When I realised that every word is just an extension of a previous that has met its end, it seemed inconceivable to me that anyone could ever reach a place where they felt content with language. That is to say language as an emotive driving force, language as a pendulum that swings between a predetermined pool of words, ones that morph in shape and sound but rarely in meaning. Naturally, this meant that every word also has its upper and lower limits, suspended like a tightrope between the factions of time. For example, the word ‘happy’ has a limited life span until it inevitably becomes ‘ecstatic’; ‘ecstatic’ only exists insofar until it transforms into ‘euphoric’. Imagine if we consistently reduced the ranges of these words until we only had a few to describe everything around us. Which would you choose?

Egyptian-Australian based producer and DJ Moktar is one of those artists for which language never suffices. Instead, his music requires spiritual and personal attention as you find yourself flooded with a wave of visceral emotion through the lens of leftfield techno and IDM. The same goes for his third musical offering, a self-titled EP coming via Mall Grab's Steel City Dance Discs.

Following his inaugural single 'Silk' and then 'Lemon' is no easy feat, but the emotionally-charged 'Drip' is ripe with warm pads and a quavering gentle high-synth line that highlights Moktar's versatility, not only as a producer but also as an artist. 'Drip' is imbued in the same sensibility as the rest of the EP, one which celebrates his Arabic heritage and culture after having spent years facing stereotyping and racism in so-called Australia. Defined by his beautifully crafted intersections between future club music and traditional Arabic instrumentation and sampling, Moktar represents an artist who has now reached a point where he feels comfortable moving around freely, physically and spiritually. 'Drip' is a welcome pause amongst the organised chaos of the rest of the high-energy EP. It is a call to reflect on the moods and feelings that he has so carefully embedded in the EP, and an invitation to follow your true self.

SCDD025 

PREMIERE: Moktar - Drip [Steel City Dance Discs]

Label - Duchesse
Released - 8th August 2025
BUY FROM - https://www.traxsource.com/title/2582687/games-of-love

Support ➟➟
https://soundcloud.com/duchesselabel

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Traxsource

PREMIERE: Jaegerossa - Games Of Love [Duchesse]

Taruun & Desert Lines-Sulfur-(Mellon Place Records)

Golden Horizons - Joalis

After a spate of 12” releases on local Bristol-based labels, including ‘Multiverse by Moonlight’ on COD3 QR that drew overwhelming support from everyone from Prins Thomas and Tornado Wallace to Vladimir Ivkovic, Remotif has decided the time is ripe to take the plunge and start his own vinyl imprint. Say hello to Familiar Strangers. 
 Starting primarily as an outlet for Remotif’s own material, releases on Familiar Strangers will draw influence from everything from deep house and Balearic, to new wave, breakbeat and beyond. The title track perfectly encapsulates this Magpie-like ethos to production. Wisps of distant saxophone sit far away amongst a chorale glow, as percussive elements pierce the mist to keep our feet rooted on the shore. In the foreground, steel drums sit atop a languid, elasticated breakbeat. 
 ‘Drunk On Cowboy Love’ (inspired by one too many late night sessions playing Red Dead Redemption) breaks through the haze to provide a bouncy uplifting ride. Fidgety, unpredictable breakbeats underpin a playful bassline and an expanse of twinkling chimes. 
 Where Drunk on Cowboy Love feels futuristic and nimble, Atocha Familiar is warm, and close. Shuffling percussion and submerged vocals draw from the Balaeric sound palette but with a sense of projection that is characteristically Remotif.  
The wonderful Flora FM (Kalahari Oyster Cult/Planet Euphorique) turns in a party-rousing reinterpretation. The melodic elements of the original remain but are pulled taut along the tension of his frenetic drum workout. Jittery stabs of vocal and synth are folded in among the unrelenting pull of the rework, in a thrilling ending to a varied and accomplished EP.

https://www.facebook.com/remotif https://www.facebook.com/familiarstrangers https://soundcloud.com/remotif 
http://familiar-strangers.bandcamp.com/

Chromium Hangover EP

LISTEN ON YOUTUBE

PREMIERE : Remotif - Drunk On Cowboy Love

buy it there : https://www.beatport.com/release/mind-games/2899315?

