Mixes

Red Axes have been orbiting our radar - or rather our ears have been orbiting their musical sphere - for a while now. We decided it was time to have them create a Ransom Note mix, and we even managed to slip in a few questions.

Read the full interview here; http://www.theransomnote.co.uk/music/mixes/the-ransom-note-mix-red-axes/

Red Axes - The Ransom Note Mix

WHICH HORSE FROM HISTORY IS YOUR FAVOURITE? 
I think Cochise, it was a nice little horse, Little John's horse from Bonanza. I miss Michael Landon, RIP! Good times.

Read Full Interview

Moscoman - The Ransom Note Mix

Book yourself a hotel room, get your beaver suit on and get that hot coffee brewing ready for some Lokier listening:

http://www.theransomnote.co.uk/music/mixes/lokier-shine-a-light-on-ransom-note-mix/

With a current release on Days Of Being Wild featuring fellow DJ and friend Morgan Hammer, the Mexican DJ/Producer is riding high, making the move to Barcelona to explore all that Europe has to offer. Keeping busy with upcoming EP's with labels Have A Killer Time and Nein plus a selection of remixes, mixes and compilations in the making, we'd say you'll be hearing a lot more of Lokier. 

INTERVIEW

Lokier - Shine A Light On... Ransom Note Mix

In honour of him gracing these shores this Friday @ Big Wave we're making today Mark Seven Day on the site.  Details of which here: http://on.fb.me/1cSTPsO

To celebrate Mark's gifted us 3, yes 3 whole mixes... which you'll be able to hear all through today. 

The first one StopDon'tStopMix - the one you have in your ears right here – recorded almost 10 years ago for a long defunct podcast website, it has gained legendary status amongst heads and diggers, as Mark switches effortlessly between styles and introduces us to gems Javaroo ‘Breaking In’, Black Gold ‘C’mon Stop’ and Nora’s Italo version of ‘Dancing In The Dark’.

Mark's very kindly allowed us to dust it off and can share it you again... so here it is, in all its glory!

Producing and running labels since the early 90's, the now Stockholm based Mark Seven has been releasing some rather fine records on his Parkway imprint of late. Parkway is a label  inspired by the sounds Mark first fell in love with that emerged from the explosion of creativity that occurred post-Disco, when electronics became more affordable and when the music moved back underground, with names like Paul Simpson, Winston Jones and Boyd Jarvis, Emergency, Streetwise and Easy Street. Records with Herb "The Pump" Powers and exclusive edits and remixes of rare Black music releases of the 1980's. Unsung tracks that fed into a sound that became House. A history that, without people like Mark, would have already been forgotten. 

Unearthed: Mark Seven's Stopdontstop Mix

We've been admirers of Jimpster from afar for many a year. He's spent a solid two decades remixing and DJing, playing in the sadly now defunct The Bays, run his very own Freerange Records for 15 of those, as well as the offshoot, yet equally as interesting Delusions of Grandeur on the side. He's probably not someone who gets to spend an awful lot of time putting his feet up with a nice brew but his hard work certainly pays off as there's a mighty fine selection of records with his name attached to them in some form or another. In one of his brief, quieter moments we manged to cajole Jimpster into putting together a nice juicy Ransom Note mix for you to slip into as if it were a warm bath, filled to the brim with scented bubbles. 

Whack this on and drift away on the good ship Jimpster - he's even answered a bunch of questions if you're feeling more than a little curious; http://www.theransomnote.co.uk/music/mixes/jimpster-the-ransom-note-mix/

Jimpster - The Ransom Note Mix

Stepping up to the prestigious Ransom Note mix series we have one of our favourite Scandinavian Disc Jockeys, Skatebård. The Norwegian electronic music scene seems to be awash with talent these days between the likes of the Sex Tags crew, Todd Terje, Bjorn Torske, Prins Thomas, Telephones, Röyksopp and the Full Pupp crew. There is certainly a distinct sound now running downstream from a country which wasn't previously known for its reputation in the world of Electronic music. Skatebård has been releasing music for the last fifteen years. His sound is a blend of Italo, House, Electro, Disco and beyond.

