Sahara -   Downtempo Middle East Instrumental (4)

Fallin(feat. Jaidene Veda)

Flashback

Blair French - The Art Of Us LP
release date:  1st September 2020 
Label: Rocksteady Disco (https://soundcloud.com/rocksteadydisco)
BUY LINK: https://rocksteadydisco.bandcamp.com/album/rsd-lp001-the-art-of-us
https://soundcloud.com/blairfrench81

The Art Of Us (TAOU) begins with the story of Blair French, a cosmic messenger raised in a house of 7 on the outskirts of a historic city. From dancing at mom's disco parties at a young age, to releasing rap tapes in middle school, winning best soundtrack for the multi-award-winning film DETROPIA and hitting the Billboard charts with his Pure Sounds of Michigan compilation; ultimately French found a home in the world of all things Detroit, Pan-African, Balearic, and ambient. TAOU is his first instrumental LP under his own name, (despite a 25 year career), bringing together his closest musical compatriots.

Blair's diverse production shines on this immersive 14 track release, transcending organic/electronic, uptempo/downtempo, and light/dark, tapping in heavyweight characters including Pathe Jassi, John Arnold, Craig Huckaby, Todd Modes, Kaylan Waterman, Peter Croce, Eddie Logix, Paul Randolph, 2040, Michael Jurczak and more.

Sonically, TAOU holds peak-hour Deep Cosmic Afro House freak outs ("Faded By The Sun", "Celebration Ritual", "F O A", "Chest Drum"), blunted beatdown cuts ("Stay Detroit", "Jeans", "Drop Ceiling Shuffle", "River Crossing"), and soulful R&B and Afrobeat compositions ("Honey Rooftops", "Genes", "Space Time Curvature").

Mastered by Atjazz, the vinyl is cut loud to lacquer by Carl at Trutone, and pressed with love at Archer on the east side of Detroit. It includes a double sided full color art insert with lyrics on the flip side.

BUY LINK

PREMIERE : Blair French - River Crossing

Artist: Aspetuck
Track: Solace
Format: Digital
Label: This Is Our Time
Release Date: 04/09/20
Purchase: https://thisisourtime.bandcamp.com/album/the-time-capsule-experiment

This Is Our Time welcomes Aspetuck from the US to their label family with 'The Time Capsule Experiment' EP. His three original tracks are ranging from house, breakbeat to electro but all of them come with a nice twist. Jazzy chord & odd vocoder sounds accompany a cosmic soundscape on the EP starter 'Lift Point' and with tweaked chirps & eastern strings on a bare breakbeat, 'The Time Capsule Experiment' is definitely the most leftfield one on this EP. Closing off the release is the sinister electro 'Solace' of which we can only imagine a demon-summoning tribal ritual was the inspiration.
The EP comes with two remixes. Jeigo's rethinking of the title track is a meetup of two worlds: an aerial stomper for closing your set in the early morning hours. The dubby trance remix of 'Lift Point' is from the label boss Route 8 - his synth pads have never been so trippy like this!

https://soundcloud.com/aspetuck
https://soundcloud.com/this-is-our-time

The Time Capsule Experiment (TIOT-DIGI2)

YouTube

PREMIERE #1173 | Aspetuck - Solace [This Is Our Time] 2020

Fragile X is the new collaborative guise of Inga Schunn and Dylan Chase, the latter has been releasing material as Caffeine Worldwide over the past few years. Here with the ‘Lifetime’ EP the pair inaugurate their new project, the collection of tracks was recorded over four days in Mexico City in early 2019. Schunn provided vocals while Chase focused on the mechanical aspects. It was mixed by Chase in Mexico City in 2020, while he was sick with Covid-19. We don’t know if there will be another record. A lot is uncertain these days. This EP marks the third vinyl release by Bouquet, a label and party series based in Chase’s hometown of San Diego.
Title-cut ‘Lifetime’ leads the release with garage tinged off-kilter drums, swirling atmospherics, snaking sub bass grooves and resonant synth melodies all dynamically
 underneath Schunn’s hypnotic vocal stylings. ‘Prix’ follows and employs a similarly organic rhythmic feel while stirring in airy string melodies, plucked strings and an amalgamation of fluttering woodwind and acid synths throughout.
‘Karaoke Gurl’ kicks off the flip side of the EP, edging into electronica realms with a bumpy 303 bass hook and dreamy synth chimes while once again welcoming Inga’s silvery vocal contributions. The ‘Fragile X’ theme then concludes the project on a cinematic tip, nodding towards an early 2000’s IDM aesthetic with broken drums, textural synths and organ melodies.

