Jaye Ward, what a bloody legend! In the sometimes insipid, fickle and murky waters of the dance world not many have navigated its depths with the wisdom, style and sophistication that Jaye Ward has. A force of nature who’s been wielding the acid, since acid began, Jaye still embodies the raw spirit of UK club culture – screaming into the void and moving bodies. For three decades, she’s been keeping it real in the sweaty backrooms of Stoke-on-Trent’s Golden to the hallowed halls of fabric. Her path weaves through the history of British dance music like a rebel’s tale – from squat parties to Sabresonic, from The End to Turnmills, from Homobloc and Dalston Superstore to Field Maneuvers…and maybe somewhere else this summer that we might have a little hand in. Jaye, like the best of these humans walking this rather odd planet, is a restless spirit and this mix she’s done for us is a fucking belter that reflects that. It’s an examination of Jaye’s unwavering devotion to the weird and wonderful corners of dance music. From a DJ who’s seen it all, Jaye remains perpetually curious. Get this in your ears, expect the unexpected, blur the conventional and dissolve into pure feeling…ONWARDS Read more: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/jaye-ward-the-alternate-currents-ransom-note-mix/

His mind wandered from time to time. From this to that and back again. His perceptions danced atop a fragile sense of perspective, he wondered if he might ever regain the right to reality. For every thought was a maze, a whirlwind in which to become lost in the fog of the morning. Whether he could be trusted was another thing. There wasn't much else for it but to try. Slump Recordings continues to grow from strength to strength. Now a prominent force in a new wave of House music with progressive, deep rooted sensibilities. There's plenty of fun to be found on this one from SY but this slightly deeper cut was what caught our ear.

It were as if he’d been here before. Everything looked ever so familiar, the lake in the distance, the rolling hills which watched over it all, the dense greenery of the forest alongside. He strolled through the long grass trying to recall how and when he might have been here. Had it been in a dream? Was this some sort of strange future memory or was nostalgia simply playing a cruel trick upon his psyche. Regardless of it all, the beauty was stark. It was hard not to get caught up in the ethereal might of the landscape. It were as if it was all one big daydream. Cult Polish producer Two Ends goes deep on a new EP for Mythstery who are celebrating ten years in the game. This EP features a chilled out assortment of downtempo, balearic and deep house grooves perfect for early mornings.

Enea Pascal is the co founder of IVREATRONIC and has just released a new record called ‘BRUTTO?’. It’s a wicked release, compiled of downtempo explorations, trip hop, weird skits, mutations and beyond. It’s tripped out and freakish, playful and yet somehow makes sense as a body of work. Released on IVREATRONIC, the label and party series first emerged from Ivrea in Italy in 2017 and has grown from strength to strength, helping to push forward the leftfield, underground of Italy’s electronic music scene. Now to this mix… Enea delivers a killer selection of sounds, woozy, wonky and punk esque in style. This is a mix for the heads. Think Mo Wax meets L.I.E.S meets early 2000’s Grime. A wild ride through a number of sounds makes this a wicked journey.

Hidden in the middle of the desert was a mysterious old barn, a place in which ancient rituals had once been held in a bid to bring down the sun from up above so that it might be extinguished. It was damn hot. This place had been known as Umbra. It remained as it was, a mere shell of a building in which wild dances, wild songs and wild chants had beckoned and bellowed between the four walls. Little did they know that the sun would never fall from the sky up above - let alone that it might never be extinguished. If anything it might only get hotter and Umbra would be all that was left to burn. La Pointe is a a trio formed by Geneva-based techno pioneers Crowdpleaser and Entlet alongside New York City’s Jonny Sender. Together they are set to release a new EP on Secret Teachings featuring remixes from Jonny Rock & Nathan Fake. Jonny's caught our ear - we all know when the rock is in the house.

It had been ever so lonely out there, deep in the darkness of outer space. There were tall tales which he might be able to one day relive and reconcile but those were not to be told now. Those were to be kept firmly secret, locked away in the confines of his mind. For he had returned but what was out there must not. Down here everything was normal. Life was normal. The people were normal. Every day was just the same. Not like out there... Occasionally he'd see flickers and flashes of the wild, alien like faces he'd left behind amidst the stars. Had they ever been real? Returning was bittersweet. Innate Editions are set to breathe life into a rare gem, a lost classic if you will. They are set to revive Connective Zone's 'Palm Palm', a millennium-era cult classic and Ben UFO favourite. Intelligent dance music, at its very very best.

She was all that he'd ever dreamed of, a perfect picture in his mind, a vision in red dancing amongst the skies. You never quite knew when one day you might stumble upon her, for she might be lurking just around the next corner or in the glimpse of a window passing quickly by.  Things come and go so quickly in this life. You could be anyone, perhaps. Yet still, the same face continued to dance up there, smiling down, enticing him onwards through the weight of the morning fog. Dj Balduin is set to release a new EP on Lola Haro's record label Small Steps. The record is a dreamy, ethereal affair which sits within the realms of melodic House and Breaks. Perfect for those cold January mornings.

The city was quiet in the warmth of the morning sun. It was the height of summer and soon the cafes on every street corner would be crowded with onlookers and tourists taking in the sights and sounds of this great, dense place. It was hot and dusty. As he wandered from block to block, corner to corner, he could not help but think how about how grateful for his freedom he was. It had been long coming and well fought. That was all that anyone ever wanted really, freedom. A place in which to be truly free. Nesa Azadikhah is set to release an EP via tape on Kulture Galerie. The music is progressive in the sense that it channels futuristic elements of dance and club music culture. However, the message it promotes and the cause it rallies behind is equally so, with proceeds from the release going to support women prisoners in Iran.

Inhabiting the delicate space between immersive ambient soundscapes and experimental fieldwork. For this week’s Monday Is OK mixtape we welcome Zurich-based artist Philipp Stolberg, whose new album “The Dog Under the Lantern” (released his month), us a multimedia project exploring ambient, liminal spaces with cyanotype prints. The album focuses on themes of light and darkness, solitude and movement, wilderness and domestication through minimal, textured compositions. While Stolberg’s roots lie in house music, this work concentrates on recycled church music and field recordings, influenced by artists like Nicolas Jaar, Fennesz, and Tim Hecker. The project represents “a deliberate exercise in minimalism, where each element serves a specific purpose.” Full interview: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/philipp-stolberg-the-monday-is-ok-mix/

Our friends Kiara Scuro, the London-based duo made up of Rosie Ama and Nadia Harris, have built up a repertoire of spooky tracks over the last few years for the likes of fabric Originals, Ritmo Fatale and Accidental Meetings. After hunkering down in the studio last year, they're now joining the Faux Poly family for their debut EP, Night Crush. Layering their own vocals with samples, the pair deliver three percussive, rolling club tools that draw inspiration from late, hazy nights spent together in the club; the place where their friendship blossomed.

A haunting reimagining of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” in honour of the late David Lynch recorded for the Beta Biennial of Architecture. The release arrives as a tribute to David Lynch, featuring visuals from his recreation of the Trinity nuclear test as seen in Twin Peaks: The Return. “The Biennial originally commissioned the track, and I closed my show with it there, but it felt like the right time to finally share it with the world. David was a big influence on a lot that underpins Fantastic Twins and this is my swan song to an amazing person.” Following her acclaimed 2023 album, “Two Is Not A Number,” the great Julienne Dessagne’s Fantastic Twins project continues to surprise; in this instance, transforming the original into something entirely new. DOWNLOAD HERE: https://fantastictwins.bandcamp.com/track/wicked-game-fantastic-twins-trinity-version @fantastictwins