Letter #120

19.06.20
Hello,

How are you? I hope you and your friends and family are all safe, and healthy.

First of all, I’ve got to say big thank you to Stefan for his excellent letter and mixtape last week. Both were incredibly powerful, and I feel lucky to have been able to share it with you.

Now, this week. I’ve not personally put any music together for three weeks now, but this week I’m back. I’ve spent a lot of time considering whether this is the right mixtape to share, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it is. This week the mixtape is filled with music of despair, of anger, and finally, of hope. I’ve scrapped the usual structure of Mancuso bardo’s, and this week – more than any other week, I think – is all about telling a story. Through lyrics, through the context of the records themselves, and from the feelings these records elicit.

It has taken a huge amount of effort to put together, and I think I’ve easily spent three times the time on this mixtape than any of the others. I think that that time was spent though, and it was important to get it right. The message I wanted to convey is that from despair comes anger, and we can turn anger into hope, and into a positive energy for change. This very project was named after a party that helped provide a space and an escape for marginalised communities – but the message was always very clear; Love Saves The Day.

This week’s mixtape is the truest incarnation of what this whole project is all about.

In a similar way to a lot of the mixtapes I’ve done while we’ve been on lockdown, this week’s was put together not on Spotify, but in my back room, late at night, with my own records. I think I must’ve pulled close to 1,000 out over the last few weeks, trying to find the right story, and the right songs. So, please listen, but really listen. This isn’t background music, this is music with a point, and music played with passion (both by the artist, and by me).

This week is also the three year anniversary of Love Will Save The Day, and today is my birthday too, so rather than just include a Spotify playlist, I’ve also put together a special live version of the mixtape that features some hidden extras too, as a thank you to each and every one of you for being here, and for being part of our community. The mix was recorded live last weekend, and I think it tells the story better as a live mix than as a Spotify playlist, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Finally, a big welcome to our new members this week; there’s lots of you, but I hope you all find this letter, and every subsequent (and every archived) letter interesting and worth your time and energy.

So, no more waffle from me. “Hate knows love’s the cure”, #BlackLivesMatter.

As ever, please stay safe, and stay in touch xxx

PS. If you’re new then this is how it works. Here’s what you’ve missed so far. And this is me.

PPS. If you’re wondering why you’re getting Love Will Save The Day so soon again, then it’s because I’ve taken it back to being weekly while we’re on lockdown in the UK – we all need more music, more culture, and more of each other ☺️

📖  Old notes  📖

📃 The tracklist  📃