@skatebard

Skatebård: The Ransom Note Mix

Ivan Smagghe is the seamlessly cool founder behind Les Disques de la Mort. For years he has been regarded as one of the leading figures in Electronic music and continues to push the boundaries between the weird, wonderful, obscure and danceable, alongside the likes of Andrew Weatherall, Optimo, Trevor Jackson and more. He slots firmly into chic French fashion culture and gritty, underground musical eclecticism at the same time. Over the past couple of years his label has released music from far and wide: pop obscurities from Israel, punk funk from Lithuania and experimental electronics from the likes of Mutado Pintado, Golden Bug and Margot. He delivers over an hour of energetic fun for Ransom Note.

@colonelgatito

Ivan Smagghe: The Ransom Note Mix

Bahnsteig 23 has been releasing a series of cold-wave edits and synth electro over the last twelve months, surreptitious missives from Berlin, with artists such as Khidja, Jonny 5 and Lipelis. We managed to grab hold of the owner Ziggy Sternenstaub to dig deeper into these rekkids, and he got his commandant General Baha to shape us a mix.

Bahnsteig 23: Flavour Of The Label Mix

Sling & Samo are the exiting duo behind the Born Free record label which resides in Stockholm. Over the last few years the pair have been releasing a vast array of weird, wonderful, oddball music: some built for the dancefloor and some certainly not. The pair are colourful characters who don't take themselves or what they do too seriously. Samo is also well known in his own right as a producer and dj having released music for the likes of LIES, The Trilogy Tapes and Public Possession but together with Sling the pair enter a new realm of musical exploration. We asked them to record a mix for us. 

Sling & Samo DJ: The Ransom Note Mix

Autarkic - aka Nadav Spiegal- has been on a roll of late. Alongside his remixes for Moscoman's Disco Halal series (some of which will now set you back a hefty stack of notes), he's recently put the finishing touches to his own EP Can You Pass the Knife. A five tracker that finds Autarkic forcing wheezing, degraded hardware to spit out sinuous lo-fi grooves, Can You Pass the Knife is excellent from start to finish, joining the dots between abrasive 80s post punk and current Berlin techno with an seemingly effortless touch. After hearing has amazing Monday is OK mixtape, featuring some of the weirdest funk a Monday can take, we got Autarkic to Skype us and tell us what's up with his new EP...

Autarkic: The Monday Is OK Mix

In 2013 a duo began to surface on the radar, associations and releases on Atomnation and Kompakt began to reinforce their status. The pair from the Netherlands, Harm Coolen & Merijn Scholte Albers, make up the Weval project which is about to release its debut album for Kompakt. They met in 2010 and describe their relationship and its outcomes as "organic". Their musical backgrounds vary and have led to a clash of ideas and concepts which is prevalent throughout their work. We caught up with the pair and asked them to record a mix.

Weval: The Ransom Note Mix

This week's Ransom Note Mix comes courtesy of vinyl addict and disco connoisseur Nick the Record. Frankly, what he doesn't know about crate digging isn't worth knowing. Unsurprisingly, his mix is jam packed with obscure gems and incredible sounds - we've had it on in the office all morning and now it can be the perfect accompaniment to your day as well.

Nick The Record: The Ransom Note Mix

This mix was originally sent to us titled 'Hello Darkness'. It runs a course along such a theme. Dj TLR is a bit of an enigma behind the scenes as far as the world of Creme Organization goes. In recent months we have had the pleasure of chatting to Jeroen who offered us an insight into the early days the hague and beyond which you can read HERE. In all honesty we were thrilled when he offered to deliver us a mix, the result is pretty special too as he delves through depths of early jungle and hardcore, with a twist.

DJ TLR: The Ransom Note 'Jungle Screw' Mix

It's almost ludacris to think that Slam, the Glaswegian techno duo from the North have been producing and releasing records for almost thirty years now. Throughout that time they have been involved in the formation of the Soma label, the imprint which released the earliest Daft Punk records, music from Surgeon, Funk D'Void and many many more. Slam's influence as a duo has been prolific and they are appreciated and respected across the world as much as they are in their hometown. Stepping up to the table with something a little outside the norm, we put the pair through their paces as they contribute an all ambient mix to our Monday series which sees them delve deep through the relams of Global Communication and beyond. This one is pretty special.

