Lagos based collector and DJ Temi Kogbe traces connections in African popular culture through vinyl.  
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/temi-kogbe/episodes/temi-kogbe-14th-september-2025

The Great African Disco w/ Temi Kogbe 140925

Telepathic Fish co-founder DJ Food, aka one part of Openmind, takes us on a trip into the world of 90s chill out.

Strictly Kev likes the company of plants whilst working on music so that's handy for us isn't it?! We're assuming he's talking about a beautiful Calathea sitting in the corner for inspiration, tho his dream plant setup - a conservatory packed with Romanesco broccoli, trippy Caladiums, and Persian Shields - is something we'd be well on board with too.

Enough of the plant talk for a second and back to the music, ambient music to be clear. For those that weren't squatting in South London back in the early 90s, Openmind were the four-piece behind the mighty Telepathic Fish - the legendary ambient afterparty that transformed chill-out rooms from dub-playing afterthoughts into proper destinations.

Kev, along with Chantal Passamonte (Mira Calix, RIP), David Vallade, and Mario Aguera, started in a shared house above a shop with no neighbours to complain/bash the door down. What began as art school parties quickly grew into Sunday afternoon sessions in squatted venues - a former dole office in Brixton and even the derelict Roundhouse on New Year's Day. They hosted everyone from Aphex Twin to Mixmaster Morris among wall-to-wall mattresses, UV installations, and  Coldcut's Matt Black with his boundary pushing video projections.

The idea was simple: recreate that post-clubbing comedown vibe but on a massive scale, as an "aural and visual blanket" for club-rattled minds. They even published a fanzine called Mindfood and worked at the scene's hub, Ambient Soho record shop, helping shape what Simon Reynolds called a "wombeldelic sound-and-light bath" in contrast to the current trend of hardcore and it's relentless assault.

Thirty years on, that spirit's having a comeback. Events like London's A Loose Ting are bringing back the bedding and the hushed reverence, while Berlin's Overflow is going full sensory overload with vibrating mattresses, fountains, and harpists. New York's Planetarium gatherings have people mostly horizontal, inspired by psychedelic therapy sessions. There's even and ambient sauna in South London you might have come across via the wonder of Music To Watch Seeds Grow By's recent takeover.  Our very own Watching Trees dabbled in said chill out space this year, pairing the abstract and the ambient with projected dappled sunlight visuals from the mighty Jamie House. Turns out people still need those little havens away from the madness, especially in this day and age!

Also handily 30 years on the Openmind crew have just compiled the first-ever Telepathic Fish retrospective for Fundamental Frequencies - a double vinyl love letter to those hazy early-90s mornings when the music finally slowed down.

For this Seeds Mix, Kev has leaned into his love of minimalism and systems music - repetition built from layers of loops offset against each other to form subtle polyrhythms. There's a deliberate avoidance of drum machines here in favour of organic percussion, and around the eight-minute mark, a section from Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia that captures the feeling of being deep in the forest, phone abandoned, discovering that paradise was just a forage away.

Full interview here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/seeds-mix-005-openminds-leave-your-phone-at-home-discover-paradise-after-a-forage-in-the-forest/

@strictly

INTERVIEW

Seeds Mix 005: Openmind's Leave your phone at home & discover paradise after a forage in the forest

Based out of Bushwick’s Human Head Record store, California’s Shawn Dub and Germany’s Sticky Dojah bring you the „Records Before Rent“ show. Each month they play their latest finds and your all time favorites. Both won’t shy away from themed sets (their post election healing set was a favorite!) and often feature guests from all around the world. 

All vinyl, all live, all soulful. Both are heavy diggers and seasoned party rockers and love to bring it all together on air. Expect the odd classic as well as tracks and versions you’ve never heard before.

https://www.instagram.com/shawndub365
https://www.instagram.com/stickydojah
https://www.instagram.com/humanheadnyc

Records Before Rent with Shawn Dub and Sticky Dojah @ The Lot Radio 09-30-2025

Juniper

Ocean of Being (ft. Jane Goodall & Ram Dass)

There are few names as widely loved in clubland as Bristol-based producer Omar McCutcheon, AKA Batu.

His label Timedance, currently celebrating its ten-year anniversary, has been instrumental in shaping a certain corner of contemporary electronic music. It champions a mutant, rhythmic, UK-flavoured sound that escapes any obvious genre touchstones, as well as spotlighting the careers of artists like Verraco, Ploy and Hodge who push musical and cultural boundaries.