PREMIERE : Fragile X - Karaoke Gurl

The machine whirred and kickstarted into life - strange sounds emerged from its core as shivers and rumbles echoed in the large empty warehouse in which they watched. A strange ambient, rhythmic performance was underway. It was enchanting to watch and listen to the bizarre sounds which emerged and meandered between all four corners of the large empty room. The sound bounced and radiated with electric precision and left each listener enchanted and spellbound. 

afinss is the Rhythmical Ambient project of Lootbeg & Bajazo a friend in need sound system. The pair have worked to produce a delicate new EP, an intriguing, atmospheric affair which comes recommended.

PREMIERE: afinss -Ra06 [a friend in need]

READ > https://inverted-audio.com/premiere-metropolitan-soul-museum-stoneman

Bay Area Renaissance Man, Eugene Whang's label Public Release (@eug), offers its first release of the year that no one wanted with a little something that just about everyone wants. Moving across a wide-spectrum of house styles, the 6-track sampler is a stacked release with label alums and newcomers alike.

Various Artists - 415-PR22 [Public Release]

Metropolitan Soul Museum - Stoneman [Public Release]

Originally working under separate aliases of Jtwig and RLS, Josh Twigge-Molecey from Brighton and George Protheroe from Banbury have come together as the DJ/Producer duo Sonic Juncture. Spanning the spectrum of Disco, House, Breakbeat, Techno and Electro with their production and mixes, the duo have many releases in the works to help them craft a name for themselves within the scene. Their debut EP lands on Manchester based record label Chequered Wax and features 3 tracks full of breaks, deep basslines, atmospheric pads and squelchy synths.

PREMIERE : Sonic Juncture - Unified

Skating around town he caught the eyes of passers by who looked him up and down as he whizzed on by. They knew little of his lifestyle or his joy. The wheels on his roller blades kept on spinning as he careered down the sidewalk and in amongst wandering traffic in the midst of rush hour. This was the grind and the day was only just beginning, soon he would travel all over the city, catching the eyes of thousands of lost souls. He was not lost however, he was found. 

Multiplex are set to release a rather special track by El Agua Es Profunda, a progressive odyssey which will delight dancers and listeners in equal measure. A feel good, positive track with uplifting pads and deep moving sensibilities. This is a special one for the twilight summers and late nights.

The Grind

PREMIERE: El Agua Es Profunda - The Grind [Multiplex]

Nobody's life was perfect but he started to think he'd been dealt a far worse hand than many others. Several toxic relationships, a myriad of lost jobs and unsuccessful opportunities, not to mention the countless mishaps, had seemed to be the dish of the day since his youth. Luck had never been on his side and things just didn't seem to go his way; he'd come to terms with living with it after all these years. 

Previously shrouded in mystery, Brother Nebula is the moniker of dance music veteran Lance Desardi who, over the last few years, has crafted cosmic and atmospheric breaks and house. He made his debut on Legwork back in 2018 with a collaborative EP alongside Solar, before quickly following it up with his first solo releases on the same label. Last year saw him land on Nick Höppner's Touch From A Distance, but now he makes a triumphant return to Legwork once again for The Physical World, an album of retro-futurist and interstellar electronics.

The Physical World

PREMIERE: Brother Nebula - Living With It [Legwork]

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.