iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 06/10/2026

Good score! I only have a few of the Jazz Book Club Series and only one has the funky trumpet artwork, it’s definitely cooler than the stripes!

Music books on a bookshelf, including 3 from the Jazz Book Club Series.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 06/10/2026

What is the movie that came out before you were born that you've watched the most times?

Two stills from The Italian Job featuring Raf Vallone as the devilishly handsome mafia boss. The text 'Your car?' appears next to the first, with the exclamation 'Pretty car!' next to the second.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 04/10/2026

Classical #CasSunday with a stack of Walkman Classics. These lived in my Dad’s car for much of the 80s, he used to commute from Kent to the E Midlands on a Monday morning, back again on Friday night. These 83+ minute recordings helped pass the miles - one either side of the Dartford tunnel.

8 cassettes from the Walkman Classics series, Deutsche Gramophone recordings released by Polydor on CrO2 tape in the ‘80s.

Close up of Polydor ‘Walkman Classics’ Chromium Dioxide tape edition of Deutsche Gramophone recordings of Brahms Piano Concerto No.2 b/w Schumann Piano Concerto. Cassette case has price sticker from Gatefield Sounds for £3.69.

8 cassettes from the Walkman Classics series, spines facing the camera. These were Deutsche Gramophone recordings released by Polydor on Cr02 tape in the ‘80s.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 01/10/2026

Oh yeah we watch plenty of Danger Mouse in this house too - OG and the reboot (which is decent) and so consequently whenever we see an aerial shot of London in a film or TV show one of us has to say ‘LONDON’ in an emphatic David Jason-as-DM-narrator voice.

The Mk III leaving Danger Mouse HQ via a kerb stone garage door in London.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 30/09/2026

Early evening skies over the Surrey Hills. So long September.

High Cirrus cloud fills the right third of the frame as it catches the early evening sun, with the left hand third being clear blue sky.

High Cirrus cloud fills the left of the frame as it catches the early evening sun, with the right hand edge being clear blue sky.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 29/09/2026

Oh, 25 degrees again is it lxds?

The blazing September sun as seen through the branches of a Bramley apple tree.

Bright orange berries on a Firethorn seen against a bright blue sky.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026

Yes! I saw that Tanglewood made one years ago, so was hunting for one of theirs, but saw this ‘90s one by Jim Harley on FB locally for £100. Needed new strings & fettling but it’s really nice to play, especially with a pick. Randomly, Peter Green used to own one! www.bonhams.com/auction/2919...

1990s Jim Harley branded Hofner violin bass copy, leant against my rack of cheap guitars etc etc

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026

🙌🏻 A beauty! Certainly looks loud with that go-faster tiger stripe finish, very stylish! Here’s the old thing, a fairly faithful copy of the Martin D28 (in terms of looks at any rate) Nice low action, records well and has tolerated my ham fisted playing without a grumble for decades.

A Tanglewood TW400N from 1991 doing a passable impression of a Martin D28, leant against a rack of cheap guitars that also do passable imitations of their more famous (and expensive) relatives.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 27/09/2026

#cassunday joy with this bumper package from @mflah.bsky.social, celebrating both his Boy With The Greyhound Tattoo and Save Ferric guises. All perfect stuff for an overcast Sunday afternoon! Check them out here: theboywiththegreyhoundtattoo.bandcamp.com/album/the-me... buymeacoffee.com/saveferric

Two cassettes by The Boy With The Greyhound Tattoo lying on a table top, next to a copy of the Save Ferric cassette ‘zine, a small black embossed Dymo printed label and three button badges in orange, green and black.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 27/09/2026

Similar in heft to my old Panasonic RX1925 (still awaiting new belts!) but that managed to fit an AM/FM radio into the space the coolgeeks have put displays into. I know which I’d rather have 🤔😀

My 40 year old Panasonic RX1925 ‘walkman’. It’s massive because it needed 4 x AA batteries, but was marvellously loud.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 24/09/2026

And taking the visual gag to it's natural conclusion, the Instrumental Version.

The LP sleeve for the instrumental version of the '....Lovage...' album, which has the same Serge-homage as the main Lovage LP, but with Nathaniel Merriweather airbrushed out.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 20/09/2026

Yeah isn’t it - must get over on a weekday, it’s a bit much on a warm autumnal Saturday afternoon! Still, always happy to see a busy shop, we weren’t the only lads & dads pairing either! Had to grab these too, 80s French Horace with v battered sleeve & Art Blakey is a Liberty but what you gonna do 😆

Record sleeves on a wooden table top - Blue Note 1518 ‘Horace Silver & The Jazz Messengers’ and ‘A Night At Birdland’ by Art Blakey.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 20/09/2026

Ben’s also had a varied stack of cheap tapes, so naturally grabbed a handful for #cassunday! Pair of TSC beauties I didn’t ever buy at the time, plus never leaving cheap drums behind.

