Ransom Note

Braiden is a London-based DJ and producer known for his genre-blurring sets and finely tuned ear for sound design. During the 2000’s he was a pivotal figure in underground club culture, helping to push and champion a new style of bass music which would go on to become synonymous with dance music in the UK and globally.

Braiden gained early recognition through his diverse and dynamic DJ sets, which fluidly blend elements of house, techno, grime, UK garage, and experimental electronics.

He first made waves as a presenter on Rinse FM, where his forward-thinking selections and deep knowledge of club music cultures earned him a keen following.

His productions — including the acclaimed 2010 debut single “The Alps” on Joy Orbison’s Doldrums label — showcase a meticulous approach to rhythm and atmosphere.

“The Alps” was reissued this year, cementing the EP amidst a new crowd with Braiden having ducked out of the spotlight for several years to focus on other outlets.

Now he’s back, with new music as well.

Hardway Bros French Caribbean outing…

The Hardway Bros went outre-mer, To seek Mamman Brigitte so fair,

With pockets full of tree frog songs, And voodoo drums and silken thongs.

They sailed beyond the infinite sky, Where Mari Galante’s beauties lie,

Through heat and rain and humid air, They combed the island everywhere.

“Oh Mamman Brigitte!” came their cry, “We’ve brought you frogs that never die!

They sing at night, they sing at noon, They sing beneath the heavy moon!”

But she just laughed a laugh so wide, And vanished with the turning tide,

And left the Bros to stand and stare, At sea and sky and humid air.

Now Hardway Bros play cards with frogs, And sleep on very uncomfortable logs,

While somewhere near the outre-mer, Mamman Brigitte is drinking beer.

The latest Hardway Bros EP is a result of some recent downtime in Mari Galante:

“I recently enjoyed a rare holiday on Mari Galante in the french caribbean – a place of incredible beauty, infinite sky and sea. It’s a veritable assault on the senses, heat, humidity, sun and rain, soundtracked by a million tree frogs. Strong voodoo vibes. Herewith an audio postcard from the real Outre-Mer…”

We’re premiering the lead voodoo belter here..

Order full EP here: https://outre-mer.bandcamp.com/album/en-outre-mer-3

Listen below: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/premiere-hardways-bros-mamman-brigitte-outre-mer/

Sitting in the space between digital dub and synth-pop, with nods to Spectral Display and Primal Scream’s Simone Marie on vocal duty.

There once was a Bug who was Golden and bright, Who lived in La Belle Records by day and by night,

With Simone Marie (who plays bass, don’t you see), They danced ’round a digital dub-a-dub tree.

“Oh Piscolabis!” cried the Bug with glee, “Let’s craft something strange ‘tween Milan and the sea!

We’ll mix synth-pop sounds with a spectral display, And premiere our tune on October the day!”

Max Blum and Kim Giani came hopping along, With sonic UFOs and a dub-a-dub song,

They twirled and they whirled in their Belle-ish delight, At La Boule Noire on a Froid Dub-ish night.

The Golden Bug giggled, “How perfectly queer! Our NoLo will drift in its own sonic sphere!”

And off they all sailed in their musical boat, While anniversary editions began to float.

We’re premiering “NoLo,” a new track from the upcoming anniversary edition of Golden Bug’s Piscolabis II, out October 3rd via La Belle Records. The track features Simone Marie, known as the bassist for Primal Scream and The Jesus and Mary Chain, lending her voice to the collaboration.

Working with longtime collaborators Max Blum and Kim Giani, Golden Bug crafted something that sits between digital dub and synth-pop, with nods to Spectral Display, with Marie’s vocals forming the emotional centre.

“I’ve always been a fan of Simone’s unique musical universe but what brought us together this time wasn’t one of her cosmic basslines — it was her voice. A rare and soulful voice, one that seems to carry a thousand stories in a single note. It became the foundation of the entire track. As with many of my tracks, this one was born from a beautiful encounter — I started this track between Milan and Barcelona, and the vocals were recorded in London by Simone Marie.” Antoine aka Mr Golden Bug

Golden Bug – Piscolabis Live Experience is happening on October 6th in Paris at La Boule Noire, with our very own adopted Froid Dub as the opening act! Details: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/premieres/premiere-nolo-feat-simone-marie-golden-bug-la-belle-records/

West London’s Tutu Ta returns with their most haunting work yet on “Violence Or Violets” via the ever excellent Long Gone Are The Old Traditions

There once was a Samurai keen, Who lived in an Igloo pristine, With his Tutu Ta sound, Where the dub beats abound,

And violets grew violet-green!

