Alongside Cal Gibson, the ever erudite Adam Turner is another freelancing foundation of Ban Ban Ton Ton. School teacher by day, by night, when he isn’t tutoring youth in the ways of righteousness, he’s an Andrew Weatherall and “funky alternative” expert. As a member of the mighty Flightpath Estate he played a large part in 2025’s triumphant reformation of The Sabres Of Paradise. The five friends also put together one of the comps of the year – Sounds From The Flightpath Estate Volume 2 – all for charity – and have been picking up more work, and recognition, as an eclectic, unpredictable DJ tag team. 

Super selections and wonderful words care of the ever erudite Adam Turner. 

Four Tet // Into Dust (Still Falling)

Into Dust is yet another one-off Four Tet track that shows just how good Keiran Hebden can be. A song that sounded like the summer during the summer – when it came out – and like winter when heard in the winter, Kieran Hebden and a Mazzy Star sample spinning and skipping through space and time.

Sewell and the Gong // Quiet Storm

Beautiful, timeless instrumental cosmic folk / Balearica that opens with the sound of an actual storm and then creates one. A gorgeous, slowly building tornado that sucks you in and leaves you feeling totally overcome.

Adrian Sherwood // The Grand Designer

Masterful cinematic dub from Mr. Sherwood, this is the the lead track from his album The Collapse Of Everything. Sounds ricochet around the mix, sirens go off, a guitar grinds away, drums rattle and FX burst, echoing away. Let’s Come Together is a stripped down version with interjections from the late, ever so great, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.

The Light Brigade / / Shuffle The Deck

A David Holmes and Keith Tenniswood track trailered 2 years ago on BBC6 and in 2025 finally got a full release. It opens with a speech from the civil rights era, ‘don’t cry ‘bout what you don’t have, use whatcha got!…’. The driving beats and long synth notes kick in, whooshes swirl around and it’s all very present and direct, building constantly. Eventually it winds down,  and as the synths fade Andrew Weatherall’s voice emerges, talking about smoke, coloured lights and music and acid house as gnostic ceremony. Essential. 

Escape- Ism // Last Of The Sell Outs

Ian Svenonius’ latest outfit hit with their fourth album, The Charge Of The Love Brigade. Over a 60s guitar riff, all reverb and valve amp, the hiss of a vintage drum machine and some very minimal 96 Tears style organ, Ian offers his thoughts about selling out, the price thereof, intellectual property, and public lack of interest. Both tongue in cheek and deadly serious.

Andy Bell // Pinball Wanderer

Andy’s latest solo album was finished off while in between flights and projects, under the influence of jet lag and prior to signing up to a long-term tour with Oasis. On the title track here he channels guitar parts from late 60s psychedelic folk and flute, sounding like a kosmische Pentangle, adds some swirly psyche FX and sets the controls for the heart of some pastoral cosmos.

The Stone Roses // Shoot You Down

I couldn’t let 2025 pass without a tribute to Mani, the man and the bass guitar at the very heart of The Stone Roses. The band changed my world in the late 80s – they changed a lot of people’s worlds – and their debut album, plus the singles that surrounded it, are so closely stitched into a generation’s culture and into people’s collective experiences and memories that it’s difficult to imagine a world without them and without Mani in it. RIP Gary Mani Mounfield.