Ukrainian artist @PVLV slip-and-slides around UK bass music’s gnarliest depths on his sophomore EP for @united-rhythms

‘Lights Off’ is out 26th January. Have an exclusive first listen to ‘Killah Tape’ now.

More info: https://djmag.com/listen/premiere-pvlv-killah-tape

Premiere: PVLV ‘Killah Tape’

2023 has been a great year for Bradley Hutchings aka Guava. Alongside many successful dance singles and remixes, his self-released debut album ‘Out Of Nowhere’ is a gorgeous blend of indie electronica that steps away from his typical club focussed productions. 2024, however, sees Guava move back towards the dancefloor with his latest EP Afterglow, which drops on Faux Poly on March 8th. Since rooting himself in Berlin, Guava has drawn inspiration from across the different facets of the city, something that is strongly reflected in this release.

The opening track ‘Angel’ is a dark trip, born out of experiments with reverb and guitar harmonics influenced by UK Bass and Dubstep, an ethereal techno track described by the artist as “guitar music for Berghain”. Next up is ‘140 Drums’, an essential DJ club tool, a chopped stuttering break and hoover bass roll through a restrained but surprisingly heavy hitting finale to the EP.

‘F641’ accelerates with continuously pitching synth stabs and a rumbling low end. Inspired by F1, the track hits hard and never stops ramping up. Finally the title track ‘Afterglow’ brings a lightness and warmth to the release, delicately catchy and rooted with a bouncy house beat, the sound of Berlin in Guava’s productions is unmistakably clear.

Words from Guava:
"Putting together this EP has been a joy for me. All of the tracks are little bookmarks for the past year. I live in Berlin, and it has had an immersive effect on my music. From the grey and cold winters, trudging down a windy street in Warschauer Straße, to the hot summer in Neukolln, where the air is thick and warm, and dance music echoes off the city buildings.

...................................

soundcloud.com/fauxpoly
instagram.com/fauxpoly

soundcloud.com/guavanoise
Instagram.com/guava_noise/  

releases March 8, 2024

PREVIEW: Guava - Afterglow [FP008]

READ > inverted-audio.com/premiere-ardalan-farsight-2-yr-town

Now on the cusp of their tenth release, Vancouver-based imprint Club Designs return with the collaborative ‘CDMUSIC010‘ EP – courtesy of producing duo Ardalan and Farsight.

@clubdesignslabel
@ardalann
@djfarsight

CDMUSIC010

2 Yr Town

Ardalan & Farsight - 2 Yr Town [Club Designs]

Pre-order: https://ffm.bio/rajirags

‘Congratulations’ is the debut EP from @rajirags on his OTIH Records label. A culmination of his influences merged together, the EP spans breakneck percussive rhythms across five tracks.

‘Bullet Train’ featuring @soniacalico is full of sharp corners and hi-hats that hiss, a breakdown that distorts bowed double bass beyond recognition, and stuttering note echos from Koto synths before returning back to the driving and shuffling Taiko and Darbuka drums.

More exclusive music

Premiere: Raji Rags 'Bullet Train' (ft. Sonia Calico)

Los Angeles-based @maudevos brings their eclectic, nature-inspired Unearthed EP to Scuffed Recordings, backed by remixes by Leese and Tryphème.

Produced following Maude’s move to the small mountain community of Topanga, California, the Unearthed EP fuses electronic production with organic textures, featuring recordings and samples from the sonic atmosphere of their new home - providing a distinct textural backdrop to the project.

The title track opens the release, featuring vocals from singer/songwriter SOLARPLEXXUS (@user-488803487), who bonded with Maude over their shared love of nature. Up next are ‘Nocturnal Catharsis’ and ‘Indigo Orb’, which juxtapose layers of tension-building instrumentation with moments of all-out club release.

@l-eese provides the first remix on the release, with her re-imagining of ‘Nocturnal Catharsis’ - a workout in intricate drum programming and layered bass fusion from the Brussels-based artist.

Closing out the EP is Parisian producer @trypheme, whose deep, contemplative remix of ‘Unearthed’ is the perfect ending to a varied, genre-defying release.

Buy:
https://scuffed.lnk.to/UnearthedEP

Maude Vôs - Unearthed EP (Previews)

Brussels’ @cab_asa delivers four pared-back, percussive transmissions for London’s @controlfreakrecordings, alongside a remix from NYC’s @aye5ha

More info: https://djmag.com/listen/premiere-cabasa-bird-tool-ayeshas-drums-you-can-touch-dub

Premiere: Cabasa ‘Bird Tool (Ayesha’s Drums You Can Touch Dub)’

Out Now: fanlink.tv/clearglass

Hybrid sounds are offered up by Sunderland born producer Dharma on his Lone Romantic debut.  His ‘Clear Glass’ EP lands on Maceo Plex’s left of centre imprint, offering up four tracks of futuristic garage and electro-tinged sounds.

Having previously released on esteemed labels such as R&S Records, Man Power’s Me Me Me imprint and Permanent Vacation, Dharma readies a bustling EP for Lone Romantic that showcases the young producer’s deft capabilities at working through various shades and rhythms with ease.

From the shuffling beats and choppy vox of EP opener ‘Clear Glass’, to the low-slung hip hop meets IDM influences of ‘Work Over’, Dharma serves up a highly accomplished release that effortlessly traverses genres.

Dharma - Scatty Brain

Pre-order: https://baitdubstep.bandcamp.com/album/one-hundred-and-fifty-steps-vep

@baitlabel’s second V/A EP is a four-track dive into a rather modern phenomenon: 150 dubstep - faster bass sounds with broken rhythms and heavy halftime pulses.

@fastcastle label captain Gent1le $oul adds his own flavour to the EP with hybrid dubstep track 'Base Trade'.

Premiere: Gent1e $oul 'Base Trade'

Matching his signature melodic futurism with enduring club music structures, Pev brings the Pulse series to a natural conclusion with the Pulse Phase EP. On this third release he underlines the broader approach to tempos and styles he’s taken across this latest period of his output, soon to be coalesced into a new live set. 

If there’s been a nostalgic streak detectable amongst the crisp modernism of the Pulse series, it comes through clearer than ever in the looped-up house jack and starry-eyed techno synth hooks of ‘Pulse IX’. ‘Pulse TEN’ pares back for a lean soundsystem workout driven by a strafing arp and fractured drums while ‘Pulse XI’ revisits 90s bleep techno with a deep, dubby intention. ‘Pulse XII’ completes the picture capturing the skeletal pressure of 2-step at its most slender and deadly.

There’s never a sense of over-familiarity — the exacting angles of the drums and alien hue of the synths maintain Pev’s distinctive sound first and foremost. But this series has also been an opportunity to hear some of his musical DNA more explicitly than before, cast in universal rave motifs propelled by the unrelenting pursuit of new forms for the dance.

Pulse Phase E.P.

Pulse IX

Peverelist - Pulse IX

The graveyard was empty but for her, she sat perched on a bench looking out as the wind blew softly through the trees. She came here every year to pay homage to what had once been - all the bad, good and all.

Perhaps it was 4hersins that she suffered. Perhaps it was some other reason entirely.

She sighed as he began to walk across the empty field, listening out for the rumbling in the clouds up above, for they always rumbled. Especially in May.

Mulholland is set to release a heavy hitting EP via Amity which features brutal bass, deep subs and enough wobble to blow your bass bin to pieces. Just the way we like it. This one bangs all the way from the top down.

PREMIERE: Mulholland - 4UrSins [Amity]

Swervin [COAST]

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: Mulholland - 4UrSins [Amity]

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