FLOW Records

FLOW turns 5 this summer and we’re throwing a free party to celebrate! Come join us at Tap Social on Saturday 13th June from 4pm til late for an extended session of quality tunes on our soundsystem, local beers and pizzas. We started FLOW parties in Summer 2021 when, as a group of music lovers still hanging around in Oxford, we found true underground dance music with no permanent home in the post-Cellar days. Following some woodland parties with our home-built sound system, we found a venue for monthly club nights in the small, sticky cocktail bar of Spirit on Park End street. Only a handful of friends came to those first events but gradually the event gathered some traction among the ebb and flow of students in Oxford and some loyal locals looking for a night out aiming beyond commercial chart music. Along the way we’ve invited some wicked dj’s to play, too numerous to list here, and forged our own take on house, techno and trance that’s always aimed at the positive, free-flowing and energetic. There’s too much anguish in the world for grumpy dance music! In the last couple of years Chris started FLOW records in Common Ground, providing a kind of permanent outpost for underground dance music lovers and seekers of friendly vibes in general. We’re glad to have thrown these parties in Oxford, a place we love and call home. Here’s to the last 5 years, to the ups and downs, and to the good times ahead! See you on the 13th June at the Tap Social taproom in Botley. With love Harrison, Cam, and the wider FLOW crew

Sorry! Im a little late getting this post out - Mayday weekend and all that. But we’re back, and in fine style. A week later than usual as there’s just no point trying to run an event on the Sunday after Mayday in Oxford… We got a really fun one lined up :) two Flow records/Common Ground extreeemely familiar faces (in fact Javier kind of switched out with Joseph as the jungle hungry record devourer when he moved to Bristol hehe). Plus another pal of theirs coming down from Birmingham! Expect the usual! Sit down pint tunes -> ‘let’s go’ dancefloor business. There is a rumour that Joseph might be closing with some signature jungle rumblers… It’s soon! This Sunday 10th May @commongroundoxford . Fun to be had, pints to be had - let’s go.

It’s about to be a busy summer, and this is probably my last chance to properly get away for a few days - and let’s be honest you’ll all be recovering from Mayday this weekend too! Will be closing at 4pm today (April 30th) and reopening Tuesday 5th May. Happy Mayday y’all! 🌞

Ahh bring it - it’s here!! 🐣 The sun/spring/serotonin, however you want to think about it I think we can finally start to let ourselves to at least celebrate the end of winter. And we’ve got a good suggestion for how to do it... Flow Records is turning 2! It’s not the biggest milestone ever, but it is eeeasily a good enough excuse to throw a party, have some pints in the sunshine and dance the night away. It would probably be normal now to say “wow hasn’t the time flown by” or something, but in truth that isn’t actually how it feels. It genuinely feels like I’ve been here in @commonground forever, and I say that only with joy/thankfulness. I can’t really believe I’ve gotten to spend the last 2 years making a life in my favourite world/subculture, and doing so in the most wonderful space my home city has to offer ❤️ So here’s to the future/come oooon let’s have a fudging party. In case you haven’t spotted it, the date is Easter Sunday! But we would love to spend it with you, and in fact it does also mean that the Monday is a bank holiday - so we have gotten a late licence to sell booze late into the evening, which with the early start means we have a long old time to hang out and get loose... I guess on that note - you can’t party all day on pints alone. There will be food available all day/until it’s gone! Music and sound provided by FLOW Soundsystem friends and family - vibes provided by yourselves. Would love to see you there :)

It’s that time! One week today, Sunday Sessions is back to @commongroundoxford for another evening of beers, tunes and a boogie - as always from a lovely bunch of friends of the cafe/record shop. This time round, we have a couple of regular partners in crime in the form of Kate and Zana. We are blessed for Kate to be a very familiar face at Sunday Sessions/other FLOW events now! While you will also see her popping up at Missnoma events (among many other things too). While Zana is one of the driving forces behind the Missnoma events themselves, as well as a regular friendly face in Common Ground generally! Those two will be taking the evening away for the last 4 hours between them in some combination, and we couldn’t be in better hands. Opening up the evening we then have a lovely chap by the name of Gary (who you might have seen DJing around Oxford as Scratch, Crackle and Pop!) - warming us in with a couple of hours of all sorts of stuff from the golden age of vinyl to settle us in the for the night. Come grab a couple of pals and a pint! Pull up a chair and get cosy - until the power of the FLOW Soundsystem and the inevitable dancefloor summons you to your feet… See y’all next weekend :)

In this brief fallow period in FLOW’s calendar of events, @djwat_tyler brings us a mix to soothe the Wintry blues. A blend of downtempo Balearic chug, global folk influences and hippy house. It’s something a bit different to the usual club sounds, but it aims straight at the soul of Summer. Link in bio! Check it out Cover picture by @gabriella.bailey @flow.soundsystem @flow___records

We’re back! And we’re so back. Sunday Sessions 2026 - let’s do this. Still can’t really believe the energy these Sundays have gathered over the last year or so. Which does make it sad to have had to miss one out in January, but to make up for it we’re starting the year with a bang and a little bit of a twist. For anyone who couldn’t tell already from the poster alone, this Sunday 1st Feb - after honestly at least 6 months trying to get the dates to work - we have Aidan and Rich of legendary Oxford promoters Divine Schism pulling a rare (but not unheard of) stint behind the decks in Common Ground. Divine Schism gigs are a blessing in many ways, including the fact that you could never pigeon hole them into any world of sound, beyond a simple step outside of the norm and an ear for something interesting. So expect the unexpected, and come join us for a warm up few pints with a couple of local hero’s on the tunes. But that’s not all! Following them are a newer cornerstone of the Oxford music scene in the form of Aftercare (comprised of 4 familiar friendly oxford faces!) in a cheeky little slot behind the decks, ready to take us from cosy pint chats to spilling your G&T on the dancefloor. I cant wait to be back - I hope you can’t either! Lets get these Sundays back on the road :)

