press materials all the time, but in Kajetan Łukomski's case, it feels appropriate. The first sentence of his bio is "Avtomat is a person with way too many interests." If you know any artists from Poland's wide-ranging, always-growing electronic music scene, chances are he's one of them. He's a DJ, producer, organizer and activist, once a member of the queer feminist collective Oramics, and is endlessly passionate about supporting, spreading and playing music from the Central European and Eastern European regions.

With roots in metal, goth and electroclash, there's a certain spikiness to Łukomski's style, but also a polyglot knowledge and a hunger for new sounds. Lately he's been trying to mix club music with Polish folk traditions, which is the mission of Łukomski's RA Podcast, but it's also just the jumping off point. In these almost four hours of expert blending, genre-jumping and incredible pacing, Łukomski touches on almost every style of dance music you could think of, with aplomb and occasionally surprise (like that irresistible Bloc Party edit). If you can, it's worth digesting all in one sitting, so you can truly appreciate the ground he covers.

@avtomatmusic

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/869

RA podcast

RA.869 Avtomat

A fixture in Poland’s underground club scene, DJ, producer, vocalist and graphic designer @avtomatmusic brings an anarchic industrial edge to their wildly varied and intricate DJ sets

Alongside a blazing mix for the Recognise series, Ben Murphy talks to him about activism, Polish folk music and playing Berghain

Interview: https://djmag.com/features/recognise-avtomat-interview

Recognise: Avtomat

STOP THE GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE!

Tracklist:
Yasmine Hamdan - Hal (Kwaidan)
Damna - Get Up To Be Shy (self-released)
Reni Jusis - Kiedyś Cię Znajdę (Avtomat Remix) (upcoming)
Ship Sket - CONCUSSION (self-released)
RAVL - Fausse Monnaie (JEROME)
Ida Dillan - Project Nu (Knightwerk / Afterlife+)
Slick Shoota - Dragonfly (self-released)
Avtomat - ID (upcoming)
Liar - Mutagen (Infinite Machine)
Avtomat - Black Lotus, White Lotus (upcoming)
Caroline Polachek - Sunset (acapella) (Perpetual Novice)
Avtomat - Tatuś Hula (Unholy Ukrainian) (upcoming via Zejście)
Avtomat - ID (upcoming)
Some Guest - Wine Yuh (self-released)
Yasmine Hamdan - Hal (Kwaidan)
Prodigy - Break & Enter (XL Recordings)
Dadan Karambolo - Turnicki (Ciarki)
T’ien Lai - HoL (Brutality Garden)
Gora & Eloy - Terremoto (Hitec_Condo)
T.Raumschmiere & Sandra Nasic - A Very Loud Lullaby (Apparat Remix)
cadeu - LANGUAGE (Hyperboloid)
Maribou State - Bricks (Fat! Records)

Watch

Avtomat - HÖR (9 Jan 2024)

Razor-N-Tape revisit a few of the standout cuts from last year’s massive LP drop by Brooklyn band 79.5 with a varied dancefloor-ready remix package! NYC based bass enthusiast Jubilee gets peak-time freaky with the anthemic “B.D.F.Q” as featured in her recent BBC Essential Mix, talented upstart producer Malik Hendricks delivers a sublimely deep take on “Feel Like Dancing”, while Razor-N-Tape label boss JKriv turns in a bright and bouncy house version of “Our Hearts Didn’t Go That Way”. Funk stalwarts FSQ get groovy for a very different reading of “B.D.FQ”, and Damien Harris takes the sultry “Feel Like Dancin” into slow-rolling new disco territory.

PREMIERE : 79.5 - B.D.F.Q. (Jubilee Remix)

Step into 'The Analog World' with Ghent's own FBR and MDC.

'Faced Woman' delivers crisp beats with an edge, sampling one the great JB, while the EP's title track takes us deeper into the 'The Analog World'. After over 10 years of making music together , they are delivering an EP like no other that will be sure to leave an imprint on your dance floor, blending classic vibes with modern punch.

On top a well crafted Deep Dive remix by JAEN, injecting a surge of infectious energy, the essence of late-night revelry. Jan kicked off 2024 with releases on Gene On Earth’s Limousine Dream or Enzo Siragusa’s Locus.

No frills, just pure house heat for your ears.

The Analog World

BUY on BANDCAMP

PREMIERE : FBR & MDC - The Analog World (JAEN's Deep Dive Remix)

Dylan Dylan - Love Theory LP
BUY LINK: https://dylandylan.bandcamp.com/album/love-theory-lp
Label : Lost Palms / Shall Not Fade (https://soundcloud.com/shallnotfade)
https://www.instagram.com/shallnotfade/
> Dylan Dylan (https://soundcloud.com/dylandylanmusic)
https://www.instagram.com/imdylandylan/

Dylan Dylan returns with her 2nd LP on Shall Not Fade’s sub label Lost Palms. Love Theory LP showcases why the rising French producer is one of the emerging talents in dance music at the moment.

