Hello and welcome to all of the new subcribers. This time around, I’m happy to share the first guest mix of my new Lubrikate Your Living Room series. There’s also a new b2b radio recording, a link to the newly remastered recording of my 2024 Gun all-nighter, a recap of the recent Golden Gun weekender in Todmorden and a new Volte-Face gig announcement.

Without further ado, I’m delighted to share a very special mix from my friend Ilan, the mastermind behind two fantastic Night City Life compilations of obscure gems. Ilan was amongst the first people that I invited to contribute to Lubrikate Your Living Room as he’s somebody with a uniquely considered taste, and an eye for obscure or long-forgotten excellence. I first got to know him when he was helming italo-hotspot Hypnotic Tango alongside my dear friend Olly Fas, and more recently I have been enjoying his wonderful mixes for the likes of Sound Metaphors and Bordello A Parigi. The information that he provide for this mix, titled Remember Yesterday, is scant with no tracklist and a short quote from Scott Walker - “Didn’t Time Sound Sweet Yesterday?”. I’d urge you to find some time for this softly seductive mix. For me, pretty much every song resonates in such a way that I feel like I already know the music somehow, when in reality ‘Heaven In Pain’ is the only track that I have in my own collection. Perfect for wistful mornings, rainy days or fruitless trainspotting digs!

I was delighted to play a part in the inevitably titled Golden Gun weekender at the Golden Lion in Todmorden. The reputation of the venue precedes it, with the seeds planted by a long-standing association with Andrew Weatherall, who used to cherish his Yorkshire jaunts of yore. It’s hard to put into words exactly what makes the Golden Lion so special, but it’s essentially a multi-pronged assault of an incredibly passionate proprietor (the legendary Gig), a pool of local freaks and eccentrics who are drawn to Todmorden for the fabled curious energies and beautiful environs and the unguarded enthusiasm of the music heads who are drawn to the venue for their dedication to outré sounds. The crowd didn’t hold back in their appreciation for our selections, and it was refreshing to be asked what certain tunes were or recommended complementary tunes during our sets.

In the space of 48 hours, I enjoyed DJ sets from the likes of Vladimir Ivkovic, Lena Willikens, Decius and Conor Thomas, I had the pleasure of arguably the most enjoyable b2b of my life (alongside Gun stalwart and Family Silver partner in crime Nick Stephens - check our recent mix for Ransom Note here), I was blessed by a group of visiting Buddhist monks (definitely a first for me!) and I also managed to squeeze in some esoteric book shopping, a near-yard of ale in the covered market’s unique pub and we even got to watch a snippet of a work-in-progress Weatherall documentary upstairs at the venue. I highly recommend you make a visit next time you see an appealing lineup, which could be pretty much any weekend of the year, it would seem. I’ve got my eyes on a return for the Harmonicon festival in October.

Speaking of The Gun, it’s been a year since the night that changed everything for me - my one and only all-night set there before it closed its doors. There’s a lot of reasons why I left it so late in the lifespan of the pub to actually get around to DJing there, but I’m extremely grateful that I did get the chance before it was too late. Several times in the last few months, in fact. My DJ journey started as a pub-DJ at another legendary DJ bar, The Lock Tavern, where most of you know I was the music programmer for nigh-on ten years. I stand by my belief that one of the best ways to really understand how to read a room is to play all-night in a pub setting. When it’s good, it’s great, as you get the kind of freedom that headline club DJs can only dream of (believe me, I’ve tried it!). The Gun was the perfect place to try things out that you wouldn’t dare elsewhere with the biggest records of the night tending to be the weirdest or rarest. I’m really proud of this recording and, to commemorate its first anniversary, I’ve remastered it to give it a crisper and punchier sound. Even if you have given it a listen before, I urge you to consider revisiting it. The full tracklist is on the Soundcloud link below.

Something a little newer for you - a b2b with Ganzou on his Voices Radio show. This one’s a little housier, with a smattering of electro and ambient for good measure. It was nice to hear DJ Koze’s ‘I Want To Sleep’ and Jon Tejada’s ‘Unstable Condition’ for the first time in ages! Frankly speaking, we had a bit of a ‘mare with the needlessly complicated mixer, managing to accidentally roll-off the low-end for a good while there, but it’s still worth a listen.

And finally, I can announce my next Volte-Face gig for a new night at Venue MOT called Pulse on Friday 14th November. It’s a collaboration between my friends at Clot Magazine and Sunday School. And what a lineup it is, headlined by BleeD alumnus Peder Mannerfelt, Richie Culver’s Quiet Husband project, all-around hero Beau Wanzer, myself and NTS’s very own Lupini. I’ll be playing an especially dark and experimental opening set, which I have been thinking about for a while already and am looking forward to very much. Come early, stay late! Tickets and more information can be found here.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully next time there’ll be a third instalment of Lubrikate Your Living Room to share, with some excellent invitees currently working on their contributions. Please share this mailer with anyone that you feel might be interested. Until next time!

Casper x