He mixed up his beats in the snow, With post-punk and spoken word flow, “Long Gone Are The Old Traditions!” he’d cry,

As ethereal vocals flew by, From West-London’s factory echo! His Violence Or Violets EP, Made the arctic winds sing with glee,

For LONGGONEIII, Was the label so free, Where heart-aching sonics run free!

Producer-singer-songwriter Tutu Ta dives deeper into their fusion of dub, spoken word, and post-punk atmospherics. Following acclaimed releases “The Shrine” and “Clay Birds Are Grey,” this latest offering from Long Gone Are The Old Traditions stable showcases an artist unafraid to explore more intimate, spectral territories while keeping one foot firmly planted in the UK’s rich sound-system heritage.

Ethereal vocals float above punchy rhythms that nod to their hometown’s legendary dub legacy, creating “a driven heart provoking siren.”

https://www.theransomnote.com/music/premieres/premiere-tutu-ta-samurai-igloo/

@long-gone-dublin-london

Australia’s electro master shows another side with a mature, experimental IDM sound.

A haiku:

Broken bones

A time to reset

A new way

Jensen Interceptor isn’t normally one to stay still but after a freak accident left him with multiple fractures in his foot he was forced to stop and take a few months off. Luckily for us he put all the pent-up energy into his new LP, Interception, out this week on his International Chrome imprint. The LP pulls in influence from IDM, Footwork, and Baile Funk to create his most experimental work yet.

“Since I started making music I’ve always made music geared towards use in my DJ sets but there’s always been an urge to explore the deeper side of electronic music. That time off after the accident gave me the space to dive into genres and really experiment.”

https://www.theransomnote.com/music/premieres/premiere-jensen-interceptor-hes-cute/

@internationalchrome

High above the desert, where the sky spilled its secrets in stars, the brightest among them was Altair. To the villagers below, it was more than a star—it was a guardian.

Generations passed, but Altair never dimmed. Pilgrims crossed miles of sand to sit under its light and make wishes. Some claimed they saw a flicker.

On a clear night, if you stare long enough, you might see wings in the darkness. Illuminated against the dense black.

For in the sky, where time folds and dreams take flight, Altair burnt brighter than all else.

Two Thou is the lead behind the Oraculu project – a hybrid jazz exploration with ambient undertones described as follows:

“This music was born in Berlin, matured with me through a winter in the rural Sardinia, and ended up on wax through Chicago and New York. With this record, that to me sounds in-between worlds, I want to recall that jazz and electronic music both emerged as inventions, and it seems to me they’re both suggesting us to keep inventing.”

After pushing the envelope on labels like Optimo Music and Höga Nord, Berlin-based duo Rudolf Abramov return with their latest outing “High Japan,” which launches Aquasonic Records, the new label founded by the duo.

“High Japan” captures a late-night drift through neon-lit streets, combining broken funk, modular synths, and hypnotic melodies into something that defies easy categorization. The track introduces Aquasonic Records, a Berlin-based imprint focused on music that “operates outside conventional genre boundaries and algorithmic listening patterns.”

Curating artists working across subaquatic kraut-dub to post-club sounds, celebrating musicians who don’t fit traditional moulds. Aquasonic connects music with marine life through collaborations with divers, pairing releases with underwater footage while supporting ocean conservation efforts.

fka boursin is the sort of musician we like. Understated, doesn’t take himself too seriously yet manages to channel real emotion and depth through music.

The sounds speak from themselves with Henry drawing upon influences from the likes of Dj Sprinkles, Basic Channel, old NY House music and after hours sounds.

The end result is a puzzle made up of pieces from each – all with evocative undertones throughout.

The latest release is out on Scissor & Thread – a suitable home for an eclectic, long playing selection of pensive tracks which leave food for thought.

This is music for late night moments alone, for foggy mornings and reflective moments.

Serenda is a London based DJ who was raised on a broad assortment of sounds which stem from her Guyanese and Greek roots. Her taste is versatile and far reaching drawing from influence from funk, soul, hip-hop and beyond. However, she is perhaps best known for her energetic take on house music which blurs the lines between styles but sure as hell keeps things moving on the dancefloor.

This month marked the release of a new EP on Rhythm Section, what is likely to be a pivotal moment in her musical career as she joins an esteemed label of artists who have helped to redefine the shape of British House music and its associated culture.

Serenda’s sets are less about fitting into a genre and more about evoking sensation and connection.

This mix is a dynamic, fluid representation of that. Showcasing her ingenuity and ability to weave sounds and styles together in a way which is as playful as it is concise.

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)