Community management

Hello from sunny San Francisco. I'm at a convention this week, which means I'm writing this from a hotel room several time zones away from home and slightly disjointed from reality. Writing the newsletter is a nice way of still feeling connected to everyone back on the dance floors.

I had a pretty manic weekend. On Thursday, I went to check out 7 Vibes at Koko, an unusual night that, according to my friend who knows about such things, is rooted in ecstatic dance. As the night goes on it moves through seven different “vibes”, slowly building the energy in the room.

Most club nights follow a similar arc anyway (spare a thought for the warm-up DJs regularly battling the tyranny of low BPMs), but I’ve rarely seen it laid out quite so deliberately. (IVY) played a manic drum and bass set at the event’s peak that I adored, but otherwise I felt slightly out of sync with the crowd, who seemed perfectly happy riding the wave. Still, there was a strong sense of community in the room. It made for excellent people-watching as people greeted each other like old friends or huddled together as new connections were made.

Community turned out to be a bit of a theme for the weekend. On Friday I went to Swedgers, where I saw most of the found family I’ve picked up over the last couple of years of raving around London.

Friends in clubs can be a little transient. Once you leave the shared bubble of a night out, not every friendship survives the cold light of day. I’ve winced in a smoking area more than once as one of that night’s temporary friends revealed some extremely questionable politics, or just massively misjudged the vibes.

For a long time I kept a quiet distinction in my head between rave friends and real friends. Being at Swedgers made me wonder why that line existed in the first place. Maybe the answer is simply whether you let the bubble pop when the music stops. Group chats help. Meeting up outside the rave helps too — whether that’s an impromptu B2B or just dinner at the nice pasta place near Finsbury Park.

I’m prone to a bit of a yap in those chats — to my eternal shame — but they’ve made me feel much more connected to the idea of a scene. As I get older, it’s been nice watching these little circles form, seeing how they move and change, and figuring out my own place inside them.

Look after your people, and try not to let the bubble burst.

We’re doing our bit here too for community: this week, Michael is writing his first piece for the newsletter while I try to avoid handshaking myself to death at the convention. I’ll be back next week, but expect more writing from other people in the future.

The Mix

This week's mix is the first hour of a 4-hour Elena Colombi & Lena Willikens B2B set from Lux Fragil, recorded back in January. Colombi and Willikens are both renowned for their eclectic selections and weird sets and this is no different. Click the big play button below if you're on the website, but if you're reading it in your email, here's a SoundCloud link.

A sensible step forward for drug testing

London's first-ever drug checking services are due to open in Hackney and Camden in an announcement this week from drug safety and harm reduction charity The Loop.

The Loop is following up on the successful 2024 launch of its Bristol-based service, and the centre will provide health advice, "rapid analysis" of substances, and information on drugs in the local area.

As a long-term raver, I feel like responsible drug use is an absolute cornerstone of the culture. While many people can and do rave sober, it's such an important part of the rave scene that making sure drugs are being used in the most responsible way possible feels essential.

While drugs in the UK are largely free of the spectre that US partygoers face in Fentanyl, being able to go and check the safety of your supplies and get solid no-nonsense advice feels like an absolute boon for the city's ravers. Drug deaths are at an all-time high in the UK according to the Office of National Statistics so embracing this and testing anything out from a new supplier or that seems unusual feels like a smart thing to embrace as part of your regular clubbing life. The services are free, licensed by the Home Office, and 100% confidential.

This news comes as the Green Party's Zack Polanski has made big waves claiming that he'd legalise all drugs if he came into power, which has been contentious, but mostly for politicians and the media deliberately misunderstanding his remarks and likening it to selling heroin to kids in the playground.

I'm very left-leaning but try to avoid getting on a soapbox where possible. These changes seem smart to me though, and speak to a maturity that we're starting to see around harm reduction that I think will make drugs safer. Ignorance and fear around drug use absolutely leads to deaths, and so repositioning drug use and the consequences when it goes wrong as a public health issue and not a criminal issue feels like a really smart move that I'm hoping becomes the norm in the upcoming years.

Big Tobacco is quietly moving in on your nightlife

By Michael Wilkinson

With my first article I just wanted to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Michael, and I fell into raving headfirst after Covid. Through the people I met I was introduced into the world of it and since then have been to over 150 events, from huge venues to illegal raves under a bridge. I'd spent my whole life listening to dance music in my bedroom, and finally hearing it on a dancefloor felt unreal. I'm writing for those who love nightlife and want to know more about this fascinating world.

