He sat upon a little hill beside the bridge and looked out upon the river which passed down beneath. It was hard to see the ripples of the water but for the occasional flicker of the headlights which whizzed by up there on the overpass. Some people came out here from time to time to spot the northern lights but there wasn't much moving in the wayward sky this evening. 

There was a near silence in the air, the occasional scream of something wild in the woods in the distance would echo across the snow capped fields. 

He took a deep breath and watched as it filled the air with fog.

Don't Be Afraid has always represented the very best of the underground, a prominent label with a commitment to the out there. Label boss makes a triumphant return with a new EP.

PREMIERE: Semtek - Northern Lights [Don't Be Afraid]

A debut label outing from Ambient Babestation Meltdown & Borai, the production pairing whose musical partnership has birthed a string of releases on Optimo Music, Me Me Me and Ritual Poison.

Known for their excursions into scuzzy, cyberpunk and EBM electronics, they join forces once again for ‘Why The Tiger And The Monkey Are Sworn Enemies’; a three-track EP chronicles the pair’s ventures into chugging grooves, wormhole acid and early 00s tech house à la Playhouse and Rework.

Waves

Buy/Stream

Ambient Babestation Meltdown & Borai - Waves

Pre-order: https://hodgebristol.bandcamp.com/album/hodge-marsh-lane-ep

@hodgebristol returns to his Two Moons label with a new four-track EP, 'Marsh Lane', written during the process of working on his first live set which debuted during Mutek Montreal this summer.

'Marsh Lane' channels dancefloor energy with a focus on world-building, tension, and the gritty roots of UK bass music.

More exclusive music

Premiere: Hodge 'Pluck'

A collision of rave outsiders: Morris’s unlikely pop mystique meets Gramrcy and Loveless on the FWD dancefloor… lnk.to/GJLPH149

In Berlin where the bassweight bubbles bright, Lived Gramrcy and John Loveless, deviant and polite, They stirred a pressure-cooker full of electroclash stew, With ISDN-line scramble and a hint of something new.

“Oh!” cried Tony Morris (former teacher, taxi man), “I’ll hypnotize with repetitions, catch me if you can! I’m Scotland’s most unlikely pop sensation, don’t you see? A cult figure cabaret, as deviant as can be!”

They mixed it up on Phantasy Sound with textural delight, The earworming anchor bobbed and bounced all through the night, From FWD-era gumption to the disco esoteric, They created ‘Lucid’ madness, quite atmospheric!

The festival-rupturing Highdive had ruptured long before, Now ‘Feel So’ tipped the scales toward the ecstatic dance floor, With post-punk percussion prancing, hi-NRG in tow, From Chicago down to Rimini, watch the bassline grow!

Said Peggy Gou and Daniel Avery, “What a splendid sound!” While 2ManyDJs spun it ’round and ’round and ’round, And Moschino’s models strutted to the supreme release, As rave outsiders intersected in their bubbling masterpiece!

So if you seek the throbbing beat of something deeply odd, Find Gramrcy and John Loveless – that peculiar duo’s squad With Tony Morris chanting in his late-sixties prime, Making lucid nonsense music, one earworm at a time!

Three years after their all conquering ‘Highdive’, Gramrcy and John Loveless return to Phantasy with ‘Lucid’, a pressure-cooker of FWD-era bassweight and electroclash scramble anchored by the hypnotic vocals of Tony Morris.

Listen below, pre order here: https://lnk.to/GJLPH149

PREMIERE: Gramrcy & John Loveless  - Lucid feat. Tony Morris [Phantasy Sound]

V/A - CRTTR-CLB-009
BUY LINK: https://crttrcollective.bandcamp.com/album/crttr-clb-009
Label : CRTTR (https://soundcloud.com/crttrcollective)
https://www.instagram.com/crttr_collective/
> Fels (soundcloud.com/felsss)
www.instagram.com/fels.snd/

The CRTTR-CLB series carries the vision of exploring different ways of challenging the notion of club music. For each release we want to bring together four artists who have somehow given us a glitchy feeling on the dancefloor, while digging or in any other listening situation.

