Dance Policy Shorts: Lupini

Who are you? What do you do?

I’m Nina, I perform the name Lupini and I DJ, run events, manage a radio station, alongside the rest of the team called Melodic Distraction, I just stick my finger in loads of pies. I am a broadcaster, generally got stuck into live music and culture in Liverpool and tried to mangle my way through the last two years.

How long have you been DJing for?

I think I started to basically try and laud over the Aux cable at house parties in 2017 and I guess I started DJing in 2018 basically. I probably only got… *laughs* really serious about it in the middle/end of 2018 really.

Obviously, you’ve been DJing for like three years now… out of that time who is someone you really look up to in dance music?

This is going to sound so crass and cheesy, but I really do mean it. Most of the people who I’ve pulled up with are friends and I really do look up to them. There’s something about huge names and artists but its almost so inaccessible. when you can respect people for the way they do things in your community it’s just it’s a much stronger, you wanna do someone proud and you see it and the effects in real time. People I’ve pulled up are just actual friends which is super cute, there are a couple of bigger ones I admire. I kind of read this question as who’s behaviour and values you look up to and someone. Someone who really stands out to me is Josh Doherty from I love Acid, he’s been in the game for a long time and he’s never had an agent and he books all his own tours and that keeps it real, it keeps a DIY feel. Obviously, he’s really good at branding and knows what he’s doing and knows his audience and gets shit done but he doesn’t make it about ego he doesn’t make it about feeding an industry thing he just does it because he loves it. And not all about this infinite cannibalistic growth that people really value in any creative industry. It’s so much work but the fact he’s never had an agent is so refreshing.

Also, I do really look up to Anna, she’s such a good example, she’s always done things her way she’s been herself and being really genuine no ego just wanting to do it because she loves it, always playing her mates tracks, always bigging up the scene that’s pushed her forwards and now that she’s breaking through to it, she’s keeping those connections and still doing things for people locally and setting a good example for people, and I just love to see it. She’s just got her head screwed on, It’s nice.

Everyone else I pulled up it’s not really artists, I think its people who make platforms for other people that’s the kind of person who I value because they are doing it because they love it and they’re doing it because they love the people around them not because they need to be the fucking centre of attention... like! And obviously you’d expect me to say this but like those who do radio stations and the teams behind radio stations where they’re like… just the person who’s on the laptop constantly so somebody else can have a nice time or somebody else’s career can take off.. like... they are the MVP. Like really, and I’m going to shout out my Melodic Distractions (The radio station) of course. But they put so much graft for Liverpool but places like Noods, Netil, EHFM, NTS, they’re really smashing it and doing some work that’s so valuable and even when it gets bigger the team at NTS are like… they just really give a shit. They really care about making things good, artistically, valuable and keeping things not corporate and that’s really good.

Some other people I thought… especially, its exactly the same energy as record stores and record labels are good for this. All Night Flight (Record store in Stockport) which is like… Tom only stocks music he actually likes. He doesn’t wanna be Juno, he doesn’t wanna be Phonica, he just wants to be himself and I love that its so precious, I’m trying to think of anyone else… um…. There’s a couple record labels, people who run it in ways that fosters a real community and actually supports their artists, pull their finger out, come correct and do things ethically, Laura Ree Martin, who does objects is great and Tom emends, local action who looks after their people and… that’s the people who I look up to.

What’s your favourite event you’ve been to? Manchester or Liverpool wherever.

…I’ve got to say I think I could walk into literally anything the white hotel put on and trust it. I know everyone in Manchester and North West Is going to be like “White Hotel!” But they are that fuckin good and I just love the place, the building, the taste that goes into it and their attitude and you can just walk in and know it will be good and there will be good people there. I used to go, this was obviously pre lock down, I hadn’t really settled into a group of Manchester friends, yet I didn’t really know people, I would come with a friend who I do the parties together with would come over on the train and then we’d get the first train back (to Liverpool) and even if we didn’t know people you would just feel like good being at that space… and in Liverpool…. The ones that stand out to me is like seeing SOPHIE perform in 24 kitchen street which was really special one of those life affirming shows, and then obviously it turned out to be… you know you always think you’ll get a chance to see this artist a million times over, but I’m really glad that was drop everything I need to get tickets. Especially when you go out a lot, its really hard to find the energy to NEED to see someone at a one show and I needed to get into that show, that was just unreal. It was so performative, elegant… such a good crowd such an engaged happy crowd.