BUY LINK

PREMIERE : Dylan Dylan - Me & U

Our search for the perfect beat lands in Sydney/Eora as Arp Deco provides the thrills for our 19th release. Three heavenly, melodic cuts full of life and colour that showcase polished production skills way beyond his years and should keep dancefloors moving all Summer long and beyond. A knockout remix from Tech Support and a contemporary balearic interpretation from Joe Morris complete this tantalising release.

PREMIERE : Arp Deco - New Life (Tech Support Remix)

* Subscribe for more premieres: https://bit.ly/2igyosu
* Read more: https://boltingbits.com/dj-rocca-the-box-above-flexi-cuts
* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KjR6xHZLwXY
* Pre-order: https://flexi-cuts.bandcamp.com/album/musica-solida-sampler-1

In this electrifying 2024, we're buzzing with excitement as we celebrate 40 years of Flexi, the record emporium that's weathered countless storms amidst the ever-shifting tides of the music industry, catering to vinyl aficionados across the ages. Alongside the raves and swag, no doubt, there's a killer compilation dropping on the indie label "Flexi Cuts," dubbed evocatively as "Musica Solida" spread across 3 or perhaps 4 12-inch samplers, boasting a carefully curated selection of singles from cherished Flexi-affiliated artists and producers. The vision? To cultivate a virtuous movement of sublime tunes, echoing the fervor and zeal to persist within the realm of quality that Flexi embodies within the Italian scene, alongside kindred spirits... despite the daunting challenges of the market in recent years.

PREMIERE: DJ ROCCA - The Box Above

@coqueto_records @volta-cab

Coqueto Records introduces the third edition of the Various Artists series.
This compilation is made up of Rambal Cochet, well known as Volta Cab; Acid Charlie, with an excerpt from his latest live set; Brian Topham, member of SIKU SERIES known as Papolius Jones; and Rufo, one of the heads of Coqueto Records and SIKU SERIES.

[PREMIERE] Catalyst Powder - Rambal Cochet | Coqueto Records [2024]

And as dawn breaks, with the sun's golden hue,The melody fades, but the memory's true,Veltrán's whimsy, A-Tweed's delight,In Belly Dance Services, they danced through the night!

Veltran's "Extrema y Exuberante" EP, out April 26th, 2024, via @bellydanceservices (BDS021), marks the 21st milestone for the label. Compiled by Nick Hanzo and mastered by Oltrefuturo, the EP features two originals by Mexican artist Veltrán and remixes by A-Tweed and Nick Hanzo himself. We're premiering the ace A-Tweed rework.

https://www.theransomnote.com/music/premieres/premiere-veltran-dismorfia-extrema-a-tweed-remix-belly-dance-services/

@antakaatweed

PREMIERE: Veltrán - Dismorfia Extrema (A-Tweed Remix) [Belly Dance Services]

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]

Roma has provided 4 techno-inspired tracks for Mr. Banger's seventh edition.

PREMIERE : Roma Khropko - Rendal

Studio Batsumi, Maxime Obadia - Cosmicomics
BUY LINK: https://studiobatsumi.bandcamp.com/album/cosmicomics
> Studio Batsumi (https://soundcloud.com/studiobatsumi)
https://www.instagram.com/studio.batsumi
> Maxim Obadia (https://soundcloud.com/maxim-26)
https://www.instagram.com/maxime_obadia_music

DJ duo Studio Batsumi (aka Federico Bigonzetti & Marta Paccagnella) reveal details for the first release of their self-titled joint label venture with five-track EP Cosmicomics. The first musical outing from the pair’s new imprint, Studio Batsumi are set to release their original records via the label, as well as offering a platform for burgeoning artists to release their music. With a focus on analogue, for the first few months all releases will be vinyl only (exclusively via Bandcamp). Making the natural step up from selectors and musicians to bona fide label bosses, founding the label marks a new beginning for the pair.

Known for their genre-defying DJ sets, regularly appearing at London’s most reputable listening bars such as Spiritland, Brilliant Corners and Supermax, as well as club previous shows at The Ton of Brix, The Jago, Cafe 1001 and The Waiting Room, the Studio Batsumi imprint plans to follow suit, genre-fluid while sonically defined, much like the pair’s DJ offering.

