One More Tune: ILX and Friends Celebrate JD Twitch

We are live.

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2577892623_16.jpg

https://thedarkoutside.bandcamp.com/album/ilx-and-friends-celebrate-jd-twitch-one-more-tune

My deep thanks to everyone who has assisted and contributed.

Please spread the word wide.

Thank you all again.

Cool.

yay, can't wait to listen!

Sounds amazing.

Sold <3

Stoked for this, thanks Ned for organizing this (and everyone who contributed!)

This is the stuff.

So far, I've shared it to my FB account, my FB music page, two music promotion FB groups that I'm in, the Discord server that imago is in and I help run, and another server that I help run.

Sounding great so far :)

Thank you Ned.

I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect as it was put together so quickly. But holy shit, it is EXCELLENT. I am absolutely positive Keith will love it. Tracks you could hear during the (Espacio) first hour and others during Optimo. Brilliant work everyone.

this Friday is Bandcamp Friday - guessing it would be better to get it then?

Whenever you'd like! That timing wasn't planned, but it can't hurt for sure.

Wait… is max 404 (as in, the dutch producer) an ilx poster!?

He is now! (He joined and posted on the thread where this was coming together.)

I made a mix years ago that I posted to mixcloud and shared somewhere and he was on it, and Keith was really impressed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvbSnFZA80s

Well done, you bunch of smashers!

Looking forward to listening! I've done a fb & IG, I'll do a post on Blue sky tomorrow, I'll also did a mailout tonight, so went to a few hundred through that... Oh and share it on my Bandcamp community.

@clairhotgem

DFA has a great Optimo shirt. Would be great of they gave the comp a shout.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DMbIuASSrEq/?igsh=cnBtcjBpODIwaWR3

Well done to one and all, it's a thing of beauty. Looking forward to listening to the whole thing.

My track title translates as 'The First Hour' :-)

DFA has a great Optimo shirt. Would be great of they gave the comp a shout.

what does this post say?

I think the intention is to find a way for DFA to share info about the comp?

Some good stuff throughout this but wow @ the closing stretch

Just to say that the long file names meant that I had problems with unzipping, and then again with adding to iTunes: I had to manually shorten all the file names. Hopefully that's not a universal problem...

Didn’t experience that on my end at all at any point in the process so I’m not sure what to suggest. You’re running an up to date version?

Probably not! It might be a "just me" thing, then - and it wasn't too hard to do the workaround. So I am now happily playing through the downloaded MP3s and enjoying them very much.

Oh this is amazing! I know I said I would contribute, but sadly life became extremely busy and I didn't want to submit anything sub-par. It's wonderful to see this compilation take shape and see it all presented like this. Well done everyone.

Just read the virtual CD booklet PDF - lovely stuff.

Really pleased you went with One More Tune as the title, as well!

It just worked! And I was wondering what folks would think of the booklet

DFA has a great Optimo shirt. Would be great of they gave the comp a shout.

what does this post say?

Picture of the shirt, which is yellow with orange text saying "NO DFA WITHOUT OPTIMO" and then the post text itself:

dfarecs

Edited
•
6d
The Glasgow New York Transatlantic Connection™ between Optimo and DFA is real, and it goes back to the beginning. The Rapture played at Optimo first, in the summer of 2002, with Keith and Jonnie flying to New York to DJ James’ DFA party at APT later that same year. They’ve played our records, hosted our artists, DJ’d our parties, contributed remixes and records to the DFA catalog, hugged us sweatily into the night, and been more than family ever since.

You may have heard that Keith was recently diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. A crowdfunder has been established to help cover the cost of his care with, in true Keith form, any surplus going to benefit the many very real and local causes that the man has supported all of his brilliant career. The struggle of our dear friend has generated a righteous and justified wave of support from people all around the world, and not least from all of the good humans of DFA.

This shirt is our tiny way of trying to raise money for our friend (every bit of profit will go to Keith’s fund) but it’s also an opportunity for us to show love and respect where it’s so truly deserved, with a truth:

No DFA Without Optimo.

For Keith + his family, Jonnie, and all our friends in Glasgow and abroad. We love you very much.

(Link to buy this shirt in our bio. We'll post a link to the Crowdfunder in our story highlights, too.)

👍🏼

this community and each of you are so amazing to me, i appreciate just to observe it all. thx. i’m enjoying the tracks.

Lovely to see we're already closing in on around 500 pounds raised -- and that people are leaving reviews and comments there too!

Bandcamp tells me it's £723.23 so far
Thank you to everyone that has paid over the odds - you know who you are

On Bandcamp Friday, if you have a spare £5, why not treat a friend with a gift ?

nice.

Here’s the public / actual link for the DFA shirt: https://store.dfarecords.com/products/no-dfa-without-optimo-t-shirt

For those wanting a quick currency crunch, that's nearly a thousand dollars raised so far -- and like frenchbloke said, that's come down to people paying over the baseline. Deeply appreciated.

My track title translates as 'The First Hour' :-)

I admit I was wondering!

A quick note that as our efforts continue, many others are showing up in their own right — today, per his Crowdfunder page, an anonymous person or group kicked in 10,000 pounds for it. We are very much in good company around the world.

ILX roolz. Thanks all.

I'm on the penultimate tune, and I think the track sequencing has been excellent - as LJ says, the closing run of clubbier tunes is amazing.

if my relentless self-promotion hasn't been clear, I'm New York Endless, and was excited for Ned's deadline to give me a reason to actually start and "finish" something.

I don't who Three Daughters is/are, but my stars, thank you! It's like some amazing lost outtake from Microphonies era CV

Three Daughters may or may not be a bloke and he may or may not be French.

Ah right, gallicdude

I tip my chapeau then sir

loved hearing everybody's tracks, thank you all

this is so great

I can neither confirm or deny anything about three daughters
( Stirmonster will recognise the name, probably with dread as the flashbacks from 1990 come back )

This is such a brilliant thing you've done - Ned, and everyone involved. I'm going to buy it on Friday.

Great tunes and a great way to celebrate him.

Looking fwd to copping this tomorrow and listening throughout the weekend and I strongly suspect it will inspire me to finally set up some DJ/music software again having just dropped it all since shifting from Windows to Mac years ago now.

I certainly hope it does! And thanks for all the kind comments.

Hmm - last post didn't go through:

I finally bought my copy. Booklet is excellent! I can't wait to listen. Thanks everyone.

Trying to buy this but Bandcamp won't let me.

OK, managed it after four attempts!

Been traveling but itching to get to this!

Put up a Patreon post about it all just now, from my perspective:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/some-weekly-156-135321496

Thank you, everyone. I am in the best company.

my sequencing stuck with a strict 'as they arrived' formula because my own time was stretched as it was, though as often been the case, serendipity made it all the more lovely a listen

I am astounded. The sequencing works so well!

What can I say? Fate will have its due.

I like how you can't tell what's coming next.

Wow, I genuinely thought this was intentionally sequenced. Tbf I was glad to see a 12 min soundscape after my 7 min deep house chugger as I was a bit concerned I had got carried away. Great work all round :)

bought this today but won't be able to listen until tomorrow, psyched

Chanteuse track is myself and two friends, recorded circa 2010 I think?

"I am astounded. The sequencing works so well!"

I second this. Simply incredible. I had been wondering how you managed to get it to flow so well before I read this and was wondering about the time-frame for it.

It's just as well Clair submitted so late as it could not have closed any other way!

Truly!

Seabeasts track sounds like Killing Joke, love it

You've all done very well! </ThankYouMisterGrace>

the total has just past the £1500 point.
A huge thank you to everyone that bought it.
and a extra large thank you to those who paid up to 10 times more.

Excellent!

The crowndfunder shuts in 11 days, is the plan to send the cash over before that or are we able to send it separately to give people more time?

