The room was vast and cold, decked with floor to ceiling mirrors that reflected the hazy light streaming through the dusty windows. It was clear that this house had once been a spectacle, owned by people with far more money than sense. But now it lay derelict and abandoned, forgotten by its owners who'd left it in a complete state of disarray. Like those who'd once owned this grand house, its history had been completely wiped out; lost in time and space...

London-based imprint Pseudonym Records entered the world at the end of last year with the first V/A release in their Corporeal series, bringing together several emerging producers operating in the spaces between broken club music, UK Techno and DnB. Now they're returning for the second release in the series, tasking a new line up of artists—Sputnik One, FoxMind, Palf, Big Hands and Thodén—with cooking up another EP rife with percussive, breaks-driven and bass-heavy sounds.

PSEU002 - Corporeal Vol. 2 mp3's

PREMIERE: FoxMind - Mirror Bounce [Pseudonym Records]

Taken from SBKT048: 33EMYBW & Gooooose - Trans-Aeon Express

Artwork: Weirdcore
Design: Luke Griffiths
Mastering: Raphael Valensi
Release Date: 25th March 2022

In late 2020, in the midst of lock downs and worldwide uncertainty, London based visual artist Weirdcore presented his first solo exhibition, ‘Orient Flux’, at SKP-S in Beijing, supported by Kennedy London. Developed and produced remotely due to travel restrictions, the exhibition spanned 7 interconnecting audio-visual installations forming a ‘train station from the future’, with music and sound design by 33EMYBW and Gooooose. Initially arriving at the ‘Stellar Lounge’, passengers traversed through the ‘Oblique’ security checks, decompress and adjust their bodies for travel in the ‘Microcosmic’ zone, and pass through the ‘Infinity Gates’ and ‘Dimensional Horizon’ to finally board the ‘Trans-Aeon Express’, an illusory bullet train, to embark on a spatio-temporal journey through time.

‘Trans-Aeon Express’ by 33EMYBW and Gooooose is a continuation of this project, with music and sound design from the exhibition, as well as new tracks inspired by and sampling elements/ambience from the various installations. Released on a limited-edition LP, as well as digitally, the album features new artwork by Weirdcore, updating and evolving the original Orient Flux emblem, with graphic design and layout by Luke Griffiths.

Special thanks to Kennedy London and SKP-S Beijing.

Trans-Aeon Express

33EMYBW - Macrocosmic

Elijah Minnelli dials the reverb and delay way up on an oddball, cumbia-tinged number.

'Creamed Horn' is out July 29th on Accidental Meetings.

Pre-order: bit.ly/3yNZCLC

@elijahminnelli
@a_m_radio

Premiere: Elijah Minnelli - Cud [Accidental Meetings]

Laenz's supernatural bass music lands on the Italian label Early Reflex.

Read more on CxC 🔗 couvrexchefs.com/en/laenz-early-reflex-undue-valence

Article

PREMIERE: Laenz - Undue Valence (Early Reflex)

Animistic Beliefs - MERDEKA

With their profound take on electronic music, Animistic Beliefs have steadily solidified their spot in the global underground. Influenced by cultural concepts such as ancestry, animism and mythology, as well as the languages of political techno, punk, bubbling and IDM, Linh Luu and Marvin Lalihatu consistently translate their visions into sensitive productions as well as high-octane live performances. On their new record, MERDEKA, the artists explore and embrace their cultural heritage in all of its pride, pain and complexity. MERDEKA symbolizes Animistic Beliefs’ breaking free, coming to terms with their changing selves and letting go of external expectations. The record rethinks childhood memories, confronts the generational trauma left by (post-)colonialism, and re-connects Linh and Marvin – respectively of Vietnamese-Chinese and Dutch-Moluccan descent – with their formative cultures. 

