Best of 2025 | Albums | Guestlists | Irish Albums | Irish songs |
Galway-based DJ and broadcaster Cian Ó Cíobháin hosts An Taobh Tuathail week-nights on RTÉ RnaG. When not on the airwaves, Cian has been throwing Disco Dána parties in intimate venues around the country and DJing at alternative weddings for music-loving sweethearts. This year’s top ten are all bangers, mostly road-tested during the last hour of the week on his radio show this year.
See Cian’s previous choices from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. Over to Cian.
1.
Wata Igarashi – Supernova
A delightfully trippy and queasy dancefloor weapon: custom-designed to send all hands lazer-bound.
2.
Jackin Trax – Give Me A Clap
Minimal squelch with an infectious vocal – this has oodles of funk. All hustlers, just gimme a clap!
3.
Break 3000 – Komputerok
Previously-unreleased but recently located on old DAT tape, replete with Soft Cell ‘Tainted Love’-style bleeps and a magnificent, melodic gnarly riff straight out of early ’00’s DJ Hell sets.
4.
Computer Madness – We Orbit
Machine-funk to twerk to with a wonderful robo-vocal that you’d frankly be scared to disobey, made in Madrid.
5.
Sebaas – No Plastic
(No link online – played on ATT a number of time, it’s here about 1 hour 29 minutes in)
All about that skittery beat, that prowling bassline but, most of all, that rip-roaring cry-to-the-rave for all the nasty gurls.
6.
Planetary Assault Systems – Rip The Keys (Luke Slater Reassembly)
One to bring the whole strobe-lit cathedral together, whether in a hands-up or heads-down state-of-mind-melt.
7.
Nik Colk Void – A Tough Design (Demo)
This one popped up the Planet Mu 30th anniversary compilation. Factory Floor synth-maestro shakes up the floor with this unpredictable, stuttering ‘I think the aliens most definitely have landed’ wig-out.
8.
Nightwave – Bang The Rocks
It could almost be a reboot of Daft Punk’s ‘Rollin’ & Scratchin’ – pummeling but playful Sturm und Drang.
9.
Odd Occasion – Salt
The pounding kick-drum bleeds into a dreamy breakdown … arranged with just the right injection of eccentricity.
10.
Nicolas Bougaïeff – Sunday Morning at Panorama Bar When Things Go Sideways
Tunes that go off-script and change tempo midway can wreck a raver’s head. But they can also give the dancefloor a much-needed re-set and, to paraphrase the late Andrew Weatherall, “give the k-heads a much required wobble.”
Best of 2025 | Albums | Guestlists | Irish Albums | Irish songs |
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