I'm cashing out from paypal and will be adding to the crowdfunder today
People are still buying it and everything from it will be added to the crowdfunder and after that, I can send direct, or worse case, discreet handover in an envelope under the cover of darkness

£1502 just added to the crowdfunder.
Shall keep this going until everyone who needs a copy has a copy

thank you everyone !

Indeed, much thanks to all!

I've gone ahead and created a Discogs entry for the compilation:

https://www.discogs.com/release/34745904-Various-ILX-And-Friends-Celebrate-JD-Twitch-One-More-Tune

Good work, Ned! Plus I've now discovered all the other ILX compilations are on Discogs!

You've done ILX and Keith proud, Ned.

Sorry to be a pedantic sub, but there's a name missing from the notes on Discogs, don't know if you can edit it:

The release was organized on the ILX discussion board where was a long time member

Noted. I’ll add anyone with an account can edit that but yes, it should say JD there.

From Marissa.

Update on Keith 💛

Keith has now been referred, accepted and moved in to a hospice, as his condition has progressed rapidly in recent weeks.

His speech, strength, and awareness have declined, and he’s now mostly non-verbal and very fatigued. He’s needing full support with mobility, communication, and care. It’s clear now that he is entering the final stage of his illness, and our focus is fully on comfort, calm, and being present with him.

Despite everything, Keith has had some beautiful moments over the past few weeks — including a lovely family holiday surrounded by love (and four dogs!), amazing support from his care team, yoga, personal soundbath, speech & language therapy, and specialist input for his chest and neurological health. The nursing home staff have been incredible, and the generosity of so many of you has made all this possible. Thank you so much.

Bless Keith.

oh god, heartbreaking news

Just knowing he's being cared for so well is welcome.

Echoing everyone's posts. Thanks again and Love to you all!

Awful news. Love to Keith and his family

added the remaining ( so far) £126 to the funds from Bandcamp sales

This is bringing back memories of dear departed ILXor onimo, who went the same way. Hail hail, Gerry ;_;

very much so, it's horrible to see someone else going through it

Just knowing he's being cared for so well is welcome.

and yes ned, am also glad for keith and his loved ones it sounds like they've managed to have some moments to treasure together during all this

well done to you all btw, ned and frenchbloke you've done an amazing thing

Such awful news. But solace in the care that Keith is receiving.

I've been away for a few weeks and am only now getting round to listening to the album properly, and it truly is a thing of beauty. Love to all involved xx

Lovely and sizeable donations today on the Crowdfunder from a bunch of other events and folks. The care is continuing to come in, and as needed, the charity donations he would have wished.

the main crowdfunder is still being added to but you may like to know about this :
https://keith-mcivor.muchloved.com/

£25000 from the crowdfunder has been donated to this, Hospice Tribute Fund which is where Stirmonster has been moved to

There's a couple of donations from the sale of a 12" as well as someone's bandcamp sales for a release.

Thanks for sharing this!

I'll pass on any further proceeds ( there's currently just over £11 from a handful of sales from the last few days ) to either funs - will run it past them all first to see which they prefer

Lovely to see it -- yesterday DFA donated almost 10,000 pounds to the hospice tribute fund that frenchbloke linked per a couple posts upthread, so to relink:

https://keith-mcivor.muchloved.com/

Ace. So nice to see the love! Stirmonster posts here turned me on to Arthur Russell, 'good' punk (7" of Fear - first time I heard Crass), those early Optimo nights in Glasgow (there's a video on YouTube of Todd Terje playing Inspector Norse which captures the best clubbing experience of my life!), so much stuff- his recommendations here were always instant must-check-this-out. Just had a little idea, gonna message you on FB, Ned.

I remember posting that I'd just heard UR's Final Frontier for the first time and having him post something like "lovely, would give anything to hear that again for the first time." Whatever the opposite of gatekeeping is.

Very true!

From Instagram :[

optimoespacio

51 m
It’s with immense sadness that I’m writing to tell you Keith passed away peacefully yesterday at 2.06pm at The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow. In a 28 year partnership he changed my life immeasurably and together we took our work in directions and to places few people are lucky enough to explore. I am forever grateful for everything he bestowed on me, both as a partner in music and as a friend. Keith’s intensity and passion for life, for music, for creativity and for positive change simply never let up. He was formidable. His belief in people and the idea that standing together, that our collective strength is powerful was unwavering. I loved him for that.
My thoughts are with Keith’s family and friends. Thank you to them and the extended group who have tirelessly supported Keith and each other in the last few months. Thank you to the staff at The Hospice who made this last while as good as it possibly could be.
Keith left us far too soon. He will go now to travel those space-ways but I know his energy remains in every one of us who had the privilege of knowing him. I love you forever Keith.

“All things pass, into the night…”

Beautiful words. So much truth and power in them. Thanks to Jonnie. Love to you all. I love you, Keith! I'll never stop!

RIP Keith.

rip <3

RIP, Stirmonster.

So unbelievably cruel. RIP.

He probably didn’t even like this song but whenever I hear “space travel’s in my blood - there ain’t nothin I can do about it” I think of Keith

I bet you he did like it!

Ha idk - a little bit canonical indie perhaps for him - but I guess I’ll never get to ask him now.

Man

RIP, stirmonster

I’m reading this news on the train with my wife - who before she had that dubious status lived w me in New York and attended multiple Optimo nights, at one of which, at Passer-By, she liked the music so much she jumped up and danced on the table. I have probably mentioned this story before in this very thread but fuck it. I’m so grateful for Keith. What a beautiful generous presence.

RIP Stirmonster. Love to all his friends and family.

On a bus from València to Barcelona right now. Saw the news a half hour ago and am feeling thankful for having known Keith.
Here is what I’ve posted to my FB page;
*******

One of the great nights of my life was twenty (!) years ago. I was part of Kid Congo And The Pink Monkey Birds then jaunting around Europe and UK playing noisy, grainy electronics as a sort of “third guitar” in the band. One of our final dates in a looong month of concerts was to be at Glasgow’s Sub Club for the Optimo (Espacio) party. I couldn’t wait to play there as the night was already stuff of legend and Optimo were musical gurus of sorts.
Glasgow and the night itself were excellent. 30 minutes to do our thing in front of students and punters ready to dance into the night. Then get the hell offstage and dance with everyone to Optimo’s selections.
Getting to know Keith and Jonnie - our gracious hosts with the most - who had invited us to play and made us feel welcome and very hung over the next day was the proverbial cherry on top. It was the best night of that adventure and I remained friends with both Jonnie and Keith in years to come seeing them whenever they played in NYC and also emailing Keith about music we loved. The mp3 folder he gifted me of some of his favorite Japanese music is one I dive into often.

Goodbye, Keith. What you and Jonnie have contributed to this now sadly ultra commercialized and often directionless world of dj’ing and sharing music for the life changing joy of it can not be diminished. Your friendliness, passion and generosity will live on in our hearts.
Optimo Forever

RIP stirmonster. I didn’t get him to know him personally but always loved his posts. Hugs to all of you who did.

RIP stirmonster and my condolences to everyone here who was lucky enough to know him. I also never met him and didn't even cross paths here that much, but it's been moving to see how much you all cared about him and learn how many lives he touched

My words will come. For now, I’m glad I did what I could. RIP, always.

My condolences. I wish I'd gotten to know him better.

Sad to hear this, RIP Stirmonster.

I’ve been lucky enough to see Nurse With Wound twice in Glasgow thanks to Optimo, just typical of Keith’s openness to all kinds of music and his passion for sharing and promoting. I’ll spin something hot for him tonight. RIP.

we never met, but swapped a lot of music between each other
(mainly cos i have all my stuff digitally, and he was predom well worn vinyl and wanted to replace tracks that had got f&cked due to overplaying!)
i once even sent him a remix he had done but didn't have digitally.
he once told me how he very nearly went to leeds uni as opposed to glasgow.
in which case we joked that we would have met at jumbo records buying the same stuff.
i f^cking loved stirmonster vs ilm.
going to really miss him.

r.i.p stirmonster.

