The city was tired – it had been standing for too long. It was only a matter of time before the wheels came off and the industry which once was here retreated into the nothingness of empty warehouses and abandoned complexes. This was not how it had been supposed to end…

As the clouds passed over the sprawling metropolis, it were as if they too were leaving this place one by one. They came and went, much in the same way as the investment had done. All that was left here now were good people, kind spirits and the remainder of a once great empire which had stood tall and proud, built upon its machines.

Mark Hand & Neil Iceton channel influences from Detroit on this brilliant new EP for Innate. These tracks could have been recorded in the Motor City way back for all we know. Beautiful, wild, sprawling melodies are paired with fast paced drums and percussion which is built for dancing. This one comes highly recommended with a gold seal of approval.

INNATE005

PREMIERE: Mark Hand & Neil Iceton - Rigil [Innate]

After seven years since this Dutch duo released their infamous “Attic edits EP”, Moiety & Manik are back. Voodoo Hoodoo is their brand new 3-track EP filled with psychedelic analog heat for dance-floors and tribal rituals. Each track tells its own story from voodoo scenes to deep water worlds. This EP won’t let itself be defined by genres, but the style can be described as percussion driven electronic music that will play with your imagination and take you on a trip.

We are happy to present you 3 remixes for our 6th release by Kraut, Hugh Mane and Mens Aperta.

Kraut, also known as Daniel Zuur, has been a staple in the Amsterdam club scene since 2009. He released on labels like Shika Shika, Wonderwheel Recordings, Metanoia, Cosmic Awakenings, Tropical Twista Records and The Other Eye. He has played at clubs/festivals like Sisyphos, Fusion Festival, Gardens of Babylon, Wildeburg, Marktkantine, Garbicz and Welcome to the Future

Hugh Mane has recently released an excellent remix for LOVE APE - ZEN REMIXED, which made us invite him back. We love his warm and groovy house style. He’s had releases on Harvey's Mercury Rising, Running Back, Adult Contemporary, Growing Bin, Ugly Music.

Mens Aperta (meaning Open Mind) is the techno alias for Moiety. The debut EP in 2019 was the first release on the label. Also new Mens Aperta releases are planned for this year. Keep us in check for those

PREMIERE : Moiety & Manik - Gunaro (Hugh Mane Remix)

Timing was tricky, that much was true and could be forgiven. As he stood in the empty hall he looked around him at the stacked seating and the flickering lights which beamed down from a vast metal framework up above. Soon this place would be crowded and busy with people and onlookers. Those who had come to observe the performance were counting on him to get this right…

He rest himself in his position upon the stage, listened to the music as it bounced and rebounded between the walls and began to move. Every beat was counted in his head:

“One, two… One, two… One, two…”

That was all there as to it, for it had to be.
 
Jun Kamoda’s Jun Records is set to release a new EP from Rafael Cohen, best known for his work as a bassist with !!! (Chk Chk Chk).

As Los Latidos he focusses his attention towards the dancefloor, blurring disco infused grooves with elements of dub and balearic. This one is destined to delight in the clubs and on the festival circuits, you have been warned.

https://junkamoda.bandcamp.com/album/los-latidos-pom-pom-jun017

PREMIERE: Los Latidos - One Two [Jun Records]

VA - Playground Compilation (Vol. 3)
(incl. Shifting Gears, Haruka Salt, John Barera & more) 
BUY LINK: https://toucansounds.bandcamp.com/album/playground-compilation-vol-3
Label: Toucan Sounds (https://soundcloud.com/toucansounds)
https://soundcloud.com/hoshina

New York’s toucan sounds ready ‘Playground Compilation (Vol. 3)’, featuring Shifting Gears, Haruka Salt, John Barera, and more. 

Comprising a mammoth seventeen tracks and being released exclusively on Bandcamp with all proceeds going directly to artists, toucan sounds’ ‘Playground Compilation (Vol. 3)’ compiles various sounds and genres from label regulars such as Haruka Salt, Shifting Gears, Toribio, as well as newcomers to the imprint John Barera, Laenz, Matt FX, and more. 

The compilation aims to encapsulate the underground sound of New York City, with many of the tracks and contributors deeply rooted in its musical lifeblood. ’Same Ole Thang’ by Whatever, Girl aka Louie “Balo” Guzman & Bill Coleman was pulled off a cassette from the mid-90s (remixed and remastered for today) while the two were releasing records on Strictly Rhythm and Eightball Records. All the way to the 2020s, with Love Letters, who has appeared on some of Brooklyn’s top underground labels like Mister Saturday Night, Allergy Season, and The Bunker. They all join toucan sounds for the first time alongside artists like fleet.dreams and Escaflowne, who often play b2b, and whose fantastic releases on Sorry Records have seen them pushed forward in the local Brooklyn scene. 