"Slam"bient: The 'Monday Is Okay' Mix

In 2011 Brian d'Souza released his first EP on Glasgow based record label Huntleys & Palmers, this was to be the debut of Auntie Flo. Some five years later his musical progression has evolved substantially. Last year saw him release the critically acclaimed 'Theory Of Flo' accompanied by a brand new live show. His sounds sees him dabble between the crossovers of world music, dance and balearic obscurity. He captures a sun kissed sound which you would certainly not associate with the bleak and rainy forecast which so often swamps Glasgow. He steps up to deliver us over an hour of percussion, exclusives, earthly samples and beyond: a real treat.

Download & Read Here

Auntie Flo: The Ransom Note Mix

There are very few artists who can be said to have seen the lifespan of house music in its entirety. Born in Chicago, 1967, Boo Williams is arguably one of the most influential figures in club music: past, present and future. Alongside the likes of Glenn Underground he has become one of the definitive figures of the Chicago sound and has released records on legendary labels such as Relief Records, Moods & Grooves, Rush Hour and far too many others to name. This summer he will play at Odyssia Festival in Greece. We are honoured to be able to welcome him on to the site as part of our Ransom Note Mix series.

Download

Boo Williams: The Ransom Note Mix

Berlin-based producer @moomin's third album 'Yesterday's Tomorrows' came out earlier this year via Wolf Music, and in something of a new direction, it found him incorporating his love for hip-hop, jungle, funk and breaks into his usual sample-led deep house sound.

We're very happy to welcome Moomin on board to our Ransom Note mix series, especially as this instalment finds him digging deep and exploring the hip-hop section of his record collection.

Download Here

Moomin: The Ransom Note Mix

Expect the unexpected. That's the philosophy Rotterdam-based DJ mad miran promotes in her DJ sets. A regular on the Dutch capital's mainstay Red Light Radio and a face behind the counter at the infamous Clone record shop, Miran has fast become one of the country's most promising DJs. 

Although she only played her first DJ set in a club a couple of years ago, she's already landed a residency at Trouw successor De School and become part of the Strange Sounds From Beyond family, seeing her name spread like wildfire and lead to a string of gigs across Europe.

We invited her to dive into her record bag for us and the result is 80 minutes of leftfield electro, raw breaks and introspective electronica. Enter into the crazy world of mad miran...

mad miran: The 'Wednesday Alternative' Mix

Amsterdam has been graced with a fearsome array of fabulous selectors and disc jockeys in recent times, the city is abuzz with experimental music and talent. 

Orpheu The Wizard has been a pivotal figure in the development of the scene, crucially helping to nurture new faces through his key role as a co founder of Redlight radio - a distinctive platform which has acted as a gateway and an open door to a new wave of music, producers and dj's. 

His own background is well versed, he's earnt his stripes and played the long game building a respectable array of musical knowledge and selective talent which he uses to entice and delight crowds across Europe and beyond. Eclectic, far reaching and multi purpose - his sets often run wild across a sprawling spectrum of sound. 

This year he will play at Love International festival, an appearance which should not be missed.

Read & Download

Orpheu The Wizard: The Ransom Note Mix

Step back, this is a big one. 

Across the past couple of decades there have been very few who can attest as much influence as that of Joakim, a singular producer who has been charted as an influential figure by many of the leading producers and disc jockeys in the present.

The French outsider has amassed a notorious reputation for his eclectic style as a disc jockey and producer having released music on the likes of Versatile, Kitsuné Music, Life And Death, Crosstown Rebels and beyond. As the founder behind Tigersushi Records and Crowdspacer he has been responsible for leading a new generation of talent into the dance and has played a key role in the future development of dance and electronic music. 

As an individual his own take on music is wide and vast, not one to shy away from the alternative or experimental he has done well to channel a sprawling array of style, genre and sound across his own lengthy career and in all honesty Joakim continues to surprise and intrigue with delight. 

A Dj's dj, he is a firm favourite and we welcome him as part of the series.

Joakim: The Ransom Note Mix

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.