Ransom Note

Over the past few months we have been focussing our attention on some of Glasgow's most influential local DJ's - we wanted to spotlight some of those who have worked hard behind the scenes to form residencies and develop their own pathways.

Quail + AISHA are two residents at Animal Farm, a long running Glaswegian institution which has become widely known for its forward thinking approach to techno. As a party series Animal Farm has played host to the likes of Surgeon, Regis, Blawan, Anthony Parasole and Marcel Dettmann. However, these big names have often been shrouded and deemed secondary to the supremely talented local DJ's who have breathed life into this party for many years. Animal Farm has become a place to channel the harder, darker fringes of experimental dance and electronic music and this is perhaps more so the case than ever before as this mix from Quail and AISHA demonstrates.

Forget Monday, this one is all about the Friday night. The pair will appear this summer at Riverside Festival and are sure as hell to blow the roof off.

Next up is a man who needs little introduction, one of the foremost figures in Garage and perhaps the greatest of them all? We'll let you be the judge of that.

Todd Edwards has been releasing music for almost thirty years, he remains one of the definitive pioneers of the genre which first emerged in the UK during the mid 90's. His influence has been profound and there was a period of time in which major artists would demand a remix from Todd to certify their release. He's Grammy award winning after all.

Anyway, this mix was delivered off the back of a release for Defected in which Todd released 140 tracks of original material, remixes and edits. Some unheard and an unreleased previously. This seemed like as good an opportunity as ever to ask him to return to the wheels of steel to showcase why he is still just as influential and important to UKG as ever before.

You are in the presence of a legend.

Earlier this year Artefakt released a new album via Delsin, a striking collection of pensive electronics and techno which was designed as much to humble the independent listener as it was to intrigue on the dancefloor.

The Berlin based pair have become well known and acclaimed for their unique take on techno, often channeling deep ethereal soundscapes and melody atop rugged drums and percussion.

Over the years they have released material via the likes of Sungate, Konstrukt and Semantica Records. It is however Delsin where they appear to have made themselves most at home, releasing material which sits between worlds and defies the notion that techno might need to be rigid 4/4 focussed club music.

We've featuured the pair several times previously. However, this is the first time that they have recorded a mix for the website, a special occassion given the scarcity of these sets.

Emerging from Paris, Tatyana Jane is a dj with a reputation on the rise. With regular appearances on Rinse France she has become well known for her eclectic yet fun focussed take on dance and electronic music fusing elements of house, funk, soul, amapiano, rap, r'n'b and beyond.

Growing up in a Cameroonian family full of musicians and music lovers, Tatyana was exposed to a wide range of sound and dance from an early age.

In the present day she is working to craft her own niche sound, working in the studio to produce music which represents her own sensibilities and creative personality. With numerous releases and remixes in the pipeline we're expecting it to be only a matter of time before she becomes big news.

She steps up with over an hour of dancefloor focussed pressure - dig in.

Based in Washington DC, Jackson Ryland is a producer who's been around for a hot minute. His latest record has just dropped on Step Recordings, a well established imprint run by Catz N' Dogz. However, he has been making music for many years before this having released material on the likes of 1432 R and Cahoots Records.

His sound is pretty versatile, drawing upon influence from the age of Italian Dream House and beyond - melody is important, as is spaciousness and ambience. All of his music makes sure to take the above into consideration and whilst his latest material for Step Recordings is arguably his most heavy hitting to date, it is still just as listenable from the perspective of an individual.

In a recent interview for The Washington Post jackson reflected on the nature of his approach to music - it's far more than just material for the dance:

"I want the music to complement something that’s already in your head and brighten that idea for you.”

We invited him to record a mix for us and he does so in fine style, this one comes with high recommendation.

Now, next up is a DJ who has become a bit of a local legend amidst the underbelly of Glasgow's dance and electronic music community. For many years Bonzai Bonner has worked tirelessly to champion the sound of High NRG and Italo in Glasgow via the spectacularly successful party series Shoot Your Shot. The party has become a widely loved event and has brought a breath of fresh air and fun to the occasionally overly techno focussed stronghold.