Four cassette albums standing in front of a Coomber 393 recorder.
L to R the tapes are: The Style Council ‘Café Bleu’ & ‘Confessions Of A Pop Group’, a CBS / ‘I Heart Jazz’ series compilation ‘Kings Of Drums’ and ‘Magic’ by Billy Cobham.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 20/09/2026

Popped into Ben’s in Guildford yesterday, the boy and I picked out a few #weekendsingles

5 45rpm singles on a wooden table top - clockwise from top left: The Beatles - ‘Help’ in green & white Parlophone sleeve, The Rolling Stones - ‘Time Is On My Side’ Japanese import on London with yellow label and blue sleeve made by King Records in Tokyo, Otis & Carla - ‘Lovey Dovey’ on blue label Star, Madness -‘Embarrassment’ on Stiff with picture sleeve and ‘Baggy Trousers’ also with Stiff picture sleeve.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 19/09/2026

If it helps avoid the whole funding application shenanigans, I can lend you an old school Radio Shack boundary mic if you like. Powered by a button battery and should work with any recording device with a 3.5mm input, plus I can send with adaptor for 1/4” inputs.

A black Radio Shack Boundary Mic with a long lead and mono 3.5mm plug on one end, photographed on a wooden table top.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 17/09/2026

Ah lovely, the Specials are very cool looking cars. Bought a very scruffy 1990 Cooper in 2011, ran it for a few years then it was off road for 10 having various bodywork & paint things done. Got it back on the road this spring, tons of fun, still fettling things tho, hence precautionary coil swap!

A Rover Mini Cooper from 1990, painted British Racing Green, with a white roof and white painted minilite wheels. And a lot of old music related stickers in the rear window.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026

Ah happy ⬆️ Keep Up! ⬆️ days (and nights!) Found this one from The Winchester in 2006 whilst archiving all my flyers recently. 3 quid on the door!

Front of a flyer for 2006 club night Keep Up! It has white arrows on a yellow background with green stripes.

Club flyer with details of venue & DJs. Text reads as follows:

keep up! presents a new music programme downstairs at the winchester funk.soul.breaks.beats.grooves aimed straight at the dancefloor
guest djs:
thurs 9 march
dr rubberfunk_funky down_bbc 6 music

thurs 13 april
strictly kev_dj food_ninja tune

plus ever-present residents: tom central. invisible a. jus jules. nexus
upstairs bar featuring frisky fingers

1 pound with guestlist. email: guestlist@keepup.co.uk
3 pounds on the door. 9pm-2am.
downstairs at the winchester. 2 essex rd. n1 8in for more info and podcast: www.keepup.co.uk

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026

Anyway, after proofing it I drove it straight back to Tribal’s offices in Balham so they could sign it off, start the vinyl production and get it to the distro in time for 13 October. Sometime later they sent me back the Chromalin & it sat in a poster tube for 20 years, but now it’s on the wall.

The full framed proof print for ‘The First Cut’ LP sleeve.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026

About this time 23 years ago I was wrangling audio and artwork files for my debut album release, and a year or so I finally got round to framing the Chromalin proof of the vinyl sleeve. Noticed today that the proof is dated 24 Sep 03. The finished album was in the shops by the 13 October!

File info on the bottom of a Chromalin print - a DuPont artwork proofing system - from 2003.

Detail from the top left corner of a Chromalin print proof of the vinyl sleeve for ‘The First Cut’ by Dr Rubberfunk, showing the file name & date, plus registration marks and individual colours around the outside of the actual sleeve design.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026

BREAKING: The Banned will no longer be opening for Ed Sheeran.

Clockwise from top left: Eddie, Ian, Harry, Simon, Kelvin, Sharon - 1986.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 07/09/2026

Well. Current floor pile is a mere bagatelle, as I managed to file a shelf-and-a-half’s worth away recently, and was jolly pleased with myself. Naturally, I managed to find shelf space for them by moving some books from the shelves. To the floor.

A small pile of records leant against a small amplifier under a desk. The album visible at the front is the recent Steve White Trio ‘Jazz Sessions’ LP on Acid Jazz.

Two shelves with records on, filed with spines facing the camera. The upper of the two is almost full but I could probably squeeze 10 more on. The lower shelf has maybe 30 or 40 at either end and a sizeable gap in the middle for some more.