Well it’s somehow the end of another year. I won’t do another overly loved up post as I’ve only just done one…but thank you all for the support 🙏 So we’re closed! Both Common Ground and the record shop. Tomorrow (20th December) will be the last day for both (and I might even have to shut half an hour early to jump on a train to Hampshire for the Dummer Down winter party!) But we will be back again in the new year! Monday 5th January. Look forward to seeing you all again then :) (Extra special thank you to @gabriella.bailey for the utterly stunning etching print 😊)

THIS FRIDAY!! You're all invited to the Common Ground Christmas bash! 🎄 Our team have written a quiz, @flow___records has picked out some tunes, and we've ordered in extra Oatnog for the occasion 😍 Come along and take part in our first ever pub quiz (Christmas themed) in teams of up to 8 people, and then get boogie on down for the rest of the night with us and @flow___records 🕺 Not a fan of quizzes? Join us 9:30pm onwards for a dance 🪩 Fan of quizzes but your friends have other plans? DM us and we'll help find you a team to join and make some friends with 🤝 Doors: 6:30pm Quiz start time: 7pm Quiz finished by: 9:30pm Vinyl tunes: 9:30-11pm Entry fee: £1 per person to join the quiz, payable on the night. No need to pay if you've just come to dance later. We can't wait to have a festive Friday night with you all 🤩🥳

And that’s a wrap for the year! And what a night it was. Huuuge thank you to Jay and Harrison for such an amazing send off. I can’t really believe what a year of Sunday Sessions it’s been to be honest. Started on a bit of a whim, but with a lot of planning with Alex (@chestersfromchester ) from @commongroundoxford it was a bit of a see-what-happens kind of thing - and it’s been an absolute joy. Every single time I think nobodies going to come. We don’t really do promo beyond a few instagram posts and some posters around Common Ground, but literally every time without fail you lovely lot have turned up ready to go, with the warmest friendliest energy you could possibly hope for, with a dancefloor ready to break out at any moment… Everyone that has come and played has had a great time, and that is literally just because you guys come and bring the heat without fail - and we’re seriously thankful for it. Thank you to the DJs too of course! Of which there are potentially too many to mention…but let’s try. This year welcomed Harry/Molemann (@thum_yurke ), @jamiemykaela , @flow.soundsystem ‘s @1i1_cam & @djwat_tyler , Corina (@__laur_l ), @bejeebe , @triinojakaar , @antdwhitehead , Charlie (@scenes.cs ), @lewizgodliman & @wamesjilkinson (HENRY), Jon & Joe (@belowthebeamss ), @pa.n.zo , @architek_uk & @sines_of_change (@gro_fm_uk ), @yeadonnn , @kd576 & @laisse.lucie.faire (@house.nb6 ), @vixson and last weekends Jay Caple (@flipside_vinyl ) Wow. Some people who have done this for a long time, some peoples first time playing records in front of people! Every one has come from just some personal connection through the shop/cafe, and everyone has totally understood what Sunday Sessions are all about and brought a bag of friendly, all encompassing tunes to soundtrack a few drinks and a dance. I'll stop waffling now. Long story short, huge thank you to Alex, the staff at Common Ground, FLOW soundsystem, all the DJs, and to everyone that’s come along and made these things what they are. On to 2026! The first few are already planned! However the next one will be in February (as noones going out the first Sunday of January). Thank you all - here’s to another year! ❤️

Ding Dong! It’s that time again - for Sunday Sessions, and I guess that whole Christmas thing too… We’re back at @commongroundoxford Sunday 7th for the last time this year (and in fact for the last time until February!) for the usual night of cosy fun. There will be a very slight touch of Christmas to things (maybe a bit of mulled wine and a few mince pies or something) and we will actually be coming straight out the back of the Common Ground Christmas art market! Starting out half an hour later than usual (but to be honest it would be well worth coming down a bit early to catch some of the market beforehand anyway) then we will crack right on with things as usual, just maybe already a drink or two deep… And what an evening we have in store! We will have Jay Caple at the helm for the majority of the evening, with a bag of funk/soul/jazz and more to get you warming yourself over the dancefloor fire start to finish. I met Jay at the Worthy Earth festival (run by FLOWs very own Harrison) when he rocked up to the bar stage with an absolutely class bag of irresistible grooves, that couldn’t possibly make any more sense at a festive Sunday Sessions. Harrison himself will then take over for the last hour or two, with an all bets off approach to the energy levels. Yep! It’s gonna be a goodun. Cosy sofas, festive drinks, dancefloor heat - come get mulled with us.

And we’re back to our usual tricks again! The first Sunday Sessions of the second year is once again in the extraordinarily capable hands of local hero Jamie Mykaela - back to @commongroundoxford again for more grooving psychedelic mischief. She will be joined by some shoulder shaking pals, a vague nod to Halloween and of course the FLOW soundsystem. Back to the usual time of 4:30 til close, it’s time to embrace the weather, stick on a jumper and come join us inside for a cosy pint.