Tracer, I can assure you that Keith did like that song a lot.

Haha good :)

So many seeds and byways and astoningshly ok what nows. Always inspirational. All my love and RIP.

I loved your story, Captaine. I did not go that time and I have always regretted it!

An absolute legend and one of my favorite posters here. Just heartbroken. RIP.

RIP

I think I posted my letter to him here or elsewhere already but just want to restate that in a world of djs and record collectors and labels and all that there has never been as kind and generous a soul. A total hero for me.

Tracer, The song is on How to Kill The DJ Part 2 on the second disc! I just remembered. It's the last song on it.

Posted this on fb but prob makes more sense here. Ever since I heard about Keith’s diagnosis- haven’t been able to stop thinking about what a crazy influence he’s had over my life. Kinda what prompted me to get over my insecurities and actually post here rather than just read.
Remember slowly realising the same chap who always had killer recommendations on here was the same guy who was one half of Optimo and was also the guy behind all those Twitch / Betty edits, ‘ohh that all makes sense’
Today I was meant to go to Dial House- Keith’s 10/60 minutes of fear compilation is what really turned me onto Crass and Zounds and The Mob and that whole world- was planning on sending a silly little gift from Penny and I
Could echo a lot of what he says here about Arthur Russell right back at him.

https://www.insomniac.com/magazine/dear-arthur-russell-your-music-changed-my-life/

A friend and I made a kind of pilgrimage up to Glasgow for this and was one of the best nights of my life and the last time we went dancing together, he used to post here (owenf) - sadly died a few years ago. Anyway, lots of love to you all. I know I'm always cringe-earnest, but this place is a special little refuge, like the good ol internet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tgK5tfG9ps

I was there too, foghorn. Thanks for the post. If you can't be earnest today, when can you? x

jed that may be why it lodged in my brain that way. need to listen to that again.

i hate to simply say "condolences" but the feelings i'm feeling are too intense to process.

endless respect to a perfect example.

RIP. My condolences to all on here that knew Keith IRL

RIP Keith.

Loving that the BBC are running with a photo of him in a 1000 Homo DJs shirt.

Keith's wife posted this on FB earlier:

On Friday 19th September at 14:06, Keith McIvor peacefully drifted off for his final sleep. It happened suddenly in the end, but it was completely peaceful. I was holding his hand as we listened to his Crate of Jamaica mix from lockdown — the one he dedicated to Amelie.

Please don’t feel you need to message me directly — the most meaningful way to honour Keith is to keep playing his music, sharing your memories, and supporting the causes he cared about. 💛
I never imagined that when we celebrated our third wedding anniversary recently — when he left the hospital for a short time — that it would be our last. I thought we had many more anniversaries ahead of us. Keith felt all the love that surrounded him, right to the very end. His kindness, creativity, and joy touched so many lives, and his music and spirit will live on.

You can listen to that final soundtrack, and read his dedication to Amelie, here: https://optimomusic.bandcamp.com/album/crate-of-jamaica-free-pay-what-you-want

I also want to thank everyone who has supported Keith and us through these past months — with love, with messages, and with contributions to the fundraisers in his name. He would be so proud to know that people all over the world cared enough to give. Those donations will benefit the charities he chose: Glasgow NW Foodbank, the CRER Scotland, brainstrust, Takis Shelter non-profit organisation, and the The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.

A special thank-you to everyone at the hospice who cared for Keith and our family, and made his final moments on earth as peaceful and calm as possible — with beautiful touches, including the crochet hearts laid next to his body.

The “o” at the end of every BBC News URL stands for Optimo.

RIP stirmonster

I can't remember between the threads and my own message to the inbox that was created what I've shared where, will share some more stories later I guess. A lot of my close friends from Dublin were good friends with Keith as he djed with us a lot over the years. We are all feeling it today. One of them told me he played with him a couple of years ago at the fifteenth birthday of the club he runs, and he said he was joking to Keith about how he wasn't sure he'd still be DJing in another fifteen years, or didn't know, and Keith said he had no doubt that he himself would never stop DJing. From the outside, the speed at which this has all happened is frightening and it's hard to imagine how it must be for his close family and friends.

Heartbreaking. We've all lost a great pal. RIP my friend.

I was holding his hand as we listened to his Crate of Jamaica mix from lockdown

oh man

RIP to a real one

This is one of the songs on that tape. apropos.

Prince Buster - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iibpewIA_ik

RIP

We've all lost a great pal.

This, truly, is the core of it. This is what sums him up. A truly great pal, in so many ways, on so many different levels, across so many contexts, for people who he knew and for people who he never met but thought of and acted for without seeking glory from it. That is it.

only just noticed why this thread keeps going up today, awful news. RIP stirmonster

RIP, condolences

I meant to write something decent while he was still alive but over thought it and the moment clearly went. As it is, just want to send love to all those touched by Stirmonster- friends, family, people who loved the music he curated but also those who know Keith from late night opinionated conversations on here. xxx

RIP. Will dance hard at Making Time today— Optimo (and Keith in particular) performed more at Making Time events than any other artists in the history of the club nights and festival. A total loss.

Was thinking about you ilxors there at MT. Going to be an emotional one for sure. Sending love x

ftr : this is the remix he did for a major label that i had to send him as he didn't have it.
which tells you so much about him.
also, it's a f&cking brilliant remix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR2-sJU0XIc

Love and condolences to you all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNdMvW75LaE

This was truly heartbreaking to witness, RIP lovely stirmonster
love and condolences to all of you who knew him

I've put together threads on both FB and Bluesky (and Mastodon, for that matter) sharing out some relevant links that came to mind thinking of his wife's suggestion that "the most meaningful way to honour Keith is to keep playing his music, sharing your memories, and supporting the causes he cared about." Please feel free to use these posts and share them as needed.

https://www.facebook.com/nedraggett/posts/pfbid02bgjm1BPm7ByNEDY7dYTg9NG92bE8mHbdmxia1DuDFq1Gbtyc41WwojC5FLdsxb3vl

https://bsky.app/profile/nedraggett.bsky.social/post/3lzceibt3pk2e

https://sfba.social/@nedraggett/115238866799272961

Very nice Ned.

Thank you, Ned.

It's so beautiful to see so many posts all over various platforms paying tribute to Keith. His impact is truly immeasurable. It's lovely to see tributes from friends but equally lovely to see messages from people who never met him but still say he changed their lives! He changed the lives of people who had never met or even heard of him as well through his social and political commitments. The phrase Rest In Power has never seemed more apt. What a blessing it is to have had him in our lives.

He was one of those people that when you met him you felt like you'd always known him, somehow, and somehow like everyone felt this way??! Crazy

That is the generous nature of a great soul.

Love never ends.

It is only a cliche to say so because it is true. The love that Keith produced will continue and be passed on forever. I'm feeling sentimental but to say this isn't sentimental, it's a real and profound impact.

RIP, I only knew him from his posts and his mixes but he was the embodiment of loving music, which is what this place is all about (mostly)

ah i’m so sorry for your grief everybody. this thread is uplifting, you do his memory proud and well. rip stirmonster.

RIP. my condolences to all who knew and loved him

RIP. Too soon.

He was one of my favourite posters on here. Thoughts are with all who knew him.

RIP to a great one. Love to everyone who knew him.

mike he would've been an amazing guest on your podcast wouldn't he? i know it seems like a silly thing but amongst other stuff i'm really going to miss asking him about certain records or obscure band. definitely have a feeling of loss about all the little future interactions that have been taken away from us.

His presence here was always like a lovely balance between how much he knew about whatever was being discussed, but also his manner of chatting about it.

RIP

xp absolutely and not to mention his enthusiasm and curiosity about new stuff too

RIP

RIP stirmonstet

So very sad to read this RIP

RIP

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/20/jd-twitch-esteemed-scottish-dj-in-duo-optimo-dies-aged-57

this is a nice piece too:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/21/from-disco-to-slayer-a-dj-set-by-optimos-jd-twitch-made-life-feel-full-of-wild-possibility

rip stirmonster, condolences to his many friends

That Guardian piece is really great, thanks.