4 piles of music related books on the floor, stacked covers up, awaiting fresh shelf space.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 02/09/2026

Coolcoolcool. Just looking for my translucent Bondi Blue usb webcam, brb

An original Apple iMac (from the fruity colours and massive CRT screen era) showing the Mac OS 9.2 boot screen.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 19/08/2026

These are amazing! Fred’s managed a villager head so far this holiday, plans were afoot for more but I keep using ‘the good boxes’ to post things in 😁

Boy with a large homemade cardboard box Minecraft villager head on his head.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 19/08/2026

Lxds we r listenin to radio one and drawing minecraft doodz how’s ur day going?

Some pixel art style Minecraft character headz. There’s a big Steve, yet to be coloured in, and a little Steve above a Creeper.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 07/08/2026

I hope it’s cooled off a bit where you are lxds, yesterday the temperatures were so seasonally average I wore socks all day. Long socks! Change is as good as a rest etc etc

My sock clad feet on a wooden floor catching a bit of late afternoon sun. The socks feature a multicoloured stripe.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 19/07/2026

Here’s Matt Dillon grinning on the front cover, who wants some of that ‘Hey DJ! Scratching For A Living’ action?

Front cover of Sky Magazine from June 1991, featuring a grinning image of Matt Dillon surrounded by article headlines, which include:

SEAL
MAKES A SPLASH

MASSIVE
LIVING LARGE

SEXTALK PERSONAL
PROBLEMS 'R' US!

JODIE FOSTER
BREAKS THE SILENCE

matt dillon
GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER

PLUS THE NEW SKY MAGAZINE T SHIRT/JOHN GALLIANO/UMA THURMAN

HEY DJ!
SCRATCHING FOR A LIVING

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 19/07/2026

Happy #cassunday from 1991 folks! (Back cover ad for Fuji tapes - Sky Magazine, June 1991)

Back cover of Sky Magazine, June 1991, featuring a full page ad for Fuji Extraslim Tapes, with the tag “Handmade for every pocket” with multiple photos of the tapes in a series of different hands, and in a series of different pockets.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 17/07/2026

AND Cream you say ma’am? I’m afraid it’s 12 inches so I have to hold it further away. SPECIAL PURCHASE £3.99 Those were the days.

It’s me holding a 12 inch vinyl copy of the Cream Remixes EP by Prince and The New Power Generation.
There’s a circular white sticker in the top right corner with SPECIAL PURCHASE £3.99 printed on it in red.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 17/07/2026

Turn a gay preacher to a sinner.

My left hand, holding a UK 7 inch copy of Peach by Prince. The white cover features a photo of a peach, with the words PRINCE PEACH in bright blue capitals, one word above the other to fit neatly across the image of the peach. In the top right corner is a Woolworths price sticker for £2.29 and a handwritten number 122 in black sharpie.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 14/07/2026

I am all for this as a punter and it immediately made me think of the centrefolds in Straight No Chaser where the art was on the same weight card stock as the cover, and easily removable for framing - which I always meant to do with a bunch of my favourites, but predictably have still not yet done.

Ink & paint illustrations of Eric Dolphy & Elvin Jones by Ian Johnson, featured as the centre spread in a 2002 issue of Straight No Chaser magazine.

Spray painting by Req, featured as the centre spread in a 1998 issue of Straight No Chaser magazine.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 07/07/2026

We Jazz Magazine haul just arrived from Finland - used to have a sub but ended in ‘24 & I’d not gotten round to renewing, so their current merch sale seemed like the right time to grab back copies at half price! Plenty of records & CDs with similar discounts too www.recordshopx.com/we-jazz-kesa...

Issues 12 to 18 of We Jazz Magazine laid out on a piece of plywood that’s too small to contain them all next to one another, let alone their expansive cultural contents.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 07/07/2026

Some new music news, as this very groovy 45 of Hammond organ driven dance floor jazz hits the shelves - only 300 copies & selling fast - doubles a must for juggling that inevitable drum break that you know I can’t help crowbarring into everything I work on 😏 echo-labs.bandcamp.com/album/the-mo...

A 7” of ‘Rejoice In Righteousness’ b/w ‘Mighty Righteous’ by The Mose Dillon Bluestette, released on Echo Labs Recordings.

A 7” of ‘Rejoice In Righteousness’ b/w ‘Mighty Righteous’ by the Mose Dillon Bluestette, released on Echo Labs Recordings, the photo shows a close up of the label copy on the A side

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 06/07/2026

I, for one, welcome our new Bison overlords.

