great mix michelle! and what's this tune pls?

This track was born during one of the strangest and most intense periods of my life. I was caught between movement and stillness, between wanting to push forward and wanting to disappear into the background noise of my days. For several nights in a row, I couldn’t sleep — not because of stress, but because my mind kept drifting into a strange, weightless state. I felt like I was moving, even when I wasn’t. Like I was being pulled somewhere deeper...

I Lift You High (Dub)

This track is supposed to sound oldschool - which is contradictory, because Techno is a music genre that originally was on the search for new sounds. This track right here is made of classic sounds, like 909 drums. The 303 is emeultaed by AudioRealism's ABL3x.

Acid Outburst (Acid 2025-12)

A move from her birthplace of Kiev to Chicago, where she grew up, gave DJ and producer Alinka her first taste of house music. Getting her early education from radio shows like Sonic Boom and tracks from local heroes like Cajmere and DJ Funk, she soon became completely engrossed in the dance music scene, leading her to start DJing herself and begin taking on odd jobs at local parties in the city. 

In 2001 she was invited by Justin Long to be a resident at his .Dotbleep party at the legendary Smartbar, where she went on to hold a residency for a decade. Her movements in production came after following a chance meeting with Hercules vs Love Affair vocalist Shaun J. Wright, now her best friend, which led to the pair launching their record label and party Twirl. This would become a home for a lengthy string of collaborative releases, as well as several records via the likes of Crosstown Rebels and Classic. 

Earlier this year, from her now homebase of Berlin, Alinka launched a new label called Fantasy Life with an inaugural EP of infectious house cuts; a solid pre-cursor for what's to come next on the imprint. 

We got her on board for this week's Wednesday Alternative mix, and trust us, you're in good hands...

Read + Download

Alinka - The 'Wednesday Alternative' Mix

Marking the number 50 milestone in our mix series with one of our favourite producers/DJs at the minute https://soundcloud.com/djdjcity ✨ get ready for a Berlin tinged sleaze-fest to transport you back to a dark and sweaty dance floor.

DJ City recently stepped out of the Stockholm underground and into the world with a number of releases on labels like Born Free, Cocktail d'Amore and Public Possession. His style is romantic, often referencing Italo and sounds of Chicago, sometimes even with a hint of eurodisco. In his lyrics however, he tends to describe the easy jet-set world of clubbing as we knew it before lockdown, with drugs, sex and dark dance floors.

High Hoops 050 - DJ City

@Luigidivenere // Born in Bari class 1986, founder of Philoxenia Records, DJ resident at Cocktail d'Amore

The Italian-born Berlin-based dj has been making serious waves in Berlin, offering a wide range of Balearic, cosmic soundscapes touching listening-oriented selection styles or rather explosive DJ sets. Very inspired by the rave scene of the early nineties, his sets make constant references to those atmospheres while offering an eclectic sound selection. Beginning to showcase his talent as resident of the infamous Cocktail d’Amore event series, he has reinforced his credibility - for example by handling the Cocktail d’Amore label management for a few years, performing in Panorama Bar and regularly at lab.oratory for lab.dance nights, working closely with Phonica Records for the assortment of Soho House record store or hosting his own radio show MachineSex on Radio Cómeme. He is also promoting his Maximum Joy event series, happening at Sameheads in Berlin and curating his own Philoxenia Records along with Neu Verboten.

Rawmantique004 - Luigi Di Venere

Seeing out 2020 is a dj from Mexico, Paurro is a rising talent, a selector who blends heritage alongside cutting edge electronics in a way which is abstract and unique.

Paulina Rodriguez represents some of the most intelligent, cutting edge dance and electronic music to emerge from Mexico and her carefully orchestrated sets span a breadth of styles and sound which touch upon music native to the country and sounds from far beyond. 

Her sets are always fun, wild and enthusiastic. They have a fiery Latin energy and the pulse of techno often drives the experience forwards with relentless pace and flare. 

We expect to be seeing a lot more of her in the new year and as such felt she was the perfect candidate to see out our 'shine a light' on series this year.

Read & Download

Paurro: The 'Shine A Light On' Mix

Recording of Arp Frique's set at Dekmantel Connects 2020.

Dekmantel Connects 2020

Radio by Rush Hour: Arp Frique (DJ-set) at Dekmantel Connects 2020

For almost two decades DJ, promoter, producer and vocalist Michelle Manetti has been an active and respected voice in East London's queer scene, pushing for representation for marginalised artists through her regular parties and her now defunct Lipstick Disco blog.

A mainstay at Dalston Superstore, her Fèmmme Fraîche parties - launched in 2015 alongside Sandra Le - have become a bi-monthly fixture, and have helped to spotlight emerging female, female-identifying and non-binary DJs, as well as hosting bigger names like Honey Dijon, Rroxymore and Nightwave.

Sonically driven by jackin' house beats, trippy acid, dynamic techno and more recently proto, Italo and breaks, her sets are as electic as they are energetic. True to form, she brings that relentless energy on her 'Ransom Note' mix, which is a ride through raunchy Italo, driving synths and hypnotic acid...

Michelle Manetti: The 'Ransom Note' Mix

Playlist:

01. Wanderwelle - Irrational Demons (A Strangely Isolated Place)
02. Plant43 - Chain Of Memories (Semantica)
03. Instra:mental ‎- Forbidden (Apple Pips)
04. Cari Lekebusch - In Stockholm We Dwell (Alternative Mix 1) (
Hybrid)
05. Mesak - Stitch Seq (Klakson)
06. The Good Men ‎– Elektika (Pssst Music)
07. Metal Spark - Geiger (Blue Room Released)
08. Ultradyne	Deconstructing the Immortals (Pi Gao Movement)
09. Frank De Wulf ‎- Magic Orchestra (Music Man Records)
10. ‎Christian Morgenstern - Miscellaneous Pt.6 (Kanzleramt)
11. Buttechno - Augustus (Public System Recordings)
12. -=uhu=- - base 808 (Stilleben 045)
13. Chino - Autostrada (Uncanny Valley)
14. Qnete - Exergy (X-Kalay)

Rawmantique009 - Carl Suspect

As we reach the 10th episode in our mix series, label father @jordannocturne steps up to the plate with an hour of eclectic sounds and positive energy. 

Let's dance our way into the new year.💛

From Belfast With Love. 🌙

Art: @coccomio

Nocturne Series 010: Jordan Nocturne

As well as inviting good friends and artists/DJs we have admired for some time, we enjoy nothing more than stumbling across a mix from someone not known to us before. The latter is the route that this DTS invitation took and we could not be more delighted to provide a 75 minute soundtrack for whatever it is you are doing, from the talented @enelramm of Leipzig!

1/2 of @dyscotheque and part of the @nice4what collective from Leipzig, we first encountered enelRAM's ability to plot together an engrossing mix via the East German based record label, @uncanny-valley-dresden and their podcast series.

A whistle stop tour round more mixes led to the offer of going Down The Stairs. An offer which was accepted and we have to say, this is right up there with our favourite instalments yet!

Memories and visions of having a cold beer on a sunny terrace come to mind as enelRAM glides through tracks from the likes of @wildsarah & @georgstuby , @johannesalbert , @bohm , @tilman & @rhodeandbrown , @cinthie , @riohv and more.

A common name found in and around the clubs of Leipzig, enelRAM has made sure the city has gotten even higher on our list of places to visit post COVID!

Down The Stairs Mix Series 033 - enelRAM

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.

Michelle Manetti: The 'Ransom Note' Mix

Ransom Note

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