So go ahead and listen to the ninth batch of freshly made tunes from the following lovely artists <3<3<3


BUY LINK

PREMIERE : Fels - Demi-Tour

Producer Fermi Lëkundë crafts a hypnotic escape with “2-Step,” a blissful, atmospheric track that drifts through dreamlike textures.

Artist: @fermilekunde
Buy: https://fermilekunde.bandcamp.com/track/2-steps

PREMIERE: Fermi Lekunde - 2 Steps

Sid Praja - Liminal
BUY LINK: https://39rec.bandcamp.com/album/liminal
Label: 39 Records (http://soundcloud.com/39-records)
https://www.instagram.com/39rec/
Sid Praja > (https://soundcloud.com/sidpraja)
https://www.instagram.com/sidpraja/

Step through the threshold of liminality with Sid Praja genre-bending new project occupying the space where identities dissolve and new shapes emerge.
Inspired by the guiding radiance of a hidden protector, the EP weaves compassion and swiftness through shimmering melodies and potent low-end. Assembling basslines triggered on the edge of recognition, break-infused rhythms and psychedelic trance motifs, echoing the ambiguous state of being not-quite-here, not-quite-there.

Sid Praja is a DJ, producer, and curator, hails from Jodhpur, India. currently based in Jaipur. Drawing from house, techno, electro, and bass music, his sound is emotive, hypnotic, and rooted in deep storytelling.
Self taught DJ/Producer, Sid’s debut EP ‘KRYSTLE’ on Cape Monze Records received positive feedback from artists like Tomoki Tamura, Polygonia, Beatrice M., amor Satyr, Doctor Jeep, and many more.
He also features on DJ Babatr’s Raptor House compilation with his track ‘Cosmopolitan.’
His latest track ‘No More Genocide’ was featured by India’s leading alternative music platform, Wild City.
Sid is a key figure in Jaipur’s underground scene through his monthly residency, DUI.



PREMIERE : Sid Praja - Vortex

Olga & Bobek - Deep Cover EP
BUY LINK : https://create.ffm.to/deepcover
Label: Platypus Trax (https://soundcloud.com/reginaldplatypus)
https://www.instagram.com/platypustrax/

Olga & Bobek - an Estonian analog duo debuting on Platypus Trax. Electro and breaks with cheeky and inventive sounds bringing everything together nicely.

Timeless post-retro sounds from two creative minds.

MIXED OLGA & BOBEK
MASTERED BY ALEC TRONIQ
ARTWORK BY NIKLAS WIIK
DISTRIBUTED BY DECYPHER / CREATE MUSIC
℗ & © 2025 PLATYPUS TRAX



PREMIERE : Olga & Bobek - Leaker (Extended Mix)

Get You

Produced during a three month sabbatical on an olive oil farm in rural Italy, Etum is the next genre-blurring project from London artist Jeigo, released via his own Fleurella Records.

Immersed in the rhythms of slower living and Tuscan landscapes, the UK producer channels a sense of melancholia, decompression and warmth across this multi-genre LP. From hazy ambient textures to leftfield club cuts and off-kilter breaks, Etum captures the feeling of both solitude and subtle transformation. It marks an introspective turn for Jeigo, further establishing his unique place in the ever-evolving electronic music landscape.

Buy: https://fleurellarecords.bandcamp.com/album/etum

PREMIERE: Jeigo - Headpains [Fleurella Records]

https://north90.bandcamp.com/album/m-a-d-015-panorama-ep

@north90
@makeadance

Premiere : North 90 - Glass Hammer (MAD015)

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: Gramrcy & John Loveless - Lucid feat. Tony Morris [Phantasy Sound]

Ransom Note

Related tracks