Welcome to my latest Lubrikant mailer. This edition is a significant one in that I can tease some exciting developments, of which there will be more tangible news in the next mailer. Essentially, I’m going to be putting a lot more time and effort into developing Lubrikant as my full-time creative outlet. First things first, there will be a regular mix series. More will be revealed next time, but I’m hoping to keep things as diverse as possible with some very special contributions to look forward to. Secondly, approximately ten years on from the cessation of BleeD as a regular series, I’ll be once again looking for ways to get involved in curating, promoting and collaborating on events. I’m not putting any pressure on myself to work on anything for the sake of it. It just feels like the right time to give back some of my time, experience and resources to helping other creative people to realise their goals and to uncover some new ones of my own along the way. As the name suggests, I’ll be looking to grease a few gears and put myself amongst things a bit more again. If you have any ideas that you want to bring forward, please don’t hesitate. I’m all ears.

On the listening front, I have three very different mixes to share with you this time around. I hope you’ll find the time to listen, or add to your Soundcloud queues at least. I’m really pleased to announce that I’ve contributed the latest mix in Erol Alkan’s Phantasy mix series. I’ve been on friendly terms with Erol ever since the beginning of my DJ journey, around 20 years ago, having been a regular at his legendary Trash nights and later DJing at Durr and Bugged Out and booking him at The Lock Tavern, Field Day and several Adventures In The Beetroot Field events. As I drifted more towards exploring techno under my Volte-Face moniker, our paths diverged somewhat and a few years went by when I didn’t bump into him or see him play all that often. So this mix feels like a homecoming of sorts, and an expression of a rekindled musical freedom and a cherished friendship. I’m additionally proud to put this out in the world, as it’s fun and wide-ranging in a way that I simply didn’t feel like I could previously present while focusing on inhabiting a tiny corner of the ‘techno’ scene. I genuinely don’t feel like any musical avenues are off the table these days, and I’m finally free to express myself any way that feels right in the moment. Even, I should say, if that’s at a feted underground techno event (more news to come on that soon, but please keep the afternoon of Sunday 10th August free!).

I also guested on my old mucker Nick Stephens’ Netil Radio show once again, this time as a bit of a practice run for our forthcoming Field Maneuvers back to back. If you’re very quick, I may even have a spare friends and family discount code for that, but I’m told they will be expiring imminently so please act quickly. I strongly urge that you consider going if you’ve never been before, as it’s a small and truly independent festival with a huge heart. I attended last year, and found the atmosphere to be incredibly jovial and relaxed throughout. We’re opening the Sputnik stage under the Gun banner, to be followed by Tia Cousins, Daisy Moon, Vladimir Ivkovic and Lena Willikens. We really enjoy doing these back to backs together, and have been toying with the idea of going out under a new name, Family Silver, as we’re only dusted off for special occasions. We’re also heading up to the notorious Golden Lion in Todmorden at the end of August (29th and 30th) for the inevitable Golden Gun takeover, so there’s another date for your diaries. Vlad and Lena will also be playing at that, as well as Decius, Nathan Wilkins, Conor Thomas, Psych Milligan and more.

Finally, and another one for the ambient heads, is a new 90-minute mix of dub-infused and mostly beatless music for the Brighton-based Take A Trip series. It follows on from my previous 'Unrequited Dub' mix in attempting to create a calming headspace with the feel of dub-techno, but with no preoccupation with forward momentum or bass-weight. I hope you’ll find it to be an oasis of calm with plenty of depth and cutting-edge sound-design. As ever, please let me know what you think.

I’ll end the mail by saying that I’m excited about what the future holds, and I hope I can find ways to bring us together more often in the physical realm, as that’s where the magic really happens.

Until next time!

Casper