RIP. Condolences to all of you who knew

Nothing but outpourings of love across my feeds this weekend from folks who'd worked with him or crossed paths and the overarching theme seems to be what a knowledgeable, generous and caring guy he was who loved nothing more than sharing an obscure tune with all who asked rather than gatekeeping it for himself. A huge loss to the electronic and wider community

For a while some friends and I ran a club in Dublin and we had lots of different people come and play, and for various reasons it was a very hand to mouth sort of operation, like I would collect the DJ from the airport, we would just hang out with them ourselves or after the club go to a party in someone's house or whatever, there was no professionalism, which may seem normal but a small but significant number of the DJs we booked were appalled by this or felt like badly treated, idk.

I can remember one or two, prob the minority really, having major tantrums about minor things, or generally making it feel difficult or awkward for us as a small Thursday night club.

But from day one, the first time we had them play, Keith and Johnny were our friends. The car got a flat on the way from the airport one of the times they came over, maybe the first time, and Johnny leapt out and said he used to work as a mechanic or something, and changed it on the side of the motorway. This is the story I tell to illustrate that very few other DJs are like them ime.

The first time they played for us I knew Keith from on here a bit and I had basically just started DJing at that club, like really only doing warm up slots, didn't know how to mix or anything but was involved cos I liked music a lot and my friends did too.

Without me knowing about it until after, Keith asked the promoter to put me as support DJ, the first time I'd ever done that for any visiting DJ. This meant a huge amount and he didn't have to do it at all. I bet there are loads of stories like this. I was maybe 23 or so when this happened and he just supported me absolutely with any music stuff, whether interviews as a journalist or DJing stuff. I have some amazing stories he told me about organising raves in Scotland but idk it they'll ever see the light of day.

In the years after, I supported them prob a couple of other times, and the next time maybe a year or so later I remember Keith taking me aside and really praising the set and noting I could beat match etc, like buzzing about this as he said it to me.

I know all of us from that group of my close Dublin friends remained friends with him and Johnny, though I had lost touch a bit in a direct way over the years since leaving Dublin, and that's always sort of sad, albeit such is life. I have some vague feelings of sadness and regret about that but also about not going on to DJ more, stuff I spoke to Keith about sometimes back in the day and again where he was so encouraging and determined about this for others.

But even here I still used to feel it was special when Keith would share enthusiasm for a record or whatever. I remember very recently, this year, him saying a remix of Lovelee Dae I posted was his favourite version and it's always been a record I love, and that sense of Keith saying it just always felt great.

Great post LocalGarda. One of the many things that I wish is that he had got the opportunity to do was to write his story. Though Keith was so humble that I don't know if it would have sat well with him to tell his story. Still, there are so many stories and great writers out there who knew him that perhaps someone will pull them together one day. His life deserves it.

HOF poster, people like him make the world a brighter place.

Gonna listen to the On-U-Sound comp he recommended me in that thread.

RIP :(

There's an amazing anecdote from Keith somewhere on ILX about losing it on mushrooms. He shared a lot of his experiences with us here. I was a little surprised and very delighted by how much so, and how much ILX did seem to mean to this incredibly busy seeming artist in the end (tho he was far from alone here ofc).

Only met him a couple of times myself, both at nights he was DJing but I found myself v drawn to, inspired by and supportive of his style and ethos as a producer since first learning of Optimo. Every year at least one remix of his would end up in my favourites list.

Stir's Magic Mushroom Story:

"so, we decided to put on a rave in 1991 for 5000 people at the forum with the shamen, cabaret voltaire and meat beat manifesto live and myself and brainstorm dj'ing. we discovered that the rates for showing adverts on scottish television after midnight were ridiculously cheap (something like 40 pounds per 30 seconds) so we made the shoddiest advert of all time starring myself, brainstorm and our 'crowd controller' dribbler (i still live in dread that this monstrosity will one day resurface and am amazed that STV allowed it to be screened). the advert ends with dribbler announcing 'it's nae for numpties' which translates as 'no idiots please'.

the outcome was that every numpty in central scotland sitting up late, no doubt stoned, saw the advert and tried to get a ticket so we added a second night which sold out in a flash.

the first night ended up being 'heaven' to the second night's 'hell'. the atmosphere was fantastic, the bands were fantastic, the music was fantastic and the crowd was pretty much numpty free. it was a definite 'one of the best nights of my life' type affair.

then we do the second night and from the start there is a horrible vibe. the crowd is super rough, threatening even. the shamen are having some internal ruction and nearly don't play and there are numerous technical problems. my friend fraser persuades us it is a good idea to take some mushrooms while the shamen are on, so we do. i can't remember how he had processed them - they were either liquid or powdered but i inadvertently took around 1000. by the time myself and brainstorm are meant to go on and dj the whole building seems to be melting and he decides he can't play and as i appear to be more together i should do it, alone.

i somehow make it to the stage and play a couple of records and then this serene sense of calm comes over me and i very matter of factly decide i don't want to be in the building any longer. i put on my coat, walk off the stage, out the door and start running. meanwhile the record ends and 5000 people are left wondering what is going on.

someone i know tells my friends i have bolted and they rush out the building looking for me, only to see me vanishing off into the horizon, bounding off across open fields. they jump in a car in hot pursuit.

i meanwhile am having a whale of a time. i have patently completely lost my mind but am really enjoying myself and feel like elsa from born free. the forum is in the middle of nowhere so i have probably run about two miles by now and have seemingly boundless energy, leaping fences and running on, and on, and on.

eventually i come to a steep embankment, slide down it and fall into the river at the bottom. the river is quite wide but very slow flowing and not very deep. the puffa jacket i am wearing fills up with air and next thing i know i am floating on the river and it feels amazing. i feel completely liberated and at one with nature. it is about 6am and some guy is walking his dog on the other side of the river sees me and obviously assumes it is a dead body in the river so he calls the police.

about 15 minutes later the police turn up at the same time as the car full of my friends. my friend jason reaches me first and tries to pull me out. i am livid that he is killing my vibe and push him over at which point the police decide to intervene. they're initially not too sure what to do as this soaking, muddy, dreadlocked creature emerges from 'the deep'. after a couple of minutes they drag me off and put me in the back of the police van which has about half a dozen officers in the back who are looking at me in disbelief.

they drive off with my friends following behind. just prior to this i had been reading a book by the anarchist thinker mikhail bakunin and start telling the police officers how they are pawns in the class system, protecting the interests of the ruling classes and that the police force needs to be eliminated. i think by this point i have completely freaked them out so they decide to drive me to the nearest hospital where they dump me in accident and emergency.

the nurses are amazing (they have obviously seen it all before) and dry me off, check i know who i am, where i am and what year it is and put me to bed. the only spare bed is in a geriatric ward and i somehow get it into my head that i have aged 70 years over the course of the night and have been put here to await shuffling off this mortal coil. then i fall asleep.

i wake up and a few of my friends are there. i feel fine, the nurses decide i am ok to go so i get driven home without a single word being said. no one there will even mention that night ever again despite repeated attempts by me to bring it up in the future. they had been so freaked out by it that they wanted to excise it from their minds while i found the whole thing hilarious, and still do (despite what i put them through).

the same night someone leaving the forum was stabbed (thankfully not fatally) and the next day there was something in the local paper about it with a bit at the bottom about 'a dj being pulled out of the river'. somehow Guy Veale got a copy, kept it in his wallet for years and would bring it out at any opportunity. he's like that."

hahaha amazing

Thank you for sharing this, GS! Amazing stuff

Now THAT is a story.

Shared it out via Bluesky and got this response:

I don't remember my ilx details right now but I was reminded of an anecdote about when Green Velvet were playing Optimo. Twitch had Curtis over for dinner and they nearly had him singing "Tatties ready, prepare to mash" in Flash live until someone pointed off it would be too silly.