With the launch EP Cosmicomics written and produced by Federico alongside Parisian guitarist, producer and sound engineer Maxime Obadia, the varying musical backgrounds of the two artists demonstrates this versatile aesthetic for the label expertly, with Fede rooted in electronic and Maxime’s rock background working in harmony on the EP. Combining live instruments with drum machines, synths and a host of genre influences. Artists such as such The Pilotwings, GHF, Kalbata, YuSu, and L’Éclair have been cited as influences on the first EP.

Featuring three original tracks, a remix from esteemed Turkish DJ and producer Jonny Rock and one of Federico’s own versions on B2, the tracks range from bassline-driven downtempo chuggers, dreamy guitar riffs, trippy arpeggios and distorted, wonky pads for a rich and eclectic sound palette to work on and off the dancefloor. Texturised layers of live instrumentation and analogue equipment further enhance the organic and unique quality of Studio Batsumi sound.

With an artist-first approach, Studio Batsumi releases will be on a limited 300-press run, sold exclusively via Bandcamp. To celebrate the launch of the label, on Saturday 13 April the duo will host an in store at Hidden Sounds in Dalston, with the party carrying on at Brilliant Corners where the pair will play a special all-night-long set.

PREMIERE : Studio Batsumi, Maxime Obadia - Moonbath

Hailing from Warsaw, producer, DJ and vocalist Avtomat is a core part of Oramics and Ciężki Brokat, two collectives that focus on supporting women and LGBTQ artists from Central and Eastern Europe and creating safe spaces for queer ravers, respectively. 

Collectives like these have always been important in Poland, but now more so than ever. A recent statement from Poland's far right President Andrzej Duda laid bear his views towards the LGBTQIA+ community, fostering an even more hateful and violent environment than before for those living in the country.

This is nothing new though, these sentiments have been shamelessly echoed through the government for several years now, demonstrating how instrumental Ciężki Brokat and Oramics' work is. As well as championing these communities on the ground, last year in a bid to support queer Polish organisations and fracture these degrading far right ideals, Oramics released Total Solidarity, a mammoth compilation to raise money for Miłość Nie Wyklucza and Kampania Przeciw Homofobii.

As well as providing platforms and spaces for these communities, Avtomat has his fingers in many other pies. As a composer and producer he leads folktronica project Pleśni, matching traditional Slavic polyphonic singing with electronica, while on a weekly basis he teaches production and DJing at Instytut Dźwięku in the capital.

For this week's Wednesday Alternative mix he takes us on a full throttle ride through abrasive, vibrant and energetic electronics, from jungle to ghetto tech and deconstructed rhythms, and shines a light on several Polish and Eastern European producers. If you didn't already miss the club, now you most definitely will...

Read + Download

Avtomat: The 'Wednesday Alternative' Mix

Not your run-of-the-mill working-class Eastern European non-binary DJ. The producer, vocalist, but also visual and digital artist strives for innovative sound design and visceral body response, despite (or maybe coupled with) raw emotion that permeates their musical output. They’re a proud member of the Ciężki Brokat crew (with whom they run the annual Warsaw Pride official afterparty), ex-Oramics member (2019-2022), co-creator of Radio Kapitał, Polish ambassador for Keychange and SHAPE Platform 2021 resident.

Their own music has morphed several times throughout the last 15 years – from industrial or purely synthetic timbres, through polyphonic singing with Pleśni to a perplexing fusion of rhythmically and sonically jagged compositions, bass-heavy club tracks on their EPs, 'Gusła (Human Rites)' on Tańce, a limited vinyl release on London-based 51-53 Records, 'Doolska' and the latest, more experimental 'Lamenty' EP.

They presented their music during numerous festivals (Unsound, CTM, Schiev, Up To Date, Tauron Nowa Muzyka, Les Siestes Electroniques, Audioriver) and an assortment of clubs (including the legendary Berghain) in Poland and abroad (Berlin, London, Prague, Oslo, Copenhagen, Ljubljana). They remixed tracks by Kamp and Baasch, recorded mixes for Resident Advisor, DJ Mag, HӦR and CRACK, composed and created impromptu live music for interactive theatre plays: Method of National Constellations, quadraphonic sound for Jawić się, music for a Women’s Strike street theatre Manifesta and original score for Ideologix, a US-written and directed queer opera.

In the club their seventeen-year experience of supporting queer, anti-fascist and underground scenes results in an almost annoyingly disparate selection of the most forward-thinking sound offered by today’s scene. In their series of DJ-sets and club nights they blend unusual rhythmic patterns kicked up a notch with their improvised vocals.

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.

Avtomat: The 'Wednesday Alternative' Mix

Ransom Note

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