There are so many excellent parties in London, something for everyone you might say. However, Orientate founder John Xie spotted a gap and an opportunity to improve and better the representation of the East Asian community through an eclectic series of nights which showcase leftfield electronic music from across the region.

Originally from the US, the now East London based DJ is creating a place in which he can call home.

From a musical perspective, his background is wide, as influenced by abstract sounds as he is that for the club.

That being said, when it comes to the dancefloor, he has more than a trick or two up his sleeve as the mix showcases. It weaves and wanders between breaks before entering faster territories toward the close.

John Xie: The 'Shine A Light On' Mix

Brooklyn based DIY record label putting out dance music of all shapes and sizes since 2015 🥸 🥸 🥸 🥸 🥸

Monthly on @thelotradio! Past parties at places like Nowadays, Bossa Nova Civic Club, Good Room, IRL etc.

Previous releases from @t_o_n_y_g @escaflowne-iii @wtchcrft2 @nikki-nair @basside-1 @msmsmsm  @panoocmusic @hueypmnemonic @djwawabk @djdelish @dullafteruse @dj-swisha @sharu @lechugazafiro @cpowers @djgearofficial @basside-1 @stickfigure36 @drvmmy @artdlrco @cranklincroons @malikhendricks @johnlauchicago @lanlordlance @the_phantom_menace @ama_l @panooc_music @mvaughanmusic @djfinetouch @deejaydylan @skulptormusica @sstress @donis-bk @moma_ready

Producer/DJ/Promoter/Organizer/bonehead/etc - [Bounce House] -  they/them - PHL - @bounce-house-phl
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For booking, production, remix work, promos, or any other inquiries, please write to: furtivetrax@gmail.com
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Upcoming Dates:
10/20 - Great Circles Radio Residency
11/2 - Belly Music w/ Cyrus for Particle.FM
11/12 - The Lot Radio
11/15 - TBA, Philly
11/17 - Great Circles Radio Residency
12/19 - TBA, Philly
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Furtive is a full-gonzo rave conjurer and relentless creative tinkerer, intractably committed to the rave as a Philadelphia-based producer, DJ, underground event organizer, and dancer. A shifting sonic chameleon, Furtive brings a scintillating, sentimental, and psychedelic touch to their artistry, rooted in wormhole-traversing technoid propulsion and dependably delivering riotous, slack-jawed whiplash moments of the delightfully unexpected. Their many polished and focused genre-spanning productions are informed by over thirteen years of experience in the studio, yielding a rich selection of tracks across their self-released discography, vinyl pressings, and contributions to compilations. A veritable product of the contemporary American underground, Furtive cut their teeth as a DJ and DIY event organizer in Washington, DC’s warehouses, where they once played a variety of turnkey roles in putting on some of the District’s more proper techno parties. Furtive co-founded and co-runs Bounce House, an intimate, blossoming off-the-books venue in Philly where they regularly hold court as a resident. Furtive is on broadcast monthly through Ashen Vanity, a radio residency at Philadelphia’s indispensable cultural mainstay Great Circles. As a DJ, Furtive has played hallowed halls (recently rampaging at Nowadays and Basement), dingy holes, roaring renegades, broadcast booths, and festivals (The Great Beyond '23, '24, and headlining in '25, Honcho Campout '24, Making Time '25) - always with eclectic selections and a steadfast focus on pacing and dynamics while regularly jumping genres to build moving and impactful sets, often alongside internationally celebrated, no-nonsense acts. Beyond the fog and speaker stacks, Furtive creates art in a variety of mediums. They're as unapologetic in their sincerity and flair as they are in being a die-hard True Believer in the rave.
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Learn more here: https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/introducing/furtive-the-astronaut-in-a-pool-of-mermaids/
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As a closing note: the journey can be summarized in their own words (or, a cheeky amalgamated existential portmanteau): “I aim for the stars, but sometimes I land in a pool of mermaids.”

https://furtivetrax.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/furtivetrax
https://www.instagram.com/furtive.sasha/
https://ra.co/dj/furtive

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.

Netil Radio resident and Head of Orientate London.

2025 Dates:
Jan 18: Orientate x Scattered Waves @ Spanners
Mar 8: Orientate x BOUNCY BOUNCY @ M.O.T
Apr 5: Orientate x Small Talk @ Corsica Studios
Apr 19: Extraċurriċular @ Cu Dalston
Apr 25: Orientate @ Ormside Projects
May 10: ALTER. Shanghai @ Exit Shanghai
May 11: Wigwam Shanghai
May 16: Jú Lè Lù @ TAG Chengdu
May 23: Zhao Dai on Leave
May 29: Savage Hanoi
July 11: Twisted Festival
Aug 2: Kwia Berlin
Aug 30: Team Doosh @ The Glove That Fits
Aug 30: Orientate x 宀 Club @ Ormside Projects
Oct 5: BOUNCY BOUNCY @ Heim Shanghai

2024 Dates:
Feb 18: Orientate @ Pickle Factory
Mar 2: ALTER. @ Heim Shanghai 
Mar 28: UNiSON Takeover @ Pocket Radio
Apr 27: UNiSON @ The Cause 
May 4: Queens Yard Summer Party
Aug 29: Madelic Takeover @ Pocket Radio
Sep 21: Orientate @ Spanners
Nov 8: Half East Records @ Night Tales
Nov 9: Nose Dive @ The Waiting Room
Nov 22: Orientate @ Ormside Projects
Nov 28: Okonomiyaki @ Cream Tokyo
Nov 30: Light in Harlem @ West Harlem Kyoto
Dec 7: Bouncy Bouncy @ Heim Shanghai
Dec 13: Jar Xi'An
Dec 14: Axis Chengdu
Dec 20: Savage Invites @ Savage Hanoi
Dec 31: Likdo NYE Phu Quoc

Contact/Bookings: john.orientate@gmail.com