Omg Griff this was the story I was thinking of!

Years ago I interviewed him for a feature that never worked out in the end, and he told me that story, I might have a tape of it somewhere. Wasn't going to relay it but had never seen it on ILX. Just remember laughing so hard on the phone.

It was Keith's wife at the time, who prepared the dinner pre-Pure and came into the room saying 'tatties ready prepare to mash'.

I meant the mushrooms one btw, tho think the Green Velvet one is new to me, lol.

beautiful stories xx

laffed a lot at that story.
brilliant stuff.
also, localgarda - what a lovely post.
you have just proved to me that ilm is a rather special place,
and stirmonster was very much into that side of this little corner of the internet.
but hey : the shamen, meat beat manifesto, and the cabs.
what an insane line up.
on the cabs thread he mentioned re being at a gig that was recorded.
tis the cd thats part of the 'conform .. ' boxset.
of course he didn't have it, so i sent it over so he could hear himself in the crowd reactions.

Can't stop chuckling at 'tatties ready, prepare to mash'

I remember Keith telling that Green Velvet one on ILM too

I remember Keith telling the mushroom story. He told me it was a flask of mushroom tea and took a big slug of tea from the flask not knowing that it was mushroom tea and it made an amazing story even better.

A little bonus -- so my having shared the mushroom story on FB, in response Guy Veale himself, as mentioned in the final paragraph, posted said news article:

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/549422721_10161915284746089_5329397127370768508_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=bd9a62&_nc_ohc=NfP2UTG80sMQ7kNvwGW-l7Q&_nc_oc=AdnQ0mMikvgEXViR8VZn64kQ-kDIupexgSfyqNM2ETHbLSpa_P67qBih6Z34RThUUBwPNhsNEhMHDS-IY2JzGyhZ&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&_nc_gid=RSpO-3BmQYaKl42LqpkCgw&oh=00_AfbmxOEg8KFrTlOjJkgTP3yZERMnmuQZrs-jU0x9dR_L0Q&oe=68D61F08

lol what a final paragraph

HOLY SHIT HERE'S THE AD!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmUiuy6se5A

There’s a certain stirmonster23 in the comments. https://m.youtube.com/@stirmonster23

Most excellent.

I love that mushroom story. It's so well told. It really would have been great if he had written a memoir and maybe he did intend to do so at one point. Sadly we will never know. It's all so cruel.

Amazing stories all. And, yes, ILM is a wonderful place and all of you who are and have been here have made this a place I love.

I know stirmonster posted that story here because I (misremembering it as being about LSD, have thought of it when I’ve tried it and - grossly misremembering the moral of the story - remember thinking it’s possible to dj on acid).

Sigh. The world need more people like Keith, now seemingly more than ever.

An ex of mine had this CD that was given out for free in 2005. I couldn't find a link for the mix anywhere so I've uploaded it here.

It's what I think of when I think of clubbing in Glasgow in the late 00s - not just Optimo but the legions of inspired imitators. Truly a huge influence on local culture that went far beyond the city's limits.

Love to everyone missing him.

"It was Keith's wife at the time, who prepared the dinner pre-Pure and came into the room saying 'tatties ready prepare to mash' "

not wife - he wasn't married until much later. It sounds like something his partner at the time, Jill Mingo ( Mingo PR ), would have said. Jill is incredibly funny.

Aha, THAT was the stirmonster post I had been trying and failing to find this afternoon - so glad that someone else found it, a classic!

I was looking for it too! I was searching Shamen and Acid - I forgot it was mushrooms :)

Hard to add anything that those who knew him better haven't already said;  it's an enormous loss, sending love to everybody here who was close to Keith.

Rest in power, stirmonster. 

(Also, that mushrooms story is amazing)

truly!

"they nearly had him singing "Tatties ready, prepare to mash" in Flash live until someone pointed off it would be too silly."

smite that person that thought it would be too silly! It would have been amazing.

I've noticed just now that his wife posted a further message earlier on FB along with a link to this. It is worth sharing, because there's something there he said for all of us here, and more:

Keith always hated watching himself play — especially Boiler Room sets — but I think this one is pretty special. Thanks to my childhood pal Chris Dailly for sharing it, and for the lovely message you sent via his page, which I read to him about a month ago.

On the day Keith was transferred from the nursing home to the hospice, he was sitting in the lounge watching one of his Boiler Room sets on the big TV with Julienne Dessagne and Sharon, one of the wonderful carers at Kelvinside Manor. Sharon had put it on because she wanted to understand more about what he did. It was such a beautiful moment, seeing the three of them watch together.

The staff who cared for him at both Kelvinside Manor and the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, along with extra meals, outings and support from loving friends, made sure Keith’s final weeks were filled with care and dignity. Added to that were the countless messages of love I shared with him whenever I could — to each one he would respond, “I feel the love.”

Keith truly was surrounded by love to the very end. Thank you to everyone who shared messages, support, and organised fundraisers in his name. 💛

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-6hTHPYP4g

we drank shroom tea today in honor of the man, got blasted and listened to the "Raise Your Hands If You Understand" mix, then some Aretha Franklin (Live In Paris), then all of Dark Side Of The Moon, and now the new Biota record which I had somehow missed, this all feels very appropriate as a tribute

The Optimo set today at Making Time was incredibly moving— Jonnie playing many of Keith’s favorite tracks with some intense emotional moments. Donna Rouge and I got to hug as “God Only Knows” played, and my arm was flung around Stevie D. as Cash’s version of “Hurt” ended the four hours. A really beautiful performance and tribute to Keith.

Wonderful. I hope it turns up.

Meantimes, board vet Matos with a fine read:

https://michaelangelo.substack.com/p/bc138-five-mixes-optimo-espaciojd

aww <3 xp

I’m still at MT and too exhausted to say much, but it’s been so moving reading this thread and listening to the last set of the fest while sitting on a bench as my girlfriend, younger brother, and his friends expend the rest of their energy dancing to it. Johnnie’s set earlier was cathartic, profoundly special. Also idk how I still didn’t meet table, I also hugged Stevie D after “Hurt”!

The song Jonnie played right before the “Hurt” cover at MT was this, which I know from another thread here was his favorite Hi-NRG track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4v8T4pkJrg

It was honestly so beautiful to share this moment with pals old and new through whom our common bond is loving music, and loving what Keith and Jonnie put out into the world. I’m still getting emotional thinking about it.

<3

was reading that keith was also booked to play his 'beatless rave' set at making time, so as a tribute they were going to play a recording of the set he did at watching trees in 2024. so good that a recording exists, would love to hear that again someday. did anyone catch it at MT?

RIP stirmonster, thanks for all the great music. I've been thinking about seeing Optimo B2B with Weatherall at Festival No. 6 only 8 or so years ago :-(

ftr that track donna rouge posted is "I've Only Got You To Blame" by Sylve. Both incredibly plaintive and incredible bangin.

<3 the Matos roundup.

A note from NTS:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DO5y0U2DPdX/

don't suppose anyone knows if any of those mixes they put out on tape are going to get another run, eh? Caverns of Dub, etc.? have they mentioned anything as a heads up?

fwiw they are all on Bandcamp as digital pay-what-you-want downloads

Quality JD Twitch story in here https://thequietus.com/interviews/strange-world-of/tom-ellard-severed-heads-interview/

Now that's a Hogmanay for you.

Reggaeton Sax, I don't have the beatless rave mix, but stir did something some years ago, which was never used due to Covid. It is a 20 minute rave / techno mix designed to be listened to by an audience sitting down. In my opinion it is perhaps the best thing he ever did. He never put it out publicly for fear of getting into trouble from those who it was made for. I guess that is okay now. I will see if I can share it somewhere for you.

!! there would be interest from me and I’m sure others based on that description!

I was going to say...

Random, but I thought I would check.

This was stir's first post here, February 2002, expressing happy surprise frenchbloke was here on ILX too, on a Severed Heads thread:

Did anyone hear the new SEVCOM (Severed Heads, Coklacoma, Bradbury) compilation?

