#DarkArc013
The espresso machine is plumbed in, our new home is official!
DEAR DIARY
Status: Highly caffeinated, surrounded by cardboard, living night by night.
Let’s be real for a second—crashing on Datura’s couch over at the original literary imprint, The Datura Press, was an absolute dream. They gave us our first home, kept the lights on, and let us bleed our digital static all over their pristine pages.
We love them, we are eternally grateful, and we are absolutely keeping our keys to that archive. But there comes a time when you just need your own four walls, a dedicated circuit breaker that won't blow when we turn on the amplifiers, and an espresso machine that belongs entirely to us.
So, we got our own apartment. Metaphorically speaking.
Welcome to the new standalone home of The Datura Tapes. And like all things we do, it has its own catalogue number DarkArc013, luckily in Italy, the number 13 means prosperous fortune, fare tredici, so we’re off to an amazing start.
“We got our own apartment. Metaphorically speaking”
This sudden burst of independence is all happening under the brilliant, sprawling umbrella of the NxN collective (I Live Night by Night), masterminded by the formidable Hana, brand world builder and no mean bass player. We are so grateful she came on board, a mix of her German precision and New York smarts, what a mixed bunch we are.
We are moving in lockstep with our sisters across the collective, and we aren't the only ones outgrowing our old closets. Our brilliant co-conspirator Rei over at FugaceFugace is going through the exact same beautiful growth spurt, expanding their portfolio as our collaborative threads pull tighter and stronger than ever. Keep an eye out for their artwork and branding fo The Tapes, some amazing merch, but most of all the incredible designs she’s doing for our artists, Etta’s Darkansas coat being a recent favourite.
But really, check out the Zeppelin coat made for me in the picture below, it’s awesome to have a genius for a girfirend.
zeppelin
A lot more collaborations with our sisters, I just called by FugaceFugace to grab some milk and we get this!
Mujiki wears the Zeppelin coat by Rei Zaharne ©FugaceFugace 2026e
So, all well and good, but what does this actual freedom mean for you?
It means things are about to get delightfully weird.
Without the constraints of shared floor space, our artists—Lillit Vega, Amara Ray Jones, Ronja, and Etta Vale—are already finding completely unhinged new ways to cross-pollinate and exchange ideas.
The studio air is thick with a brand-new audio cut-up concept we're calling #firenzesonic. Think of it as a modern, electronic audio renaissance happening right here in the shadows of Florence. We are slicing up traditions, sampling the local atmosphere, and turning the quiet corners of this city into pure frequency. We’re rapidly becoming our own mixtape, and studio team darkStylus’ valves are already running super-hot
“The studio air is thick with a brand-new audio cut-up concept we’re calling FirenzeSonic”
Now, right this minute, the virtual shelves are looking a little bit bare because we chose to leave our old selves behind to start with an intentional, beautiful void. But the tape is already rolling. Or I think we are, I’ve been so busy with the move, I’m trusting that everyone is getting on with their stuff.
We’ve got a gorgeous line of fresh merch dropping soon courtesy of Rei and crew (the first few items are already up), and the only way to catch the low-frequency confessions and exclusive drops before anyone else is to subscribe to our regular digital fanzine, tranceasmission. Our first edition is rolling soon.
