During 2021, to help get through the ongoing lockdown I made a series of 90 minute cassette tapes, one a month for ten months. I thought there would be a small demand but was blown away by the response. People really embraced them and copies went to every corner of the planet. They became a huge part of my year and really helped me through a tough time.

A little later I made them available digitally for a short period and all the proceeds raised went to Glasgow NW Foodbank. I was again blown away as thousands of pounds were raised.

I have decided to put the series on Soundcloud. I'll upload them sporadically over the coming months. I'm skipping the 2nd one as it has the same title as a compilation I put out recently and I don't want the two getting confused, but I may come back to it later. This is the 3rd one titled “SMI²LE - Space Migration, Intelligence Increase, Life Extension".

Smi²le was Timothy Leary’s mid 70s vision of the future of humanity. It's Utopian & in hindsight wildly optimistic. He believed we would have colonised space & have cloned ourselves by around the year 2000. He envisaged millions of us would be living in “High orbital mini Earths” in our own small Utopian communities. I have a long time fascination with (unrealisable) Utopian communities and Smi²le has always been one I particularly liked as it was so fully thought out & even by Utopian standards wildly hopeful & unrealistic. It's also relevant to our times as contentious/ awful figures like Peter Thiel & Elon Musk have adopted the worst parts of these ideas without any public scrutiny. Free market space migration may not be a positive thing, particularly if we are exporting this planet’s problems into outer space.

Anyway, that’s an aside and it’s basically a 90 minute space themed mix of music. Understanding / knowing about the Smi²le concept is not essential to its enjoyment. :)

Tape released May 7, 2021

Artwork – Musheto Fernandez.

JD Twitch - SMI²LE (Optimo Music Tape 003 - originally released May 2021)

Phantasy’s long-running mix series continues apace with a contribution from a key figure in London’s electronic and alternative underground, Casper Clark. Perhaps best known under his former Volte-Face alias, this wide-ranging hour finds Clark reigniting his fundamentally eclectic sensibility, seamlessly blending records from Black Merlin, Idjut Boys and The Parallax Corporation, spanning twenty-five years of music at the authentic margins.

 PHANTASYMIX 52 by Casper Clark is available to stream now from Apple Music and on Soundcloud, alongside dozens of mixes from the label archive.

“I started DJing nearly 20 years ago, at least partially inspired by the way Erol used to play at Trash and later Bugged Out and beyond. I was lucky enough to book him over the years at our Adventures In The Beetroot Field parties as well as Field Day and even the Lock Tavern, which I used to programme back then. As I drifted more towards exploring techno under my Volte-Face moniker, our paths diverged somewhat, and a few years went by when I didn't bump into him or see him play all that often. So this mix feels like a homecoming of sorts, and an expression of a rekindled musical freedom and a cherished friendship. I even managed to squeeze in a track by Tiga, who was another formative influence for me. I hope it's as fun to listen to the mix as it was to make it.” - Casper Clark

PHANTASYMIX 52: Casper Clark

New mix comes from https://soundcloud.com/spacedimensioncontroller !

Jak Hamill aka SDC is a long time established british producer.
He's responsible for an impressive array of releases on prestigious labels such as R&S, Clone Royal Oak, Ninja Tune, Dekmantel, Running Back, Aus or Hypercolour and just released last month another great one on Testpressings.

A pleasure to host him on LYO, and if you're in Lyon, don't miss him LIVE at Le Sucre this sunday  !

LYO#257 / Space Dimension Controller

It was exciting to share my vision of psychedelia at the favourite Berlin spot @Sameheads. There truly are not many places in the world where one would feel such freedom and have such open audience.

Enjoy it as a warm-up for the @zmarfestival taking place August 15-17.

Mike.H @ ZMAR x Sameheads (12-07-2025)

Beyond the fabled chill-out room and into the field we go...

Joe Muggs has lived and breathed 'electronic music culture' for many, many years... like a lot of us probably for more than he'd care to imagine.  From journalist and observer to active participant and curator, beyond his celebrated writing career spanning publications like The Wire, FACT, The Guardian, and his co-authorship of  Bass, Mids, Tops: An Oral History of Soundsystem Culture. Muggs has built many bridges across the worlds of the electronic and handily, for us, ambient.

Experimental, ambient, and leftfield sounds to the fore, get horizontal. Something's feeling quite full circle here.

So it is with some excitement that Joe agreed to don his ambient trousers again and step up for part 4 of the Seeds mix. "Music to Smell the Jasmine Whilst Watching for Bats in the Twilight" encapsulates what is often a poetic approach to ambient curation - clearly less about the dancefloor and more about creating an experience that enhances the environment around you.