A year ago, I was scrolling through Instagram when I came across Unlock Your City, a website offering free tickets to major events and festivals all across London and the wider UK. From Drumsheds in London to the Prospect Building in Bristol and even festivals like Mighty Hoopla, they work with a long list of events and venues. It looks and feels like an independent brand covering and supporting nightlife. Digging in the terms and conditions though, I saw that it was run by British American Tobacco, one of the largest tobacco companies in the world and the parent company behind Velo and Vuse, brands whose ads absolutely plaster the tube and London as a whole.

Drumsheds is run by 9.8, a registered charity dedicated to making culture accessible by all. This made me think: why is a charity opening its doors to a tobacco brand?

Over the last year, these nicotine products have started to pop up at more and more major events, often with a stall offering anyone happy to part with their details a free pack of nicotine pouches or vapes. At Junction 2 in 2025 they implemented a ban on single-use vapes, a welcome addition until I saw the huge Vuse stall setup as soon as you come in. These brands have reps that work in smoking areas of clubs that push free vapes onto anyone, smokers or not. The Unlock Your City site seems to have wound down, but these stalls in venues don’t seem to be going anywhere.

The brands know, smartly, that they can hook users while they're young and in a heightened state while drinking or indulging in other substances, and then those people will associate their brand with going out and good times. They also know that they can influence the young 18-24 market, they can influence the wider teen market without advertising directly. BAT’s own internal research shows this, so this isn’t a new playbook for them. From 1995 BAT partnered with Ministry of Sound to run Lucky Strike events, getting their cigarettes into the hands of young people by sweetening the deal with free tickets and building the association that nicotine is just part of the night out.

While today this wouldn’t be allowed, this isn’t the same for vapes or pouches. Nicotine pouches especially have far looser regulations, as they’re allowed to offer free samples and have bright in-store displays, something that has been outlawed with cigarettes. Restrictions are coming in with the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill, but advertising will still be allowed in venues only visited by those 18+, which nightlife exclusively caters to. The Guardian reported: “Daily vaping rose from 3% at the age of 17 to almost one in five (19%) at the age of 23, while cigarette smoking rates remained almost the same (8% to 9%).” Tobacco companies know that cigarette sales are hard to grow, but are well-armed with different, cooler, brands they can use instead.

No festival is safe, even the independent Gemfest run by Pull Up Recordings has a Zyn stage this year. While Zyn, Vuse and Velo are marketed as a safer alternative they’re still funding the same tobacco industry that for years hid the health effects of cigarettes on people. If you’re of legal age then I believe you should be allowed to make your own choice, but we need to ask why we’re allowing these brands that have repeatedly put profit over public health to permeate our nightlife.

If you’re an adult, what you choose to put into your body is your business. Clubs and festivals are spaces about freedom, after all. But there’s a difference between people making their own choices and multinational tobacco companies positioning themselves in the smoking areas of our favourite venues, waiting for the moment when people are drunk, open, and easy to nudge toward a “free” hit of nicotine. Nightlife should belong to the people who build it and dance in it — not to companies running the same old playbook, just with sleeker packaging and a new generation in their sights.

What's on?

I'm quietly furious that I won't get home from San Francisco until Saturday morning, because I would love to see Prospa play live, and they're playing at Magazine on Friday. There's other good stuff I can't attend on Friday: Dmitri Vegas is at Studio 338 and Laurent Garnier is doing a 3 hour set at Fold.

Saturday, Magazine is again trying to tempt me in with a day party celebrating 30 years of Hospital Records. Armand Van Helden and a ton of other DJs will be at Studio 338, while Gaffe is hosting tech house label Wiggle's 32nd birthday party and you're invited, provided you pick up a ticket. Kings Arms has Noyb, Benebe, Foshay & MAÏS for free, which is an absurdly good deal.

Sunday is pretty light. Unfold is on and Mr Scruff is playing at The Bath House in Hackney Wick, but maybe just take the day to rest. You've earned it, no doubt.

Friday
Prospa Magazine
Dimitri Vegas London Studio 338
Labyrinth presents: Laurent Garnier 3 hour set Fold

Saturday
Hospital30 Magazine
Armand Van Helden Studio 338
Wiggle 32nd Birthday Gaffe
NOYB & Friends: Benebe, Foshay & MAÏS Kings Arms

Sunday
Mr. Scruff's Miniature Arena Tour The Bath House
UNFOLD CXVIII Unfold