Music Roundup: December 2025
Featuring: Rowan's closing (!)
Merry Christmas and a happy near year!
A bit of a quick one this month due to the typical familial priorities around this time of year and I’m heading off for a few weeks at the end of the month.
Out And About
Rowan’s could be closing???
The absolute icon of North London nightlife is under threat by yet another flat development. Its neon signs were a welcome sight on my way home from late nights in the city when I lived in the area. And coming in as a mix of a bowling alley + arcade + pool table hall + karaoke rooms + dance floor, it really was a one of a kind night out that catered to everyone and anyone.
And now it’s facing the very London threat of being developed into (probably luxury) flats.
Why are we always facing the same question? Why is it always the nightlife instituions under threat and not the city’s empty office blocks? The ex-Wetherspoons Coronet is just around the corner and that’s a gigantic building, why not turn that into flats instead?
True, there is an argument to be made to clean up the area in front of Rowan’s, the bus station exit of the station, with its open air drug use and relatively high crime statistics for the area. But turning Rowan’s into flats is a small step in that direction here.
It feels like Islington is developing a bit of a reputation with permitting the threatening of nightlife institutions when you factor in the Compton Arms debacle. The pub has been in that location for over 200 years, was visited by the likes of George Orwell, and Islington allowed its license to be threatened due to noise complaints.
What is the end goal here? Vast swathes of luxury flats with no nightlife and pubs that don’t make a noise? Wouldn’t that negatively affect the prices of flats in the area? It’s exhausting having this conversation over and over again.
Music Recs
I’ve been diving into some French labels this month.
DANS LA ZONE’s NECTAR VA VOL. 1 compilation is a saucy collection of tunes from their own label. With housey hitters like Von GDK and Wigs on it, it’s a delicious bop from beginning to end. Stand out track is Tourman - Sigur Interval.
D-Nite’s The Drift Zone on the Toulouse based Cluster Traxx label is a punchy EP with a flying pace to it. Non-stop energy, it’s a fantastic ride. Stand out track: The Drift Zone (Tom Place’s remix is also pretty good).
Staying heavy, we have Harba’s Despair EP and his debut EP is full of twisty techno hitters. It’s nice to have so much choice in the techno field nowadays instead of the stereotypical “boom-boom-boom” and Harba’s EP is exactly the kind of stuff I’m enjoying right now. Stand out track: Waggle.
Coming back to the house we all know I’m a sucker for, we have Maruwa’s remix of Paranoia Agents by Aniano and Rub Db on Home Again’s label. Home Again is a Berlin day festival based in the east of the city in the titanic RSO club. Only having discovered its label recently, I was pleased to see it also delivered a similar quality to that of the festival.
Finally, we have the Hardfloor remix of Zack Meads’ In Awe. I’ve had people ask me what a “roller” is before, and this is exactly what I would define it as. Imagine it’s 4am, the casuals have gone home, the dance floor is full of energy, and the DJ whips this out. You can’t help but dance.
Bonus Content
Dived into this depressing tale of the rapid monopolisation of the ticketing industry this month. And yes, it’s about Ticketmaster and Live Nation, two companies I’ve yet to hear anything positive about in recent years. Ticketmaster being the company that saw heavy regulation following the chaos of the Oasis ticket drop.
I went on a bit of a D-Nite deep dive this month and unearthed this saucy mix from the man. It’s a real ride from beginning to end and accompanied my jog the other day perfectly. Don’t let the start fool you, it really picks up.
Until Next Time
January is likely to also be a short one, as I’m away for most of it. But I will see if there’s anything interesting I hear on my travels.
See you on the flip side.