Overall, from the hazy opening house jam ‘can’t stop the moment’ through to the washed-out electronica of derek muro’s ‘ramble3 (Balearic Dub)’, the compilation successful exemplifies the open-minded ethos of the label. By emphasizing a focus on the local talent forged at their YouYooCanWoo Studios, as well as artists from further afield, the compilation is an assured collection of exciting music from the wide-ranging friends and family of the fast-rising imprint. 

Brooklyn’s toucan sounds are a label at the forefront of emerging sounds and artists. Curated by French Horn Rebellion out of the You Too Can Woo studios in New York, the imprint has been championing acts such as Haruka Salt, Toribio, Brandon Markell Holmes, and many more since its inception in 2019.

BUY LINK

PREMIERE : Shifting Gears - Brooks

Discomystery man Donald Dust makes his debut on Wilson Records withan Obscure and Hi-NRGdisco stomp

Living in Bondage

WLS25 - DONALD DUST - LIVING IN BONDAGE

* Subscribe for more premieres: https://bit.ly/2igyosu
* Read more: https://boltingbits.com/das-spezial-sophia-matrixxman-medusa-mix-spezial
* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7lNzKrN_Pjc
* Pre-order: https://dasspezial.bandcamp.com/album/surrender

Slamming onto your summer spectrum clad in the rarest synthesized silks and ready to get down low, Das Spezial present three heaters and two panel beaters transmitting from somewhere way out on the horizon.

‘Sophia’ is the grungiest gear the Speziales have cooked up to date, laden with crushing layers of Buchla-generated waveforms contorting before your ears, stepping to you hard on the 100 BPM tip and beefed up in the low end for a frankly devastating end result.

By comparison ‘Nahid’ reaches skyward in a euphoric suite of arps moving in intricate formations and cracking round the edges. Not so much a case of hands in the air but more head in the clouds, with a dramatic narrative which builds into a knee-buckling drop to make the masses hit the deck with the sheer joy of it all.

Giving you the synth-noir soundtrack fantasy 80s Zimmer could have only dreamt of, ‘Shayar’ hits hard from the outset with a set piece geared towards high tension and hard-bitten protagonists doing dreadful things, but feeling guilty about it deep down inside.

There’s more than enough welly in the original productions to make an adventurous body jerk, but to indulge the more pronounced dancefloor tendencies of Das Spezial, imperious US producer Matrixxman is on hand with two monumental versions of ‘Sophia’. The ‘Medusa Mix’ is a pitch-perfect blend of EBM seduction and acid immersion – all throbbing bass lines and concrete slabs of staccato drum pressure coming on tough and teasing into a proto-trance pulse as the filter on the 303 opens up. By way of contrast, the ‘Cyborg Mix’ turns up the heat and dials in some swing for a tense, absolutely locked-on techno work out for those who like their nihilistic machine music to still be funky as hell.

This is Das Spezial, what else did you expect?

Surrender

PREMIERE: Das spezial - Sophia (Matrixxman 'Medusa' Mix)

* Subscribe for more premieres: https://bit.ly/2igyosu
* Read more: https://boltingbits.com/cheb-runner-drarai-telecom-oddball-fantasies
* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-lsOtfsFT6w
* Pre-order: https://oddballfantasies.bandcamp.com/album/ra-beat-system

Oddball Fantasies is more than pleased to welcome Cheb Runner for its second release. His Moroccan roots remain omnipresent in this perfectly balanced blend between traditional Raï elements & the irresistible sound of the 80s underground. When old meets new, those who resist to dance, shall be few!

PREMIERE: Cheb Runner - Drarai Telecom

Blip Service - Pink Daddy
BUY LINK: https://dancingfamilyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pink-daddy
Label: Dancing Family (https://soundcloud.com/user-51780230)
Release date: October 14, 2022

Blip Service signs his second EP on London based family-run label and events company Dancing Family. Pink Daddy carries with it 4 cuts dedicated to showcase different spectrums of pumping House Music.

From deep spaced out undertones to energetic production with rolling acid baselines and synth heavy melodies this marks a solid follow up from the producer's debut, 'Hothouse'.

Boasting previous support from Foundation FM resident Helena Star and Los Angeles' thriving electronic music platform Dirty Epic, the British producer delivers 4 new infectious dance-floor ready tracks.

Listen to and discover Pink Daddy, Freaks, Silver and Water Sign for extended cuts that sway effortlessly between galactic soundscapes and percussive danceable grooves.

PREMIERE : Blip Service - Water Sign

Peter

Label - AFAK
Released - 25th August 2025
BUY FROM - https://afak.bandcamp.com/track/happy-dance

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Bandcamp

PREMIERE: AFAK - Happy Dance

Clast [Minimal Groove Concept]

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.