Twirl returns with a luscious offering from Barcelona’s nightlife stalwart https://soundcloud.com/baldo , featuring the inimitable (and Twirl staple) Josh Caffe. The duo pair up for ‘Mind Games’, a classic Chicago style house burner reminiscent of the great Finger’s, Inc. 
The Original Mix of ‘Mind Games’ whirls and enraptures with its smooth percussive elements, slick pads, and well-paced arrangement. Caffe’s lush vocals heighten the seduction as he weaves nimbly around the track with his sultry timbre. 
The Breaks Mix ventures into the mystique of the rave, adding more muscular drums and bringing the beefy bassline to the forefront. Caffe’s vocals still hold firmly in the center, winding flirtatiously around the pumping track. If the Original Mix is suitable to bring you into the night, the Breaks Version is perfect for diving further into its depths. 
Longtime Twirl family member Hannah Holland flips the track into a pulsating banger for her remix. With chopped up vocals, a driving acid bassline, jackin’ percussion, and twisted pads from the Original Mix, Holland creates a monster of a track that deftly straddles the line between house and techno. 
Industry veteran The Checkup rounds out the package with his energetic, house stomper of a remix. Caffe’s vocals are highlighted, adding a punchier, stuttering kick, extrapolated synth pads and stabbing, moody organ. It is a delightful turn that’s sure to ignite the finest of dancefloors.

Mind Games (Incl. Hannah Holland & The Checkup Remixes) (TWIRL024)

PREMIERE : Baldo feat. Josh Caffe - Mind Games (Breaks Mix)

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!
buy & stream >>> https://sq.lnk.to/TIOTDIGI2
@aspetuck
@jeigomusic
@route8

The Time Capsule Experiment

Buy Release

Aspetuck - The Time Capsule Experiment (TIOT - DIGI2)

FLOWER1 - Clarence Wu - Facing The Sea (Previews)

I still remember the day like it was my last, a day that will never be forgotten from the past. I can still retrace every step, every breath, every word. Every time I realised what I was doing, right up until the moment I got caught, then I blacked out... Couldn’t remember a thing until the police got there, caught me red-handed with all the evidence they needed clearly in my hands.

Miami-based DJ Ray & Goiz return with the second release on their label Open Space, following the debut outing from Goiz last May. The newest instalment, a five tracker titled Digital Lifeline, comes from their close friend, Gateway Shuffle AKA Alexander Folonari, and was written and recorded in the Italian countryside of Chianti. Our pick, 'Green Tribute' confidently merges a nostalgic acid line with slow rising pads and bouncing Balearic percussion lines, whilst creating a hard-to-grasp narrative through its unusual and suspenseful arrangement.

PREMIERE: Gateway Shuffle - Green Tribute [Open Space]

Pre order now via bandcamp: https://bienvenuerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/city-of-dreams

A soundtrack to the scene is like a wind to a dream.

How to make a vision reality? No one person can accomplish much alone, so how do we organize when the idea is so liquid?

Three songs crafted for better city living. Life inside, through the streets and alleyways, never forgetting to get up and out into the unknown.

Bienvenue Recordings is thrilled to introduce these songs from the mind of Gabriel Rei...a look into his experience with our city, what it has to offer, and all that it can be. May these rhythms & melodies accompany you on walks through the wild, in dreams, with footsteps on the dance floor.

[BIENV002] Gabriel Rei - City Of Dreams (Bienvenue Recordings)

READ > https://inverted-audio.com/premiere-khotin-dream-mentor

‘Dream Mentor’ is a charming chapter in the @khotin story and it’s unlikely that we’ll be bored of the Canadian’s work any time soon. Out 12 December via Public Release (@eug)

Khotin - Dream Mentor [Public Release]

Dream Mentor

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.

PREMIERE: Gateway Shuffle - Green Tribute [Open Space]

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