It’s Kent Brockman, erstwhile news anchor from The Simpsons, sitting at his news desk, wearing a red jacket, in front of a two tone blue background.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 30/06/2026

Sucks. Just had an email from Royal Mail, didn’t mention the £1 surcharge, but it did clarify that the €3 fee is per HS code, which sounds fun if someone buys a tape & a CD, for example …

Screenshot of an email from Royal Mail, with the following text:

From 1 July 26, changes to EU import rules mean a duty will apply to all parcels containing goods sent from Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) to EU countries.
• The duty doesn't apply to gifts under €45.
• The €3 duty will apply per HS code, plus any EU handling fees, to parcels valued at €150 or less.
• The €3 duty, plus any EU handling fees, will apply to all business-to-consumer goods under €150, including those sold by non-EU sellers registered under Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS).

What this means
Following our recent email to you about the EU duty changes, we wanted to let you know that you can now pay your duties and handling fees at the same time as buying your postage online at royalmail.com. This will help ensure that recipients on or after the 1st July won't have to pay any more to have them delivered.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 17/06/2026

Family outing to the mighty Shepherds Bush Empire last week to see the wonderful Father John Misty. No ticket tho, just an infuriating scrolling barcode to gain entry and in all the faffing with that I didn’t even get a picture of the marquee signage! So here’s one of the 11yr old soaking it all in.

A boy wearing ear defenders leaning on balcony balustrades gazing down at the stage at the Shepherds Bush Empire.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 03/06/2026

Not many tickets from the mid-90s onwards as I entered my ‘Guestlist Era’, but I had my vinyl flightcase out again recently & found some old passes stuck inside the lid. This one from a DJ support slot I did for the Stereo MCs - lovely folks, & my label mates at the time - in ‘05. #TicketStubWed

A green fabric Metropolis Music AAA pass for the Stereo MCs at Koko London on 02/11/05 resting on top of a sticker clad record box.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 02/06/2026

Lovely thread from Tom as per, but ‘cos I started thinking about Student Union jukeboxes I naturally need to make jukebox title strips for every 7” I own. Just in case I ever own a jukebox. Be prepared I always say. You too can make like it’s jukebox top-up day! www.mikesarcade.com/arcade/title...

Reproduction jukebox title strip for ‘Say A Little Prayer’ b/w ‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin - black text on a pink background for the titles and black text on white for the artist name in the center, with red outlines and detailing around the text boxes.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 19/05/2026

Rearranging deck chairs on the titanic sorry I mean records in the studio and pausing to bask in the glory of these ‘90s boxset beauties. The Major Force Strong Box has had quite the hammering over the years, Holmer not so much as I had most of the mixes on other 12s already by the time that dropped

2 LP sized vinyl box sets - from 1997, a Major Force Original Art-Form Special Strong Box in burgundy with pale blue lettering and a black David Holmes ‘Stop Arresting Artists’ 4x12” remix boxset from 1998.
Also visible in the bottom of shot is a notebook sized box, featuring artwork from Dexter Gordon’s album ‘Go’, part of a Blue Note collaboration with Moleskine in 2015. Before Moleskine went mad.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 19/05/2026

Here’s how it looks framed with a mount btw

A linocut print in pale green, mounted & framed. The design features domestic vignettes - windows, brickwork & a small living room scene, built around the words Home Sweet Home in three different fonts.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 18/05/2026

My Dad had these prints he’d made set aside to sell at a recent market but couldn’t attend, so I wondered if we could find new Home Sweet Homes for them here? 2 artist proofs available, 1 green, 1 black. £30 ea posted to UK. I have one of my own, will add pics tomorrow to show how it looks framed!

Two Lino cut prints, one pale green & one black, each measuring approx 42cm x 30cm. The design features domestic vignettes - windows, brickwork & a small living room scene, built around the words Home Sweet Home in three different fonts.

A linocut print in pale green, measuring approx 42cm x 30cm. The design features domestic vignettes - windows, brickwork & a small living room scene, built around the words Home Sweet Home in three different fonts.

A linocut print in black, measuring approx 42cm x 30cm. The design features domestic vignettes - windows, brickwork & a small living room scene, built around the words Home Sweet Home in three different fonts.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 18/05/2026

Amazed to see a White Stork wandering about the sports field next door! The Jackdaw seems less fazed though. Excuse the terrible iPhone-thru-binos picture 😬 #firstbirdofmyday

Low quality iPhone picture, taken thru one eyepiece of a pair of binoculars, showing a distant White Stork, with black and white plumage and pink beak and legs, wandering around a sports field. A Jackdaw is also in attendance.

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Simon Ward @drrubberfunk.eurosky.social · 17/05/2026

Spotted in the garden today, both very familiar, but I’m not actually sure what either of them are - so, seeing as it’s #TinyPlants night on #WildflowerHour I thought it was a good time to ask!

Small pale violet flowers growing in a patch of grass.

Small purple flowers growing on the side of an old tree stump. A piece of sticky grass is growing across the image in the top of the frame.

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