This was his last, sharing a link to an NTS In Focus episode on Keith Hudson, back in early May of this year:

Keith Hudson - Old Fashion Way /The Hudson Affair, etc THERE IS NO GENERAL PURPOSE KEITH HUDSON THREAD HERE

It all feels right.

https://we.tl/t-2xg8yq0TKA

The Lark Ascending. Available for 24 hours. Please don't share widely. I am still scared he'll give me a row for sharing it.

amazing - thank you so much!

Ned, I found the emails back and forth about the Severed Heads Quietus piece, him supporting Yello on tour, sending unfinished cover versions of "Nation" and I still can't believe I could only choose two.
Every time Severed Heads mentioned they were playing live anywhere outside Australia I'd email him / text him as they had been on his booking wishlist for as long as I could remember. He went on a Darlingshurtst pilgrimage once when Optimo were in Australia for festival dates. Not sure if this was the same year as him and Jonnie ended up on Tiesto's private jet - there were photos to prove it that I wish I kept.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DO1LmxGjZYH/?hl=en-gb

It was for a show at the Barbican about (or "around") Richard King's book The Lark Ascending - the event was cancelled due to covid and never rescheduled.

oops, many xposts.

The Lark Ascending. Available for 24 hours. Please don't share widely. I am still scared he'll give me a row for sharing it

just listening now and yes, this is the stuff! beatless rave set at watching trees was about an hour in total i think and probably with less vocal tracks and pretty heavy on the orbital and fsol (a bit blurry about the details tbh, it was pretty late at night) but definitely the same sort of vibes, rolling waves of bliss, fragments of tunes darting out from the fog and then receding again like shards of glass caught briefly by headlights, a really lovely experience and obviously put together with so much love

thanks for the link tracer!

rolling waves of bliss, fragments of tunes darting out from the fog and then receding again like shards of glass caught briefly by headlights

Perfect. Just perfect.

that closeout with the Boards of Canada track was absolutely choice. Damn.

Keith's description of The Lark Ascending ' -
"A bit of an odd one this. The book “Lark Ascending" by Richard King was going to be “re-told through a seamless blend of music, visuals, spoken word and dance from a cross-genre group of artists” at The Barbican next week. Originally Andrew Weatherall was going to do the closing 20 minutes of music and was in the midst of putting that together when he passed away. We were asked as Optimo to step in and to put something together (I feature in the last chapter of the book). The brief was that it would pay tribute to rave culture but as it was all seated not to make people dance, plus to pay tribute in some way to Andrew Weatherall. Tough job! I took it on and spent all last week on it but of course it is now cancelled and unlikely to be rescheduled, so I thought I would share it here. It is 20 minutes of music made up of bits from lots of rave / dance records, but never with a kick drum and also features a few nods to Andrew Weatherall. It ends with Boards Of Canada as they feature prominently in the last chapter of the book. I thought it might provide 20 minutes of "home raving" distraction from current events."

"(a bit blurry about the details tbh, it was pretty late at night)"

Yes, we believe that was the reason, NickB :)

For what it is worth, Nick, Keith texted me years back to tell me how much he loved your "arcane knowledge" (his words) on those smash hits single reviews polls that I used to do on here.

That was while we were still in very regular contact, which we weren't latterly. We fell out, sadly, and never made up to my eternal sadness. Even more eternal now.

It really is so devastating to me that we never made up.

so sorry to hear that, jed.

is this thread deindexed?

oh jed, thanks for telling me that. sending love! <3

I don't know what happened between you both exactly _jed but my impression was that he didn't hold a grudge. He played at H0t M3ss regularly so he couldn't have had strong enough feelings to not do that. I think he would have taken more from the good times and memories you had together than the times you didn't.

I hopeit’s not too late to grab that mix. In an airport sans laptop and back home in a few hours :))

Keith was the first person to suggest that I write a book about James Hamilton. The second volume goes to the printers this week. I've been soundtracking the final tweaks and twiddles with the 7-hour recording of the final Optimo set at the Sub Club, which is just unutterably fantastic.

https://www.mixcloud.com/michael-ohare5/optimogeddon-the-final-optimo/

Oh man I remember listening to Optimogeddon in real time from my school’s computer lab in lieu of writing my thesis like I’d planned that night and also livetweeting about it lol

I can re-upload that Lark Ascending mix again. To be honest, other than stir coming out of the ether and giving me into trouble for sharing it, the two I was also worried about were jed and Frenchbloke, but as they're okay with it, I can relax.

I also remember listening to Optimogeddon, also in real time, I think.

My Optimo story is that I was living in London when they first played the Sub Club after the weekly night ended. As it happened, my brother missed his plane home and, because the London Olympics were going on, it was cheaper for both of us to go to Glasgow and fly out from there than to get a plane in London. It was such a perfect plan, and I was really psyched to finally see Optimo, on home turf no less. We lined up, got to the door, and the bouncer asked how I was doing tonight. I just nodded and mumbled something, which he took for me being drunk, and refused to let me in (at that point, I'd been 100% sober for 5 years). I was despondent about it, and posted about it here. Stirmonster responded with surprise and sympathy, which I appreciate.

Just published on Resident Advisor:

Remembering JD Twitch
https://ra.co/features/4470?s=09

The Optimo cofounder was a visionary force. Michael Lawson spoke to eight artists—from Glasgow peers to heroes like Liquid Liquid and Severed Heads—to reflect on his humility, effervescence and indefatigable creative spirit.

The universe moves in mysterious ways. As I was reading about Psycho Killer in that RA article, the Optimogeddon mix had just segued into Psycho Killer.

xxpost Thanks, Tracer! I'm downloading now. Can't wait to listen.

Ten highlights of Twitch's involvement with NTS over the last decade, curated and compiled on one page: https://www.nts.live/radio/collections/jd-twitch-forever

The RA article links to this interview which includes a great Twitch NWOBHM mix: https://www.stampthewax.com/2018/11/29/diggers-directory-jd-twitch/ it's astonishing the breadth of interesting music he was into, including notionally unfashionable genres like metal

I isolated the audio from the Boiler Room Glasgow Autonomous Africa video and cut out the chatter and other stuff from the beginning and end of it (the end is a bit of a hatchet job). HQ Audio available here for a few days: https://we.tl/t-5bccbn4poq

The RA article links to this interview which includes a great Twitch NWOBHM mix: https://www.stampthewax.com/2018/11/29/diggers-directory-jd-twitch/ it's astonishing the breadth of interesting music he was into, including notionally unfashionable genres like metal

will check that out! keith played iron maiden 'running free' when we saw them in april

it's just unbelievably sad news, it really is

thanks for sharing that mix griff, i really enjoyed it! prompted me to dig out twitch's (mostly) beatless mix for fact from way back when

https://www.mixcloud.com/FACTMixArchive/fact-mix-214-optimo/

also noticed that this mix is from fourteen years ago, which made me realise that optimo has been a big part of my musical life for pretty much my entire adulthood. i first saw them playing out when i was a student in dundee in my early twenties, i wasn't much of a raver back then, didn't really know about who were the best DJs etc. they really made an impression on me though, i'd never seen anyone playing a set like that before. and then i followed them ever since

Since we're sharing stories. I first went to Scotland in 1994. I stayed in Glasgow and took up with some ne'er-do-wells and ended up skiving off most of the classes I was supposed to be taking at the university. At the time I was into indie rock, funk, jazz, metal, stuff like that. But these people I met were into TECHNO. It took awhile for me to get my head around it. Techno was the catch-all terms for any dance music - house, trance, etc - all forms of techno. They would listen to these mixes where, nightmarishly, the music never ended! It was new music, their parents hated it, it felt like the future, and went extremely well with drugs.

