Most people who love music stay fans. Jeff Bratton started reaching out to labels he loved while still working corporate PR — and just kept leaning into whatever door had give. That was the late 2000s. Cascine Records came out the other side of it.

Today, Piper and David sit down with Jeff Bratton — founder of independent record label Cascine and artist manager for Yeule, Casey MQ, and Com Truise. Cascine has become a genuine touchstone in indie, electronic, and experimental music, built without a major label, a blueprint, or any particular certainty about what came next.

Jeff grew up in Maryland, fell in love with music in the DC and Baltimore rave scene, and spent years working in corporate PR before reaching out to the labels he actually cared about and offering to help for free. This conversation is less about how he built Cascine and more about what he believes made it worth building — and what it actually takes to survive in a creative industry when there are no guarantees. Hear why community isn't optional when you're making something without a blueprint. And what he and David found in each other early on — and why wise friendships might be the whole thing

Cascine: https://www.cascine.us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cascine

Gallerie: https://www.gallerie.us/

Listen to our conversation with DDM — on building a creative career entirely on your own terms — it covers similar territory. And Jinji Fraser's episode gets into what it looks like to stay inside something without a plan and trust where it leads.

Connect with Absolutely Sure, No Idea:

Podcast Instagram: http://instagram.com/absolutelysurenoidea

Co-Host David Richardson: https://www.davomakes.com/ on IG: https://www.instagram.com/davo_makes/

Co-Host Piper Watson: https://www.piperwatson.com/ on IG: https://www.instagram.com/__piperwatson/

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