Sean Johnston kicked off 2025 by curating one of the top compilations of the year. His Material Music collection was a celebration, an essential documentation, of A Love From Outer Space, the party Sean started, together with Andrew Weatherall, 15 years ago. 

Sean then followed up with a super productive 12 months in the studio. Completing 1, 2, 3 EPs for his Outre-Mer imprint, plus remixes of Phil Kieran’s Le Carousel and Justin Deighton and Leo Zero’s Totem Projects (and they’re just the ones that Ban Ban Ton Ton covered). 

Personally, I finally got to experience one of Sean’s ALFOS sets first hand at Bernie Fabre’s Convenanza Festival. I now have a far better handle on the gnostic sonic transcendental ritual.*

Selections and smart, heartfelt synopses by ALFOS’ Hardway Brother Sean Johnston.

I’ve trawled the megahertz and this is what I have for you… 2025 – a curate’s egg of a year, with some wonderful artistic highs, and lows of crushing and tragic loss. I’m very grateful to be still be here and being able to do what I do.

Princess P

This just felt right. Heavy, patient, and treated with respect. Nothing shiny or forced. The sound of a person, (Hi Muriel!), who cares about where this music comes from, and how it’s meant to be heard. One of those records you don’t skip through.

DJ Oil / Reserve

My favourite artist album of the year –  I kept putting this on without really thinking about it, which is usually a good sign. Calm, steady, quietly confident. It doesn’t push, it just holds its own sludgy ground. Works late, works early, works when you don’t want anything shouting at you.

Justin Strauss, Annie & The Caldwells / I Made It

This one hits straight away and is one of my most played tracks of the year. Proper feeling, no cynicism. Justin Strauss knows when to step back and let the song do its thing. It lifts the room without trying to be a “moment”.

Nathan Dawidowicz / Fluff

Despite the name, it’s anything but. Long, slow, slightly odd in places. Music you sort of fall into rather than follow, deeply tribal and psychedelic and delightfully slow paced. Massive fan of Nathan’s work and perfect for the ALFOS early doors.

Lady Blackbird X Crooked Man / Crooked Spirituals

Really nicely judged. Nothing rushed, nothing overworked. Heavy but gentle at the same time. These just sit in a set and do their job without drawing attention to themselves – the genius of Richard Barratt.

The Black Dog / Loud Ambient

Exactly what it says on the tin. Ambient, but with serious heft and presence. It doesn’t wash into the room, it commands it. One I kept coming back to when I wanted things to slow down but not drift off.  I wasn’t aware that Ken had been so ill, and that this would be his final statement, which makes it yet more poignant.

Space Odyssey Weekender / Cariocas Beach Club

Organised by Pedros, Ana, and Panis who also run the exceptional, audiophile “Burger Disco Club” in Athens. The same aesthetic carried through to this weekend. Vladimir Ivkovic, Lena Willikens, and many friends from Athens, alongside people meeting for the first time. I was there with my wife and daughter, which rarely happens. A few days on the Gulf of Corinth. Music, communal meals, swimming, talking. It felt like the beginning of something rather than a one-off. A small community taking shape, which matters to me: The Convenanza, Todmorden, Zurich, Glasgow axis has a new chapter. At one point I asked my daughter if she wanted to come into the booth. She was horrified – “Too embarrassing Dad”…

*Here I have to own up and confess that prior to Convenanza I hadn’t been to a nightclub for around 4 years. However, the minute I walked into the magic castle, the lights, the music, the pill-popping people, it all fell back into place. 

I would like to apologise to all those folks who over the last few years have sent me dance music that I might not have reviewed. It had been so long that I honestly forgot how this stuff works. I get it – a little – again now.