On the fear of missing out

Plus: Michael reports back from Amsterdam and we're In The Booth with Make Money Mafia

Jake Tucker

02 Apr 2026 • 14 min read

(Credit: MAÏS)

Hello! If you’ve emailed the newsletter in the last month, I didn’t get it because I set my return email up wrong. So, sorry about that. If you reply to this one or any future one, it should actually reach me. Maybe.

Anyway. I was sick last week, which meant I stayed in and missed seeing Daniel Avery close out Phonox. In exchange, I got a weekend full of sleep and a friend’s arts and crafts party, where I spent the night petting his corgi and wrestling a colouring-in book. Both things I’d recommend.

By the end of it though, I was restless. Eager to get out and let loose. I blame FOMO.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out, if you’ve somehow managed to live a blissful life away from the internet) has quietly become one of the most powerful forces shaping modern club culture. It sits in the background of almost every decision, where to go, who to see, when to arrive, when to leave, and turns what should be instinctive and immersive into something closer to optimisation.

A few years ago, this started to creep into my festivals, walking stage to stage with friends, convinced the next set might be the one. Later, it showed up in clubs, bouncing between rooms at places like The Cause, trying to find the moment before inevitably ending up in the smoking area and resetting the whole process again.

Now, it starts before I’ve even left the house. Lineups stacked across the city. Group chats split across three different venues. Everyone with their own version of the best plan. You commit, but not fully. There’s always a tab of your brain open, a backup option, a mental map of how to reroute your night if things don’t hit immediately. I struggle to leave a party to head home at 1AM, because who knows if the party is going to get better at 3AM?

This has made it harder to lock in now.

Phones come out not just to capture moments, but to check what’s happening elsewhere. A quick scroll through stories or a WhatsApp group chat can destabilise the night. Another dancefloor looks fuller, a different sets looks like they’re pushing things harder. Your friends seem to be having a better time elsewhere. Whether that’s true or not almost doesn’t matter. The seed is planted.

The result is a kind of low-level restlessness. And if I’m honest, I’m doing it to myself.

Clubbing has always had an element of “what else is going on?” That’s part of the excitement of a city like London. What’s changed is the visibility and the willingness to act on it. Now I know the last-entry times, and I'm both willing and able to move if the night isn't going in the direction I feel it should be.

But the irony is that the best nights rarely come from that mindset. They come from staying put. From committing. From being with people you care about in a room with bass thumping.

Comparison is the thief of joy, and all that.

Anyway, this weekend, when I’m somehow out every night of the long weekend (Christ), I’m going to try something different. Pick a place. Stick with it. See what happens.

On Location: New Era Sessions, ISOamsterdam, March 14

By Michael Wilkinson

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Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities to party in. Like London, Amsterdam has a huge range of genres and venues. I was invited along by my friend, an Amsterdam local, to New Era Sessions at ISOamsterdam which is a party series started in 2023. The RA link highlighted the sound system, which is always a good sign in my book. In this case it was Sol Systems who look to be Netherlands based as well.

It was a breeze to get to, with it being a smaller city it’s easy to share an Uber to get to the outskirts of the city centre. Amsterdam tends to have stricter door policies. I’ve been to Raum before, a club which quizzed you on the rules, so I told everyone to memorise the DJs and what was expected in the club. It turned out not to matter. We were greeted by legitimately one of the friendliest door staff ever who confirmed the rules: no photos, no phones on the dancefloor. With that, we were in.

They had lockers, which I’m glad is becoming the standard, as I find cloakrooms to be a real hassle, especially when people are all trying to leave at the same time, when the lights come up. Only three stalls meant that queues were long for whoever needed them, however, they did have urinals and for the first time I’ve ever seen at a party, those temporary urinals often seen at festivals which made a huge difference. Those are not cheap to hire either, so appreciate the party stretching for that additional cost.

There were no photos inside (Credit: Michael Wilkinson)

There was also a chill-out area, with benches and seating which also doubled up as a bar as well. As someone who only drinks vodka + lemonade, mainly to stay hydrated, I was sad to see it not on offer at all! The chill-out area also had speakers, playing music at a lower volume, which helped to keep the nice vibe as well.

I’m now a full supporter of a no-phone policy on the dancefloor for certain events, as it completely changes the vibe. New Era’s branding and ethos is all about opening a portal to another dimension, and so it puts people in the state of mind to put

The lighting is a real highlight, and is done so well it keeps the vibes up, especially when you're not being constantly flash-banged by people’s phones. The layout of the dancefloor did mean that you’d often have to keep letting people in and out of the way, Even the sides were packed, with no clear path for people to move through. That said, Dutch crowds are generally respectful — most people understand everyone’s dealing with the same squeeze and make space when they can.