This summer she will play as part of the line up at Glasgow's Riverside Festival, a celebration of leftfield electronic music in the city.

Her approach to dance music is energetic, fluid and dynamic and you never know quite what your gonna' get from one of her sets. They are often rave focussed and euphoric yet draw upon influences of new wave, disco and beyond. A pivotal figure within the LGBTQ+ community, Bonzai Bonner is a proper champion and we are delighted to be able to showcase her eclectic approach as a DJ in this wild, fun filled Friday mix.

Here's something just a little bit special...

Ahead of Riverside Festival in Glasgow this coming September we have been blessed with a series of mixes from some of the best and most influential dj's in the city. There is no better place to start really than with Slam, the dj duo extraordinaire who have contributed a lifetime to techno. The pair remain two of the most prominent dj's on the circuit and over the years have established a fierce reputation for their approach to the genre. Their own record label Soma, which they founded alongside Dave Clarke and Glenn Gibbons, has released some of the most crucial music from within the realm of techno and has been a home to musicians like The Black Dog, Surgeon, Deepchord, Daft Punk, Gene Farris, Schatrax, Silicone Soul and many, many more.

Longstanding residents at the infamous night Pressure the pair have worked alongside some of the biggest and best in the business. However there are stories to be told about their roots as promoters of the Atlantis and their own 'Slam' parties in Glasgow in the 90's.

As producers the pair continue to push boundaries, releasing music with great consistency, continually managing to reinvent and approach the studio in the pursuit of something new.

This is a special mix, Slam a special pair. Strap in...

Electro is within the very DNA of dance and electronic music itself, it emerged from that which came before, the likes of Kraftwerk and 80's hip hop remain as influential on the genre of the present as they were at the start.

Plant43 is a producer who has dedicated much of his life in the pursuit of understanding and progression within the genre. Her has released music on the likes of Ai Records, Shipwrec, Semantica, Central Processing Unit and Frustrated Funk amongst others.

His sound has evolved over many years, moving with the times yet never far from the music he first fell in love with.

During the late nineties Plant43, real name Emile Facey, promoted parties in London showcasing both the best in up and coming and stalwart electro, connecting producers and dj's alike.

This mix comes alongside the release of a new record on his own Plant43 label, an imprint which he founded in 2020 to release his own material.

Earlier this year it was announced that French, Argentinian multi-disciplinary artist Yoann Pisterman would release a new tape via London based record label Bytes.

The tape is titled "Water Groove" and is his debut album and follows on from prior experiments. It's described by the lavel as follows:

"An impressionistic sound journey into waves, frequencies and electronic resonance. Yoann employs loops and repetitive patterns, interwoven between drones and melodic elements, to create magical, transportative music with echoes of the classic Japanese ambient and New Age music of the Eighties and the trippy Kosmische of 1970s Germany."

Yoann Pisterman draws upon influences from far and wide, as a painter he tends to reflect on architectural structures, the natural world and beyond. All of these things make up his creative identity and the result is a beautiful collage of ethereal inspirations and environmental realisations.

Got that Friday feeling yet? If you ain't you will soon...

This is a special mix recorded by one of the most important figures in the UK jungle scene at present, Tim Reaper is flying the flag high for the genre. pushing new boundaries with his exceptional approach to sound design and a nod to the legacy which has gone before him.

Over the past ten years Tim has grafted, releasing a sprawling array of music on respected labels such as Skeleton Recordings, Dark Age Recordings, Omni and more.

Earlier this year he released a new EP on Lobster Theremin, a record label which never fails to capture the imagination, releasing left of centre electronics across the spectrum of dance music. The EP showcases Tim Reaper's modern approach to jungle and D&B in the present and features collaborations with Massachusetts breakccore producer Devnull.

Anyway, we invited him to record a mix for us and what he has delivered is a whirlwind exploration through wicked breaks, euphoric soundscapes and beyond.