For some of these guys all other music was naff. I will always remember playing Stevie Wonder's 'Superstitious' one night at somebody's house and one of these guys says "is this disco"? Another time I played Jon Spencer's "Bellbottoms", which had just come out, and one of these guys goes "is this heavy metal"? This was a time when you had to physically have a piece of music in order to hear it on demand. Clearly remember the day somebody came over with the Mo Wax compilation, very full of himself, confident he would blow all our minds. None of my friends liked it because it was too slow. (One day I brought home Random Transient Noise Bursts With Announcements, a big purchase for me at that time, and this friend of mine got super excited when he saw the cover. When I put it on you should have seen his face. The disappointment!)

Anyway, these guys all talked about Pure, and they all talked about Club 69 in Paisley. Some of them had "member cards" to these places - there was some arcane rule about member's clubs, and in order to attend these events that went late you'd need to "belong" or something? Anyway there were shuttle buses laid on for both clubs but I never went. However I did go see Ege Bam Yasi, an Edinburgh acid producer, at the Queen Margaret Union, which was the first time my mind was properly blown on the dance floor. I was on no drugs but just danced around like an idiot for hours. It struck me so hard, and has still stuck with me, that he was able to make an entire room freak out by just turning one knob of his synthesiser less than a millimetre, very slowly.

Anyway the point of this whole long-winded thing, which believe me I'm leaving a lot out of, is that eventually I went back to the States where I lived, finished university, got a job, and then made plans to reunite with the old gang for Hogmanay of 1999/2000. Whenn I arrived i was treated like a returning king by my friends, really just an incredible feeling, and I was told there was a new club that had opened up called Optimo, and they had already bought tickets for all of us for the Optimo Hogmanay party at the Art School. Friends? My life changed that night. I had never heard DJing like that. At midnight all the music cut out and we heard the bells. And then of course it all slammed back in. The next day we woke up wondering if the world had ended. Everything was very quiet outside. I bought a newspaper. It seemed the world was intact. The gang slowly reassembled with joints and cups of tea. As luck would have it Hogmanay was a Saturday night, which meant the regular Optimo night was.... tonight!! Literally the next day. Jan 1. Surely they wouldn't actually have the party? But of course they did. Of course they did. I insisted we all go. Everybody moaned at me. No... no way... forget it... I couldn't believe their complacency. Eventually we rallied, went to Nice and Sleazy, which seemed to be a kind of gathering point for all the wayward youths and went on to Optimo's temporary home at Planet Peach. If anything it was better than the night before. Not that many people. Tons of dry ice. "The Passenger". Jonny Osbourne's "Buddy Bye". Martin Luther King over electro.

When I finally met Keith and Jonny a couple of years later it was in New York and I told them about all these things. They had known some of my friends from that time. One of them had broken a keyboard that Jonny had lent him. "It looked like he'd taken a hammer to it!" Luckily New York became a place they'd return to often. The music scene there was really ready for them.

Somehow I still have the CD they handed out for that 2000 Hogmanay night.

Love that story.

A truly great tale.

brilliant stuff tracer hand.
ta for sharing.

only met JD Twitch once, when he was doing an Optimo night here in Brooklyn some 20-ish years ago (though he was always one of my fave ilm posters). I asked what track he was playing and he generously hunted around for the info, not showing any irritation at being interrupted while DJing. his gentle enthusiastic personality came through in his posts too. despite the success of Optimo, he was humble and approachable. wish I'd had the chance to know him better. RIP

paul, was that night at Studio B by any chance? I had a ticket to see them there around that time and I think the wrong date was printed on my ticket and I missed it :(

sorry you missed the night and strange that I can't remember the club's name as I went there a few times. it was in Williamsburg or more probably Greenpoint and had a dancefloor which was surrounded on 2 or more sides by a short raised balcony, so that the floor appeared recessed/sunken (throwback to the 70s/80s). feels like yesterday, but that's what parenting will do (accelerate you decades into the future).

Hey Paul :)

of course there's no way I wouldn't have heard about Optimo given I was friends with its biggest booster ;)

Paul - that sounds like it! I somehow managed to miss them multiple times when they came through NYC in the 2000s - once because a friend of mine had passed, another time I think I had a family obligation or something. Going to Sub Club when I visited a friend in Glasgow was my first time properly seeing them I think!

Tracer Hand. One of the great mysteries of life, which I never quite got around to questioning stir was that there was a Pure AND an Optimo on millemium eve. I went to Pure at, I think, the Old Fruitmarket, but there was definitely an Optimo that night too. I never got round to asking how he did both!

I don’t think I saw them at studio b but I opened up for Keith at the old glasslands. With Tim Sweeney. Met Keith at passerby I think at James Murphy’s night. Also seen them more recently at nowadays and knockdown.

But once during a quick visit to Glasgow, where we planned it so we’d be there on a Sunday, we got to go to optimo at sub club. Was a blast.

the millennium pure was at the old fruitmarket, yes. I was there, it was amazing

Wonderful story, Tracer! Love and Light, to you!

"I can re-upload that Lark Ascending mix again. To be honest, other than stir coming out of the ether and giving me into trouble for sharing it, the two I was also worried about were jed and Frenchbloke, but as they're okay with it, I can relax.

― GS (Griff Sheridan), "

I was about to do it myself, Griff. Thanks for sharing. Love and Light to you too (and I'm also wondering if I know you, "elsewhere" I surely do)

Some lovely words from Keith's sister Julie on FB:

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Forever together❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Thank you all for your kind birthday messages.

Knowing I was in so many of your thoughts meant even more this year, as my beloved brother Keith passed away on my birthday.

Keith left us peacefully after being diagnosed in June with an inoperable brain cancer. He passed knowing how loved he was and that he had touched a great number of lives - through his music, his activism and his generous heart.

The outpouring of tributes to Keith has been extraordinary and a validation of the soul he was, and how widely his talent and compassion reached.

Keith, no amount of reflected writing can ever fully capture what you mean to me.

You were so many things to so many people.

To me, you were always my little brother.

From the day you were born, I was in love with you and you were a treasure in my life. I wanted to be the one holding you and pushing you in your pram - even if bending down to kiss you meant sometimes losing a handful of hair.

Though you were born Martin, I insisted on calling you Keith, as I loved my Uncle Keith so much and would love you even more. I was already so proud of you then, but I could have no idea how high this tiny boy with a magnetic smile and curly sun-kissed hair would rise and how trail-blazing and influential you would become.

I found you so handsome with your sparkling ice-blue eyes and you generously let me cut your hair for you at school.

We had crushes together on the Osmonds - me on Donny (who I was all set to marry), and you on Marie… until Debbie Harry came along. We fought over AC/DC’s Highway to Hell album when the Barret helicopter came to a neighbouring housing estate, although I suspect you finally won when I discovered some of my records missing when I returned home from university.

You visited me in Lyon and I convinced you to dress up for the Rocky Horror show, billing at the local cinema. We were the only ones in drag and got thrown out for chucking rice, newspapers and water, but despite raised eyebrows we walked home with dignity, in our fishnets and stilettos.

You fell in love with Depeche Mode when I took you to their early french concert and I dragged you to some of my favorite gothic clubs.

We went to see Junior Vasquez with Jill at the Sound Factory when I lived in NY. What an incredible club, and what an incredible sound. I had to smuggle in Garage Cow, who got thrown up into Vasquez’ booth for a micro second of celebrity before he came hurtling back out again, like one of the scratched records that made Vasquez irate. By some miracle, despite the thousands of clubbers, we did get him back safe and sound, if a little grubby.

But it was Gong’s Camembert Electrique and Hawkwind that I remember most, emanating from your bedroom in Cherry Tree Park, along with wisps of illicit cigarette smoke.

Dad confided he was worried when you seemed set on a music career and asked me how we could coax you into a decently paying, secure office job.

Not many years later, both Dad and Elizabeth proudly attended your first experimental Sunday night set in Glasgow – later to become Optimo.

I hope you know that I was always your biggest fan.

