Ransom Note

Over the past 18 months, London based DJ Marc Hasler has slowly grown his reputation both as a successful resident and also as guest DJ across the country. Comfortable to take the limelight with peak time chug and synthwave, he undeniably excels when taking the reins early doors. With gigs last year sharing the same event space as ALFOS, Man Power and Tronik Youth, he has further festival slots lined up for the summer. We asked him to submit a fresh start to the week selection, and he did not disappoint.

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

Thought can be a powerful thing. What is thought, is it physical, do we have control, does it control us? It is said to be beyond our understanding but the more we learn about ourselves, the more we begin to understand our thought. Sutja Gutierrez contributes to the Ransom Note regularly reporting on the metaphysical. This mix carries charisma and oozes with the music of a wild and wonderful dream or fantasy.

Volar is a producer and disc jockey based in Bristol. He contacted us out of the blue with a few tracks and we began to strike up conversation. We think his music carries great promise and intrigue, we jumped at the opportunity of him recording a mix in contribution to our series. The 'Shine a Light On' series is designed to represent the new, to showcase the undiscovered. Volar encompasses this.

Khidja are the Romanian duo making a whole lot of noise at the moment. The pair have released music for the likes of Emotional Especial, Love On The Rocks and Malka Tuti over the past couple of years and have been on our radar for quite some time now. They fuse samples from Central Asia and the Middle East alongside Electronic obscurities to create mixes of depth. Their knowledge is vast and their music has been supported heavily by those who have been following the crossover between Optimo, Mehmet Aslan and Huntleys & Palmers. This mix sees them delve deep into obscure samples, spoken word and wonderful electronics and the result is quite remarkable.

@poor-relatives

Freerotation is an intimate party held annually near Hay On Wye. However, we are sure that you knew that already. The event's reputation is substantial. Each year they book DJ's and Artists of an extremely high caliber and do so with no sponsorship or advertising. Oh, and you have to be invited by a member of Freerotation to attend. It's all very secretive, underground and frankly, damn cool. Sam Watson is a resident at Freerotation and this mix sees him deliver a pounding two hours of fast paced techno. Strap in.

When we were approached with the chance to host an end of year mix by Felix from Hot Chip we were very happy. We feel it is a very suitable way to round up the 2015 calendar which has seen mixes from a vast array of great producers, dj's and heads. Hot Chip remain ever relevant to the world of club music and continue to push an oddball sound which somehow still works as well at a gig as it does in clubs. We caught up with Felix, their electronic mogul, to reflect on the year that was and listen to his selections from 2015.

@hot_chip @felixhotchip

When R$N was growing up, and the "doof-doofs" were still too hard to get close enough for bassbins, Normski was one of the few that had that "Yoof TV" tings bang on. With comic chops and an ear on the needle, this gent would easily combine our hip-hop formation with our house sensibility before we even knew the genres. So we are delighted to say that he has crafted us a mixtape, and shared some returns on the raves that were rumbling 'round the corner...

Latin nightlife is wild, at least that is the stereotype which we are led to believe. However, countries such as Chile aren't often necessarily known for their contributions to the likes of House music. Roman & Castro are a duo from Santiago who appear to be bringing in a season of change. This mix is wild straight from the get go and takes no prisoners.

@romanycastro @sanfuentesrecords

Thomas Clarke or Mr TC, as he has become recently known, is one third of the crew behind the Night of the Jaguar parties. He has always dabbled in music but in recent months he has seen his debut EP released on Optimo Music.