Jon Tye: The Ransom Note Mix

Music

We love Jon Tye here at Ransom Note Towers, in all his many guises. Last time we spoke to him was for a wonderful Label Love piece on the 20th anniversary of his Lo Recordings imprint. This year he's been busy as always, releasing the 'Peaks' album under his Brain Machine moniker with Guido Zen and Kyle Martin, as well as blessing us with 'Escape Hatch', the fourth Seahawks album.

Jon has been so kind as to make us a mix of original material, so every track is either produced or co-produced by himself. With material from Seahawks, Brain Machine, Cherry Garcia and Pink Fluid nestled within, we feel pretty sure you're gonna enjoy it as much as us. Dive in the deep end, and then read our Q&A with Jon below:

Please introduce yourself…

My name is Jon Tye, I'm in Millbrook, Cornwall in a house by the lake, I’m a music producer, label boss and sometime DJ… I also like to cook food… usually spicy food…

What does your music sound like?

It’s kinda cosmic, taking inspiration from new age, electronic and organic sounds… sometimes with beats and sometimes not… often smooth and spacey but can be deep and disorientating…

Can you show us a picture of what you think it sounds like?

There are a lot of space references through the artwork, where does this interest come from?

I like to think of music as a way to explore… a way to travel without leaving the house… it’s good to get out… when you live in the country it’s not always easy to travel physically, particularly in winter, but there are other ways to explore… your mind is a spaceship…

Where was the mix recorded?

Right here in Millbrook looking out at the lake…

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

Under the stars, eyes closed, sitting comfortably…

What should we be wearing?

Nothing too tight… something that you really like… something soft and warm…

What would be your dream setting to record a mix?

I’d like to be somewhere exotic… maybe Bali or Peru… by the sea or a lake… under the stars…

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

That’s tough but I’m going to go for the Seahawks remix of 'Rayon Vert' by Ruf Dug… It’s the most recent track and it was a real pleasure to do…

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

If we’re talking DJ mixes then I’d go for A Flick Of My Musical Wrist by Sorcerer… I’m listening to it now, still sounds amazing… If we’re talking records then the sound on the Avalon album by Roxy Music is hard to beat (although David Crosby’s ‘If I Could Only Remember My Name' is another favourite).

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

It would have to be David Mancuso at the Loft… what a time, what a guy, such vibes…

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

Two tape decks and a portastudio… Two technics and a Urei mixer…

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

I think the track you start on… got to get started right…

What were the first and last records you bought?

The first one I really remember was Electric Ladyland Part 1 by Jimi Hendrix (I couldn’t afford the double album)… The most recent is the TCP (The Tony Carey Project) reissue album, amazing ahead of its time early '80s music…

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

Organic yoghurt with maple syrup and toasted almonds.

If it was an animal what would it be?

An axolotl.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything?

Metal Machine Music by Lou Reed… although I have tried…

Upcoming in the world of Jon Tye?

The new Seahawks album Escape Hatch is out now; live Brain Machine gigs later this year; Cherry Garcia have just recorded a new track for a forthcoming Golf Channel compilation; Pink Fluid (Seahawks deep listening offshoot) have a release coming on Prins Thomas’ new Horizontal Mambo imprint; remixes for Ruf Dug and Nick Mackrory on Music For Dreams; new Captain Sunshine & The Valley People music in the pipeline; releases from MR G, Body San and Hatchback coming on LO. It’s all go!