Full interview here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/seeds-mix-4-joe-muggs-music-to-smell-the-jasmine-whilst-watching-for-bats-in-the-twilight/

@loosefm

Tracklisting: 

Dr Rod Octopus vs Kirsty Hawkshaw – Ghost Town

Cobey Sey – Eve (Anwummer)

Om Unit – Springdub Meditation

Wombo – Spyhopping

Ada – 25 or 6 to 4

Omara Portuondo – Tabu

Aswad – Ethiopian Rhapsody

Nwando Ebizie – Shadowland (In the Dreams of Others)

Muito Kaballa – Like a River

Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes – Theem Prototype

Ego Ella May – The Morning Side of Love

Minnie Riperton – Minnie’s Lament

Julee Cruise – She Wold Die for Love

Ennio Morricone – Messico E Irlanda

Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado – Tonada De Luna Llena

Resavoir – Sunset

Durutti Column – Grace

Scrimshire, Stac – Pep Talks

Brandee Younger – Dust (feat. Meshell Ndegeocello)

D’Angelo – Unshaken

Sabrina Bellaouel – Clémence

Bill Frisell – Sing Together Like a Family

Bobbie Gentry – Something in the Way He Moves

Frederic Galliano – Niamien Kinkeling (feat. Cissé Diamba Kanouté, Koko Ouadjah)

Underworld – Dune

Rufus Wainwright – Tiergarten (SuperMayer Lost in the Tiergarten Mix)

Talaboman – Dins el Lit (Superpitcher Remix)

FULL INTERVIEW

Seeds Mix #4: Joe Muggs' Music to Smell the Jasmine whilst watching for Bats in the Twilight

The German minimal DJ returns to the spotlight with two hours of artfully subtle house and techno.

There's an old German proverb that goes "Der stete Tropfen höhlt den Stein." Literally, it means a constant dripping wears away the stone, but the point isn't about force but patience: slow, steady repetition can leave the deepest mark. It's an apt metaphor for the career of Kosta Athanassiadis, better known as XDB.

Active since the early '90s, first as a DJ and then producer by the decade's end, Athanassiadis has built a career less on hype than persistence. His catalogue spans labels like Dial, Metrolux and Echocord, alongside a steady trickle of EPs and remixes that have quietly cemented his reputation as one of minimal house and techno's undersung heroes.

That patience carries into his sound and production ethos. Where many of his peers embraced software upgrades and new workflows, Athanassiadis has long stuck to Cubase, a handful of trusty instruments and 30-year-old speakers he claims to have run "hundreds of thousands of tunes" through. He also still prefers to use inexpensive, straightforward gear—what matters, he insists, is not the tools but the feel. The result is a sound that’s stripped back, direct and enduring.

Lately, Athanassiadis has found himself back in focus. With minimal enjoying fresh attention, his calendar has filled, and with it a run of back-to-back sets—most often alongside PLO Man, a regular sparring partner this year. True to form, though, you won't find that his style has changed much. Over 30 years after his first gig, you can rest assured you'll still find him playing with patience, carving out long arcs rather than sharp peaks.

His RA Mix captures him in a reflective mood. Running just over two hours, RA.1003 is a hushed yet absorbing affair, moving seamlessly from the delicate atmospherics of Valentino Mora and Caldera to the machine funk of Robert Hood, Solid Gold Playaz and Marcellus Pittman. There are left turns folded into XDB's patient narrative arc, too: John Carpenter's brooding scores here, DJ Sprinkles' melancholic work with Will Long on "Acid Trax N (Acid Dog)" there.

It's the sound of a DJ who has been quietly chiseling away for three decades, and who understands the value of persistence as much as restraint.

@xdb

Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/1021

RA.1003 XDB

Manfredas, a DJ/producer based in Vilnius, Lithuania, is also known as one half of Dresden party with Ivan Smagge. His kaleidoscopic play, shaped by the genre-spanning musical knowledge cultivated as a radio DJ, radiates an eclectic and irresistible attraction while evoking influences from electro, disco, post-punk, and beyond. This two-hour set, live-recorded at BAR Inc Osaka in July 2025, is no exception to his spellbinding style.

@manfredas

DREAMING 049 :  MANFREDAS @BAR INC JULY 2025

It is our pleasure to share our latest podcast, this time from Full Circle’s Alexis Le-Tan.  The mix is a live recording taken from Bakk Heia at The White Hotel earlier this year. Alexis began playing around 3am, just as the club had reached capacity. Energy that was simmering under the surface began to be released, the initial hustle and bustle was over and people had found their place on the floor. As such, this mix expertly demonstrates Alexis’ ability to hook dancers in, giving them a playful push before engaging them into full mind melt mode. Starting with genre defying mid-tempo dubby sludgery, it moves into angular strains of new beat adjecent trancers before unleashing the Goa dragons on the rapturous mass of entranced bodies.   

