2022 / Thank You / The “Top” Posts Of 2021

To start the new year I`d like to take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU! to everyone, absolutely everyone, who`s visited and supported the blog, also to all the people making tunes, and all the independent labels working hard, against increasing odds, to get the underground over, and out there.

It`s been another bumper year for Ban Ban Ton Ton, and when you’re doing it, you’re doing it, too busy to stop and take stock. It`s hopefully pretty obvious that we aren’t chasing numbers, that ain`t really where we`re at. Each of us – Cal, Dennis, Mike, The Insider – is simply writing about things that we feel are important, things, the books, films, and especially the music, that we love. That said, this morning I did sneak a peek at 2021`s final figures, and thought maybe I`d give the “top ten” most viewed posts a re-pump – as a kind of recap, and just in case you’re in need of a “long” read.

There were tributes, put together by Chris Galloway and myself, to mark the anniversary of the sad, sudden, passing of Andrew Weatherall – who continues to both educate and inspire. There were in-depth interviews with Spectrum stalwart, Roger Beard, Hardway Brother Sean Johnston (plus his amazing, exhaustive, ALFOS EBS chart), Justin Robertson, taking time out from his Temple Of Wonders, and Balearic Mike – who`s now become a regular contributor (I did also have a bash at persuading Justin, but he was tied up with his fantastic first novel, The Tangle). All of these folk shared super stories, and shone a light on chapters that had perhaps been forgotten during evolution of the balearic beat. I did a personal pick of Black Science Orchestra, now North Street West’s Ashley Beedle`s productions, and the ongoing search for new Amnesia `88 worthy tunes still proved popular. With help from the lovely Hi Fi Sean a piece on his remix of Fire Island`s cover of The Style Council also managed to Shout To The Top.