Musician Dan Astles crafts debut album inspired by late uncle’s mixtape

A 15-year-old boy in Kirkdale, Liverpool, discovered a handwritten mixtape titled ‘Soundtrack For The Twenty One Bus Home’ among his late uncle Joseph Deans’s belongings. This discovery sparked a lifelong musical journey for Dan Astles, who is now a 27-year-old singer-songwriter based in Southport. The mixtape, which his grandfather had stored in the loft, featured a curated mix of songs by artists like Radiohead, The Beatles, Kate Bush, and ABBA, interspersed with Kerouac poems and radio comedy interludes. The young Dan felt a strong connection to his uncle, who had died by suicide when Dan was six months old, and he views the mixtape as a personal tribute to his family and legacy. Encouraged by his grandfather, Dan began creating music as a teenager, eventually studying at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The debut album, also titled Soundtrack For The Twenty One Bus Home, includes a track addressed to his uncle titled ‘Joe, Are You Listening?’ and explores themes of family and mental health. Dan believes his uncle would have supported and savored his work, imagining him as a sounding board for new demos. The story highlights how grief and mental health awareness influence his music, as well as the personal nature of a musician drawing inspiration from family history.