For the 6th episode of their Nobody Is Perfect show, Hard Fist bosses Cornelius Doctor and Tushen Raï take you once again to a global psychedelic dance music trip with a selection of new and upcoming release from their favorite artists and labels.
This month they welcome Vongold, vocal artist, dj and producer from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Nobody Is Perfect Episode #6 guest Vongold [27.03.2021]

This time we have Saulty, one of the most musically intelligent person. This mix perfectly reflects his taste and his experience in dance music scene. One hour of top level music is on the airwaves, don't miss out!

Rąžė Radio Mix 028: Saulty

Following a CD-only release in Japan in 2021, legendary downtempo producer Calm finally releases his Before album on vinyl and digital courtesy of Hell Yeah. The 10-track record is a slow-burning Balearic beauty.

Calm aka Kiyotaka Fukagawa has never been to the White Isle, but he sure knows how to capture its musical essence. He has done so over a long and storied career that has taken in 17 albums and some 35 EPs on many labels including this one over the last 20-plus years. His unique blend of ambient, jazz and leftfield was last showcased on this label in 2018 with his By Your Side album, and now he does it again with another timeless and escapist offering.

The record was written, arranged, mixed and produced by Calm, but with gorgeous musical embellishments, trumpets, flutes, saxophones, violins, bass and keys played by friends and guests like Shiba, Sinsuke Fujieda, Fumiko Takeshita, Tomokazu Sugimoto, Yuichiro Kato and Toshitaka Shibata. Tracks from it have already had support from Cosmo Coleen Murphy on Worldwide FM, while Phil Mison says it is "100% reminiscent of an old Café Del Mar or José Padilla record." He is not wrong.

As soon as the opening chords of 'Beauty on Earth' wash over you there is no escaping the naturalistic charm and beauty of this record. 'Long Summer Dream' layers mystic wind sounds and gentle percussive patterns into suspensory bliss, 'Blue in Void - 限りなく透明に近い青' is a plaintive moment of sombre sax and pensive piano, then 'Liminal Moment - 目を閉じて見えるもの' awakens the soul with its gorgeous flute lines and looping arps.

There is perfect horizontal sunset house on 'I Love You - 月がきれいですね,' 'Feel It' picks up the pace with seductive saxophone motifs and psychedelic synth loops and 'Before Sunrise Blue - あたたかい青' is crushing downtempo melancholia. 'Kunpoo - 薫風' reawakens you with leggy bass and expansive synths that reach for the heavens, while 'Freedom Sunset' is an epic 10-minute journey out to sea. Lastly, 'Let's Make Harmony' is super slow motion jazz-funk that swells the heart.

Before is a superb album that is well-deserving of this double vinyl pressing and is sure to become a Balearic classic.

download / vinyl

Calm - Feel It

For mixtape number 30 we're very proud to host a DJ from Stuttgart, part of the Midnight Service crew and papa of the Constant Change label: please give it up for Jakob Mäder! He's joining the Ruínas series today with a blend of disco, house, and acid, all good stuff we're so ready to groove to. Tune in and enjoy 🎷

Follow: @jakobmaeder

RUÍNAS MIX SERIES #30 // JAKOB MÄDER

A renowned producer, visual artist and performer, Strapontin is not a man afraid of trying new things. Signed to the labels Optimo, Hard Fist, I’m A Cliché, Invisible Inc. or La Belle Records, the belgian artist has crafted his own musical style, located somewhere in an unknown land between post punk, tribal downtempo and dark disco. With heavy, sensual beats, other-worldly vocals and cavernous basslines, his view of music is adventurous and mindful with a taste of queerness. You probably have caught him lately remixing Karpov Not Kasparov, Vox Low or brilliantly editing bombs for I’m a Cliché. He’s also part of Poetic Punkers collective as a soundtrack composer and performer, a different point of view that has strongly influenced his singular and uncompromising music for years.



Strapontin @ Kiosk Radio 09.01.2023

01. Fantastic Man - Low World Order [Superconscious, 2022] 
02. Jon Sable - Sweet Suit [In Dust We Trust, 2022]  
03. Baby Ford / Eon - Dead Eye [Ifach, 1994] 
04. Idiolect - Dots (Claudio PRC Remix) [Alchemista, 2022]  
05. Atomic Moog - The Last Train [Monument, 2021] 
06. Polygonia - Coleus [Sure Thing, 2022]         
07. DJ Koze - Drone Me Up, Flashy feat. Sophia (&ME Remix) [PAMPA, 2022] 
08. Hundred20 - Upper Alley [MCDE, 2011]
09. Gynoid 74 - Twice Daily [Non Stop Rhythm, 2022] 
10. Leon Vynehall - Endless (I) [Studio Ooze, 2022] 
11. Evigt Mörker - Tredje Tecknet [Northern Electronics, 2022] 
12. Eversines - Altar [De Lichting, 2021] 
13. Tamburi Neri - Bolle Di Dolore (Off The Meds Remix) [Danza Tribale, 2022] 
14. Luis - Or Anyone Said It [AD 93, 2022] 
15. Fit Siegel - Carmine [Fit Sound, 2015] 
16. ISOR29 - Spirals [Second Circle, 2022]

RADIO.D59B / STEREO FREEZE #6 w/ Vlada Janjić

As one of the leading figures behind Multi Culti and Turbo Recordings, Thomas Von Party finds himself in a rather envious position. As a DJ he has played a significant and important role in the Montreal club scene, in 2014 he opened a club, Datcha, which has since gone on to find critical acclaim for its diverse music policy and its cultural benefits to the city. In 2013 he co founded the Multi Culti label alongside Dreems, it is set to release a compilation series titled 'Sun Gaze / Moon Faze' which features a great breadth of music from artists including Moscoman, Manfredas, Kris Baha and more. Von Party himself will also feature having recently begun to dabble in the world of production following an extensive and formative number of years spent DJ'ing around the world.

Thomas Von Party: The 'Shine A Light On' Mix

Massimiliano Pagliara - Focus For Infinity (The Remixes Pt. 2) 
Vinyl 12" / Digital

Massimiliano Pagliara - I'll Never Be (Nicholas remix) - Live At Robert Johnson

A warm-up set for Justin Strauss at LOW Party in Closer. Kiev, June '18

Philipp Markovich // LOW: Justin Strauss @ Closer 22.06.18

Radio SALA with Barbara Boeing @barbaraboeing

TASCAM DR-05

Radio SALA | Barbara Boeing

The mysterious Hotaru presents her “international funk” signature in a mix full of Japanese gems, personal edits, and lots of cosmic & balearic songs.

https://soundcloud.com/hotaru_edits
https://hotaruedits.bandcamp.com/

LAYER #242 | Hotaru

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.

Thomas Von Party: The 'Shine A Light On' Mix

Ransom Note

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