WNW FESTIVE PARTY: RECAP

WNW FESTIVE PARTY: RECAP

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After the amazing week we had in London in June, we had to come back- albeit for 48 hours- this time for our first ever WNW Festive Party. Hosted at Shoreditch speakeasy Joyeux Bordel and sponsored by Mount Gay Rum, we were thrilled to see some familiar faces and lots of new ones. Apparently Brits have the same appreciation for good cocktails and good creatives as we do. Speaking of cocktails, we thought you might enjoy recreating the Black Storm at home:  

Black Storm
Method: Built in a highball over plenty of ice
 
Recipe: 50ml Mount Gay Black Barrel
Topped with effervescent, high quality Ginger Ale
Garnished with Slice of Orange

To really impress your guests, add fresh lime juice, ginger beer, and orange bitters. 

Thank you again for all that came (including a special shout-out to WNW Members and DJ's Customs and to our friends and partners who provided fun giveaways.) 

We promise we'll be back soon. Until then, we have the Facebook album. 

[Photos taken by WNW Member #7557 Ivan Hugo]

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ADVERTISING BY DAY, DANCE PARTY BY NIGHT

ADVERTISING BY DAY, DANCE PARTY BY NIGHT

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When we came to London last June, we didn't know quite what to expect. We'd heard the creative scene was thriving but we didn't realize how vibrant it was until we met Customs. WNW Members #5256 Guy Bingley and #5429 Nick Bastian, along with Tom Crookston and Brendan Marriott, make up this groovy DJ trio. They brought the funk to Dancing Not Dancing, our Jaguar Shoes party and the line down the block is a testament to their talent. 

They're spinning again, this time at Joyeux Bordel, where we've teamed up with Mount Gay Rum to bring you the WNW Festive Party on December 15th. Given that they all have day jobs (Guy is an Art Director and Nick Bastian is a Copywriter), we spoke to the Custom boys to find out the story behind the turntables. 

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How did Customs start? 

We'd all been DJ'ing together for quite a few years, doing residencies in London, parties and playing for fun. But for some reason we'd never got round to doing our own night. A club got in touch on Soundcloud and suggested the idea to us. It was really a case of "why did we never think of that!?"

How did you come up with the name?

The idea of travel came up a lot when we were talking about names. Tom lived in Martinique in the Caribbean for a while, Brendan had some time living in Bologna and Guy's back and forth to Tokyo regularly. We're always picking up records wherever we go, and we joked about the trials and tribulations of getting them home. The word "customs" came up, thinking of airports, but it stuck because of that other meaning - more like 'local customs'. And we liked the way the word sounds.

There’s a lot of you in the group. How do you divide and conquer?

We've played together for so long, and know each other's styles so well, that it's pretty easy to do things as a trio, just two of us, or solo too, depending on who's around. We like the energy of playing back-to-back though, whenever we can.

What do you do when you're not making sweet, sweet music?

Drink bubble tea. Drink negroni. Drink rum and ginger beer. It's important to stay hydrated.

Ever want to make this into a full-time gig? 

Of course!

What’s a typical “Customs” party? 

Most of our parties now are at LIFE on Old Street. It's a basement bar beneath a Japanese restaurant, intimate vibe, surprisingly good sound system. Lots of nice people dancing gently to warm, soulful sounds, from the "feels familiar" to the downright odd and exotic. We'd be sad if you didn't leave with a smile on your face.

How would you describe your own music?

This is not something we've got good at yet! But here goes: genre-wise, we cover a pretty broad range that takes in a lot of soul and disco from all over the world, plenty of house music, and a definite influence from what you’d call the ‘balearic’ sound. But I’d say what ties it all together above all is that we try to play music that feels warm, inviting and uplifting out on the dancefloor.

Songs on repeat?

It's not exactly a dancefloor-filler, but this record always gets dusted off as Christmas comes around.

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WNW Festive Party will be held on December 15th from 7-10pm at Joyeux Bordel. RSVPs only.

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WNW LONDON FESTIVE PARTY: GIVEAWAY PRIZES

WNW LONDON FESTIVE PARTY: GIVEAWAY PRIZES

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To help get you in the holiday spirit, a few of our friends and partners are chipping in to provide fun giveaways for you lucky Londoners. Only those who attend will be eligible and we'll announce the winners by email. 

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Mount Gay Rum

For those of you who appreciate quality liquor, look no further. Festive Party sponsors Mount Gay Rum is offering a bottle of Mount Gay 1703, the most exclusive product in the range, ranked one of the Top 10 Rums by Gayot. Mount Gay is the oldest, most storied, most nuanced rum in the world: "Our unique double pot distillation process came to Barbados with the first merchant ships. For this one, forty four blends were necessary to reach the subtle, perfectly balanced notes of oak, caramel, vanilla, spice, and toast." 

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Shinola

Our friends at Shinola have offered the super generous and sexy gift of The Runwell. Not your style? You can swap it out for a watch of your choosing. Their watch making process is steeped in American history and to this day, they continue to produce from their factory in Detroit. 

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Carousel

We've eaten at this Marlyebone restaurant and so we can personally attest to the deliciousness that is Carousel. They are offering a mouth-watering 3-course lunch for two which includes a bottle of house wine, and excludes service: "Our open kitchen is home to an ever-changing line up of talented chefs from around the world who share our philosophy on what eating out should be all about: amazing cooking, friendly service, a relaxed environment and a shared experience from one table to the next." 

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The Trampery

For any freelancer, co-working is a must. Fortunately The Trampery is treating one winner to an exclusive membership at their Shoreditch location. The one month Drawing Room membership entitles you to two days of access to the Drawing Room and use of all member facilities, including access to member events across all the Trampery sites. Drawing Room membership has not yet been released to the public so this is an offer exclusive to the Working Not Working network.

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Hato Studio & Press

Hato Studio founder and WNW Member #7139 Ken Kirton is offering a special gift package for one lucky winner: 2-Colour Workshop: "Draw in some inspiration and draw out your creativity. Let the artistic yogi in you come to life. The Image Making workshop runs through various forms of artistic practices to inform your style, and teaches you the basic principles behind risograph printing. Leave with an edition of ten prints in two colours, and some creative mindfulness." The winner also receives "How It Is", a new children's book by Nicolas Burrows, limited edition socks, and a choice of a print from artists Jean Jullien or Daniel Frost

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tokyobike

Our friends and frequent WNW collaborators tokyobike will be offering a weekend bike hire for two, "everything you need to explore the best bits of East London." They're also throwing in Chup socks & EVOLVG gloves that they describe as "creature comforts made in Japan."

It's Nice That

We're constantly inspired by blog It's Nice That and always wish we could attend their speaker series, Nicer Tuesdays. Fortunately for you UK based members, you can! They're offering two tickets, any month next year.

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Remember, only attendees are entered into the raffle. RSVP here and we'll email all winners post-party. 

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