I came to every Pure, 1992 and Optimo night that I possibly could get to, bringing along all my friends, many with no idea what they were in for. These were memorable moments of great joy and immense pride for me, watching you in your element, participating in your happiness, dancing our socks off. Your gift of reading the room, captivating any crowd (even the die-hard uninitiated), and lifting their energy to places they couldn’t anticipate, made each set unique and magical. Your unpredictable choices of music, the way you created something extraordinary out of tracks that had never been heard together.

You were tirelessly creative.

I recall the 200 hours of painstakingly reworked 80’s BPM’s you prepared for the Cure ‘Ultra-Goth after-party’, and how we danced unforgettably at the Berkley Suite to original music that had never before been able to be mixed. The Cult, Killing Joke and Kate Bush married together for the first time. You transported us somewhere completely new, yet heartwarmingly nostalgic. We were in our element and entranced by your spell.

You always forged your own way, taking the road less travelled, ignoring the superhighways of commercial extroversion others were drawn to. You did this with courage, with humour and with kindness. You inspired others to want to walk this same path of adventure.

You were provocative. Faced with an intimidating ‘Cease and Desist’ issued by a major commercial music label, who clearly didn’t appreciate your Post-Punk Cult Classics album title poking fun at the ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ era, you instantly changed its name to (Cease and Desist) DIY! and relaunched it.

Your heart was vast. You were inclusive. You played at small gigs you believed in, even when financially it didn’t make sense - or when travel schedules were hellish. You took time out to give advice to young dj’s dreaming of a life like yours, even when they didn’t say thank you (with a generous and reasoned lesson on gratitude offered, to boot). You regularly planned gigs to give selflessly and abundantly to the Glasgow Food banks and those who had less. You believed in a better way of living and in bringing people together to achieve the best of what was possible. All while doing what you loved.

You loved animals (synthetic and real) but possibly didn’t fully understand my deep passion for all things fluffy until Zara came along. But you still loved mine and Ramona had a special bond with you and came all the way from Paris to visit you, her first time out of the country.

Keith, you were my little brother, but you were also my rock, my protector, the gentle person who would always understand and be there to listen when I needed to talk. Although our two lives weren't frequently intertwined, we took every chance to see each other and when we did it was as though no time had gone by. You were always at the end of a phone and I could fill a whole answer machine talking to you (as I did once when my message recorded all the way to the end of your tape - you told me teasingly that it was so long, it never got taped over, not even on an Optimo night when hundreds of hopefuls were leaving messages trying to get on the guest list).

And there is, and will always be, so much more… we shared so many moments, yet these were not nearly enough.

My dearest, darling, sweet brother, how I will miss you. I can hardly imagine my world without you. I grieve your departure with every beat of my heart.

You left on my birthday so we are forever connected. I love you. Always. I know we will meet again. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Thank you for sharing that. I'm not on social media, so would have missed. Really heartbreaking.

Oh man.

Yeah, gutting and also beautiful

indeed. am genuinely boggling at the amount of stuff that keith managed to fit into his life, and not bullshit stuff either but real things, beautiful things, things that added magic to peoples lives.

am off up to london this evening with colonel poo to go and see jonnie play in camden. really feeling for him at the moment, feel like he's got so much on his shoulders.

some of my favourite Optimo memories.

<3

I have found what words I can.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/some-weekly-163-139585080

Thanks for this Ned. The stirmonster handle came from back in the very early days of chatrooms, where he wanted to go on one to wind up some 'indie kids', as he put it, so chose stirmonster, as he was stirring up mischief about something-or-other. I'm sure there's a more modern term for it. He was also a pioneer of the online wind up too it would seem!

Ha, brilliant. A perfect neologism.

That's so mad, I never knew that and I used to do that in chatrooms in my teens. I always assumed stirmonster was sort of related to something like that but couldn't be sure, lol.

i had thought it had to do with mixing!

James Murphy wore the “No DFA Without OPTIMO” shirt at the Hollywood Bowl tonight


and closed out their year by saying “we love you Keith” after playing All My Friends

Stet wore that T-shirt to see Pulp at the Hollywood Bowl the previous night!

Brain dump while it's still freshly imprinted on my lobes, thought i'd share it here too, sorry for self-indulgence...

Went to Optimo at the Jazz Cafe in London last night. Pretty great but it’s going to take a while to process the emotions. Super sad but also a lot of joy. Loads of Scottish people there, good mix of ages, lots of tears, lots of togetherness. Felt like I hugged a lot of strangers. Even in the queue for the cloakroom right at the start we were hugging people. Great set from Jonnie, 4.5 hours i think, started out slowly with some spirital free jazz, then slowly wound things up. Played Dadawah 'Run Come Rally' early on, top quality vibrations. Main part of the set was mostly in the chuggy zone and slower house tempos, obviously there were a whole bunch Optimo classics sprinkled in there (skatt brothers into 'energy flash', madonna 'hung up', a bit of a singalong to 'the sun can't compare'). played this one long thing with beeping car horns, which we've heard him play before, anyone know what that one is? its still a mystery to us. Jonnie had a photo of Keith in a silver picture frame sitting in the booth behind him, which absolutely destroyed me when i saw it, my heart just leaped. He held it aloft when he played Hurt at the end of the set, it was heartbreaking. Chatted with my guy Parris out in the smoking area, told him that 10 out of 10 customers said they were highly satisfied with him playing his sleazed-out disco version of Anarchy In The UK at Watching Tress in 2024 (this has has taken on mythic status in our little gang). There was a guy in a wheelchair in the middle of the dance which was so wonderful to see, and I had a bit of a chat and a hug with him and his girlfriend. Bought them beers cos i assumed it was difficult for them to get to the bar. Hope I wasn’t too much of a menace. Got back home at 6:30 this morning, gotta go off to work for a couple of hours in a bit. Mark had a great time and we got to dance on the stage and i didn't even have to stop him stagediving once. My brain is trashed. RIP stirmonster, hope you felt the love.

The honking car horns track might be one of these from Jonnie's Car Mix. Tracklist:

Bob Thompson - Le Mans (from "Sound of Speed")
Jean Michel Jarre - Le car / Le chasse neige
Kraftwerk - Autobahn (Edit 1)
Sound Effects
The Normal - Warm Leatherette
Adam Ant - Car Trouble
Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time
Nurse with Wound - Cruisin' for a Bruisin'
Visnadi - Racing Tracks
L'Trimm - Cars That Go Boom
Mach - On& On (edit )
Cybotron - Cosmic Cars
Kraftwerk - Autobahn (Edit 2)
Chris and Cosey - Driving Blind
The Katzenjammers - Cars
Gary Numan - Cars
AJ McGhee - Bentleys and Hummers
Squarepusher - My Hot Red Car
The Cars - Drive

oh good shout - will check it out!

yeah it's that NWW track, thought i recognised it! thanks so much :)

ha awesome, love that one

so good!

Hi all. After Keith passed away I had an idea to do a walk around some places in Glasgow where we shared the same space before we knew each other and some from after we'd met. I did the walk on Sunday 28 September and called it the Stir Stroll. I had thought about doing it with others, but decided to do it alone. I then thought about what I'd listen to and decided to choose a playlist of tracks that were relevant to my memories of the different places. Finally, rather than writing about it, I decided to record some words at each place. I never intended to produce anything from it, this kind of emerged from the process. However, today I combined the words and music and thought that I would share it with you.

https://soundcloud.com/robodisko/stir-stroll

It was never my intention to let anyone hear this, but I am aware that many of you are far from Glasgow, so I thought it might be of interest to share some of those memories from the city from the last 30 years.

It isn't scripted, just what I was thinking of at the time.

Forgive my thick Glasgow accent. However, I am both from Glasgow and thick...*

Stet wore that T-shirt to see Pulp at the Hollywood Bowl the previous night!

I wore my shirt the other night when we had friends over, and it was fun to explain to them all what the t-shirt meant. It might as well have been in Esperanto.

Thanks Griff. It's a lovely thing you've done.