MERDEKA marks their first step in an overall departure from western club music. For its layered sound, Animistic Beliefs once again draw from the past, present and future of global club music, creating a sonic space where fast techno, warped breakbeats and ambient soundscapes make way for the augmented influence of (Southeast Asian) tribal music. 
The record incorporates Indonesian scales and recordings of 
the Tahuri (a wind instrument made out of a conch shell), Totobuang (Gamelan-like gongs) and Tifa drums, known as ‘the Moluccan heartbeat’. 
There is no audible distinction between old and new, between organic and digital, between instrumentation and voice. 
It is through words that the artists further touch on their experience; To Dream About Water opens with a stirring spoken word fragment by Marvin, marking the first time his voice is recognizably featured, whereas Khi Minh Gap Lai (‘Until We Meet Again’) centres on a Vietnamese poem by Linh, in which she beseeches her ancestors and finds a safe haven for unanswered questions. 

In true Animistic Beliefs fashion, MERDEKA will set fire to sweltering clubs and (sleepless) dreams. Yet, for the artists, it is essential to amplify the stories that spark that flame and keep it burning. 
The release of MERDEKA follows CACHE/SPIRIT, their ongoing collaboration with visual artist Jeisson Drenth, which extensively explores the artists’ intersectional identities. As such, the latest album is the next step within a bigger, introspective investigation. More unapologetic than ever, MERDEKA embodies a turning point on Animistic Beliefs’ ongoing journey towards self-acceptance – fuelled by the sound of urgency. 
credits
released August 26, 2022 

Written and produced by: Marvin Lalihatu and Linh Luu 
Artwork by: Don Elektro 
Mastered by: Rashad Becker

To Dream About Water

Bandcamp ))

AGILITÄT - Salience

@ex_sses returns to London’s TT Label (fka @tobago-tracks) with six tracks of fractured beats and ghostly soundscapes which explore feelings of yearning and loss

More info: https://djmag.com/listen/premiere-exsses-bite-down

bite down

Premiere: ex.sses ‘bite down’

READ > inverted-audio.com/premiere-viner-nova

Ten years after their inaugural release, French imprint @tripalium-corp deliver the four-track 'Navro​’​z' EP - courtesy of Kazan-born Barcelona-based maverick Viner Khaiitov @vinerrrrr.

Navro'z

Nova

Viner - Nova [Tripalium Corp]

On ACEN058, label boss DJ Pitch teams up with Berlin-based artist MLE to put together an EP of energetic, stripped-down dancefloor cuts. MLE, Rhythm Section affiliate and Refuge Worldwide resident, presents her first released productions; DJ Pitch puts out his first offerings on the label since 2022’s Scared.

First up on the record is the energetic Proto Windmill. Kicking off in a relentlessly jacking house groove, a blissful sample gently enters the fray. A lively vocal sample, reminiscent of UK funky MCs, encourages the dancers whilst MLE and Pitch masterfully switch between dreamy strings and punchy percussive sections.

Next up is Drum Trak 101. Playful, satisfyingly off-kilter drums set the pace, punctuated by oddball vocal samples and rallying whistles. Whilst the percussion gets a thorough workout, this drum track has an emotional edge to it, with soaring strings and a bouncy, uplifting chord progression.

Wicked Cool Mega Safe ramps things up into a high-intensity groove. Whilst stripping things down to percussive basics, the track remains endlessly compelling, with a forceful four-to-the-floor clap pattern surrounded by ecstatic snare rolls, percussive grunts and syncopated tom hits.

Closing the record in fine style is Post Club Post Step. An acidic synth line rolls underneath rigid four-to-the-flour drums, whilst a bouncy sub bass jumps between the beats. A dubbed-out vocal sample brings an air of urgency to the track, introducing an earworm synth melody that runs above the track’s energetic tech house groove.

DJ Pitch & MLE - Cheap Gifts For Your Boyfriend [ACEN058] (PREVIEWS)

Force of another creation

Delay Grounds - Lexxi (PDCOMP002)

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.