Enjoy this trip friends :)

Bakk Heia Podcast 006 - Alexis Le-Tan (Live from Bakk Heia @ The White Hotel)

PDA MIX 19 ♥ John Loveless 

Our latest PDA mix is from John Loveless. A DJ, producer and writer from the North West of England. He is known for his residencies on Refuge Worldwide and Cashmere Radio, where his long-running show ‘Display Resolution’ recently concluded after 100 episodes. As well as his own Hot Concept imprint and parties, he is creatively involved with both Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound and CWPT with Palms Trax.

“PDA and the generous musical universe around it is one of the things that has kept me most excited about Berlin in the last few years, and this mix, recorded in one hasty take, is specifically my own interpretation of what might be possible on the dancefloor there. It takes inspiration from my early, mindbending clubbing experiences at parties in Manchester like Wet Play and Red Laser, as well as every producer making club music by their own strange and essential rules, for our communal pleasure.”

John’s presence is that of integral figure and fixer in this world of music, he’s also formidable force behind the decks and we are very pleased to welcome him for this weekend’s Public Display of Affection starting on Saturday the 4th of October and running until the following Sunday afternoon 💘

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

PDA Mix 19 ♥ John Loveless

R.A.W. - Asuca (Tribal Mix) | Strictly Rhythm [1993]
Crispin J Glover - Thin Ice (Original Mix) | Paper Recordings [2000]
Tiefschwarz - On Up | Classic Music Company [2001]
Turntablerocker - I Heard You Were Dead (Tomboy's Ambush Makeover Version) | Fine [2005]
In Flagranti - EFX 10-11 | Codek [2007]
Black Devil Disco Club - Coach Me (Dub) | Lo Recordings [2005]
Gloria Stefan - Oye Mi Canto (Orion Agassi Edit) | Self Release [2023]
Rio Rhythm Band - Cuba Jakkin' | Global¿ Records [1988]
Rob Mello - Fantasize | Classic Music Company [ [2002]
Padded Cell - Signal Failure (GTA version) | DC Recordings [2005]
Jarvic7 - Bush Of Love (Razormaid Mix) | An Sa  [1989]
909d1sco - dONNERSTAG | Self Release [2005]
Philadelphia Five - Not Leaving Without Jerry (Andi Revamp) | Eskimo Recordings [2025]
Dude Energy - Renee Running | Animals Dancing [2015]
Bronx Dogs - Closing In (Richard Sen remix) | Mixed Blood [2005]
3rd Face - Canto Della Liberta (Accapella) | Classic Music Company [ [2011]
Asa Tate / Tech Support - Replica | Rhythm Section [2025]
Future Four - Into Orbit (Dark Circles remix) | Phantasy Sound [2013]
Dj Wedding - Roller | Italo Modern [2021]
Tim French - Te Amo | Hooj [2025]
Katcha - Touched By God (Peace Division Remix) | Hooj [1999]
Richard Sen - Ghost Dub | Emotional Especial [2014]
Daniel Maloso - Ritmo Especial | Comeme [2011]
Zakmina - Caroline (Fabrizio Mammarella Remix) | Roam Recordings [2019]
Megabeat - Jet Harris (Techno Dub) | Megabeat [1991]
Dorothy's Fortress - Curb Dog 88 | Destroy All Planets [2009]
Black Devil Disco Club - On Just Foot (Slide Inside) (ft. Prins Thomas) | LO Recordings [2007]
DJ Voodoo & The Liquid Method - Everybody Thinks I'm High (Original Mix) | Black Magic [1994]
Like A Tim - Tv Talk | Djax Up [1994]
Auntie Flo - Woman Of Your Boss | Permanent Vacation [2014]
Studio X - Los Kings Del Mambo (live mix) | Torso Dance [1992]
Company B - Perfect Lover (dub version) | Atlantic [1987]
Azah Kamal - Maadna Bkra (Moving Still & Tjade Edit) | Dar Disku [2021]
Prince De Takicaride - Space Jam | Non Stop Rhythm  [2024]
Solid Groove - When We Heard Maurice Fulton | Dubsided  [2010]
Dexter - i dont care | Clone [2000]
Blawan - Getting Me Down | Self Release [2011]
Black Devil Disco Club - Sorrow (Dub) | LO Recordings [2007]
D.F.X. - Relax Your Body (Another Version) | Discques Dreyfus [1989]
Bali - Patel Rap (Instrumental) | Multitone [1989]
Two Of China - Los Niños Del Parque | Future Dance [1986]

Toshiki Ohta - live at TRYOUTS LDN | 03.10.25

🎵 THE SPHERE.wav

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.