In this Exchange, McCutcheon sat down with Resident Advisor's editor, Gabriel Szatan, in London to reflect on the label's Afrofuturist philosophy, its journey over the past decade and the sense of purpose and direction that have developed over time. He spoke about the impact that scenes beyond the UK—such as China, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico—have had on his productions and label curation, and how they offer fresh perspectives that contrast with Europe's sometimes overly nostalgic take on dance music. He also discussed finding positivity in a dark time, and music's enduring potential to inspire and connect.

EX.778 Batu

"For October's Seven Bells Knocking show, we have another special guest - Jamie Paton
The first hour comes from DZ GAS. After that, Jamie Paton (Emotional Especial / Cage & Aviary) -  His sets are a riot of mutant disco, heavy chug, and raw electronics - fingerprints all over the underground, records that twist rooms sideways."

🎧 Bangkok Community Radio is an independent radio station and creative hub that supports Thailand’s underground music scene.

📡 More from BCR:
🔗 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/bangkokcommunityradio
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bangkokcommunityradio/

🎙️ Follow the artist: https://www.instagram.com/club_seven_bells/

Seven Bells Knocking w/ DZ and Jamie Paton - 11th October 2025 | Bangkok Community Radio

Tracklist: 

A.R.T. Wilson - Rebecca's Theme (Water) [Numero Group]
Sparkling Water - Pebble’s Journey [Dream Chimney]
George Koutalieris - Seasons [NuNorthern Soul]
Be.lanuit - Nana A Leon feat. Marcos De La Fuente (Yarni rework) [NuNorthern Soul]
Statues - Lake Drum [MM Discos]
Tambores En Benirras - Templos Del Sol [My Friend Dario Remix] [NuNorthern Soul]
Visions Of Light - Clearwater [NuNorthern Soul]
Sth. Notional - Yawn Yawn Yawn (BeLanuit & Phil Cooper Balearic Life Reality Remix) [Archeo Recordings]
Sim Fossil - Null Meridian [Dream Chimney]
Chaos in the CBD – Maintaining My Peace (feat. Novelist & Stephanie Cooke) [In Dust We Trust]
Lone Saxon - Raised By The Island [Balearic Ensemble]
Cal-C – Wine 69 [Bar Part Time]
Mario Acquaviva – Notturno Italiano (Relative Feat Club Soda Remix) [Archeo Recordings]
Len Leise – Stars for Jorge [Self]
Joe Morris – Some Kind Of Paradise [Shades Of Sound Recordings]
Vanity Project – Multilevel Music [Balearic Ensemble]
Cerulean Soundsystem – Aerate [Cosmic Rituals Music]
Soul Groove - As You Love (MoodHay Back to the 90s Remix) [Lips & Rhythm Records]
Miro – Sunrise [Rebirth Records]
Sorcerer – Windchime Meltdown [Dream Chimney]
Nail – See A Day (Yarni rework) [NuNorthern Soul]
Tambores En Benirras – Molokono (Marshall Watson Remix) [NuNorthern Soul]
Humble B Flat – Blessing's of the Sun [Pond Life Records]
Cerulean Soundsystem – Stratus [Cosmic Rituals Music]
Nic Jalusi - Gamballa Acid  [MM Discos] 
Nightdubbing - Oxford Roadshow (Skies Above Tokyo Remix) [NuNorthern Soul]
Humble B Flat – Life’s Blessings [Pond Life Records]
GRDN. – Klosterhardt [Wandering Astray]
Joan Bibiloni featuring Pep Tosar – Un Adéu (Catalan Version) [NuNorthern Soul]

End of Summer Balearic Mix

https://www.instagram.com/__softiii
https://soundcloud.com/jazz_brown

softi @ The Lot Radio 10-18-2025

Analog (part 14)

Disco-Renegades. House-Eccentrics. Purveyors of electronic freemasonry. Ok, I might exaggerate a bit here, but the Sex Tags Mania label has been Tagged many things. “They just don’t care”, one fan once said in an interview. Well, they do care, do what they believe in, being die-hard vinyl lovers and all. Ever persistent in their curiosity for new and old sounds, the Norwegians have been running their Bergen-based label since 2004. DJ Sotofett and DJ Fett Burger are also great artists, just take a look at their<a href="http://sextags.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> work</a>. This is a place where the aesthetic of old-school Chicago flyers clashes with black and white mutations of comic heroes of yonder: No wonder their Tag line runs "Graffiti can't be stopped.". DJ Sotofett's mix is an assemblage of some of his  classic house favourites: Be sure not to miss the part where he does his shout-outs in Norwegian.

Nr. 36: DJ Sotofett (Sex Tags Mania)

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.