I also like going to all the Dad techno nights, I love acid techno nights with older people above 40 I just have really nice memories of this. There’s a crew in Up&Up and kind of been doing IDM or acid techno nights for like 15 years now and I remember going to see the Acid crew and neon, having two cans of Rio and not even drinking that night and just having the best time, the best time. There’s also another event series here that have some big special… I’m biased because its my mates but I do think its such a good party, event called Red City which kind of evolved from a series of parties that I was peripherally involved with called the bakery parties just because it was held in this old bakery and then red city now is Theo Temple (shout out) his sound system is now in this old print studios and which is like mates getting together playing really fucking good music everybody having a good relaxed time and its always a fundraiser for a workers union and there’s no ego there’s no front, its not like we’re going to do a rave for charity! Nah its like we’re going to do everything ourselves, the bar, the sound systems, we’re just going to put it whenever will give it a space, our mates will DJ our mates will come anyone else who comes down we will make feel welcome and then it’s like someone will want to put a film exhibition on in the next room… or I wanna put a weird art exhibit down the corridor… Cool! You can pitch in and do this, its just this big melting pot that’s really fresh and beautiful.

You said recently that letting go at raves is a privilege, especially for women. I think this was quite an impressively vulnerable thing for someone to say and I think it would be really great to hear more on that.

That quote, as it were, there’s a party around here called humble abode and they were running a party and it was its own thing in association with a scheme called Good Night Out which is kind of a safer spaces building awareness scheme and they asked for a few words on top of the people playing and basically one of the things that were a core building block of the Athe events was a safer spaces policy and implementing that and its been really nice to see this idea of breaking mainstream and being more accepting of what they expect from a party. But it kind of cuts both ways, a lot of people just put a message on the event saying… “No sexism no transphobia no hate”

It’s so boring but the admin of it… like OK if a situation happens, who will go talk to that person? what are you actually going to fucking do? Don’t just say “no racism” and then sign out of the conversation and be like “this is a safe place”, there is no such thing as a fucking safe space! Here’s another thing, I ran a party a few years back and tried to put in place a really stringent policy about it and somebody got spiked at that party and they approached me afterwards and they were like I got home safe in the end, but I think you should know like… can you check the CCTV and etc etc and it’s like when people default say “this is a safe space” I immediately know it’s not a fucking safe space for anyone, it’s about to attempting to make things SAFER that you need to be honest about the fact you can’t control 150 people if that’s the capacity of your night …

People don’t drop their bad behaviours at the door they carry it with them so if you roll into a club and you’re white cis-het middle class able bodied non-neurodivergent you might not get harassed as the next person so its a privilege to bang a Gary and not think about your safety or not look out for your friend and in actual fact the number of times where I can actually like… feel like I’m not going to be harassed in a space and kind of turn that neurotic anxious part of my brain off and be like… “I will just let go and transcend ill pop a pill and just go wooo, Crazy town” it requires feeling really comfortable in a space and feeling like that space has been built in a way that is safe for me to do that and so that’s what I mean its a privilege. If I bang a Gary and lose my head and go to a place where people don’t give a fuck about how they’re conducting themselves or how the event organisers are setting up to be a place that is safe or safer then im just going to get fucking harassed in thirty seconds and im going to be out sorts and its going to be dangerous… thats what I mean that letting, go is a privilege. It’s also a right, it’s something we need and is why clubs are sacred places but its, like I said, not as easy to turn the sound system on and all of a sudden, we’re on a equal footing.

Its not just about having women or POC on your line-up its about what you’re doing to actively help people on the dance floor.

Yeah, you can tell. When you walk into a place and feel it.

What is the worst thing about DJing?

Imposter Syndrome. I don’t know at what point ill truly find this easy and enjoyable or ill always be neurotic about this which is… I get crazy stage freight, I get really intense imposter syndrome every time something goes well, like why would they want to put me on?? I don’t know! Someone wants to interview me for a magazine? Why?! I think I’ve made more peace with it now kind of like this is my own stuff to carry and you’re always going to feel like that but it I don’t know if its inherently standing up in front of other people is always gonna carry a bit of imposter syndrome it’s not exactly limited to music is it? But also, the other thing is I’m not a producer, like, that kind of is a huge crust I die under. I kind of piss around with bits of audio and field recordings. I’ve always had this chip on my shoulder like maybe I don’t understand anything? Like…

Last question, what’s your favourite thing about DJing?

So, you’re asking someone who’s mainly just done radio… the last year… and comes from a radio background. I started doing radio sets really before I was doing any event DJing so it will always be in my mind my first true love I think that is a lot… a lot more emotional… its more about… ugh this sounds like I’m such a wanker, I understand people play other people’s music and its true, I get it, but at the same time you can curate things in such a way that you create a sense of place or time or emotion and you kind of work with the restraints of what DJing is and what the equipment does to create something and when I feel like… my favourite thing is when I’ve really surprised myself how I’ve painted a picture or made someone feel an emotion. Its like telling a story, I know, so cheesy, but I do. That’s all I care about, creating an atmosphere.