The music was where the night really came into its own, with Mirella Kroes, a Netherlands local being the standout. I didn't leave her set once. It was Berlin-style techno at its best, repetitive in a way that empties your head and forces you to lock in, anchored by a deep bassline that made me want to keep moving. I tried and failed to Shazam tracks repeatedly, trying to subtly do it through my pocket as phones were banned Sadly, I came away with very little in my Shazam, which is standard for techno but made it feel like a genuinely unique set. The crowd reflected it: the floor stayed packed right through until the party started winding down.

The only thing I can fault is a downside that's consistent in Amsterdam: smoking indoors. Every party in Amsterdam is full of people smoking, and I just can’t get on board with it as it's inescapable and by the time we headed for home, my entire group absolutely reeked of smoke.

Overall, it was one of my highlights of the year so far for a party. Incredible music, a top-notch sound system and a receptive crowd that wanted to be there. I’ll definitely be back, let’s hope they host a party during Amsterdam Dance Event where I’ll be in October!

The Mix

This week's mix is a guest mix from Make Money Mafia, interviewed below. In his own words, here's what to expect:

Our lord and saviour of FrontLeft (Jake) asked me to do a very special Jungle, DnB set. This mix is me declaring war on the DnB scene. Music from 1993 - 2011 when creativity was oozing in the genre.

The mix is relentless. As ever, if you're on the website you can click below. If you're reading via email (thanks for subscribing!) then you'll have to go to SoundCloud directly.

In the Booth - Make Money Mafia

Go to an underground event in London on any given weekend and you might meet Ed, AKA Make Money Mafia. On paper, he’s a DJ known for high-impact sets whether it's techno, jungle, drum and bass or even house. But reducing him to just that misses the bigger picture. What really defines Make Money Mafia is what happens off the decks. He’s deeply embedded in the local scene, the kind of person who shows up early, stays late, and puts real energy into the people and spaces around him.

If you want to see Make Money Mafia live, you can catch him playing at Mirror Moves on May 16 or A Floating Jungle Rinse on May 30. At some point in the future there will be the Nan's Basement's 2nd birthday, which will be a must-go.

What is your earliest memory of dance music?
My earliest memory of dance music is being in my mum’s car, sitting in a booster seat at the back while she blasted disco with the windows down in her red Skoda. That was the foundation.

My first proper clubbing memory was at Ministry of Sound, seeing Kano in the main room, in the Box, during a “Let’s Go Crazy” night. It was one of their 16+ events, and I remember standing there with eyes wide, on top of one of the rigs, just taking it all in. And I've never looked back.

What’s the first track that made you understand what a dancefloor could do?
The first track that really made me start to understand was when Magnetic Man played at Reading Festival in 2010, and the track was "I Need Air".

For me it was a big moment, it felt like a bit of a cultural shift within dance music. Halfway through the set, when the vocals for I Need Air came in, the entire crowd just lost it. Everyone turned into absolute animals. The Lock Up tent became chaos, it was a zoo and I was completely there for it.

The music video even uses footage from that festival. I have watched it so many times trying to spot myself in the crowd, but no luck. It is a core memory. I only had a Saturday day ticket, but I stayed in the campsite overnight and managed to sneak in for Sunday to witness it.

Looking back, that track really deserves a comeback.

What do you notice from the booth that no one else sees?

My entire working background has been in film, and when in the booth, it feels very similar to a cinema: a dark room where you can shape the mood and guide people emotionally without them even realising it.

From the booth, you notice when the energy needs to shift, especially when people are chatting and it's you that decides when it is time to up the ante slightly, using all the dark arts to get people throwing some shapes on the dancefloor.

You can always spot the people who are there for the right reasons. No judgement, no posturing, just fully into the music. And if that’s you, you’ll always get a smile from me.

When was the last time a crowd surprised you?

The last time a crowd surprised me would have been at one of our ‘Nan Basement’ parties, A week before Christmas at ‘The Goose,’ which is a secret venue in London on a Canal boat. It was a real gamble. It could have gone either way, either no one shows up or everyone does. Here, everyone did.

It turned into one of those nights where people were just completely letting go, sweating out the year, and saying a big old fuck you to 2025. Everything about that night clicked, I bring this night up because on the way home I truly felt proud that we had just made so many people so happy.

What part of you only exists on a dancefloor?

It is the version of me that is not thinking about tomorrow at all. Sometimes, when I am fully in a flow state, it honestly feels like I am dancing to save the world… It happens more often than I would admit.

But I know I'm not, and that's ok.

What song do you keep in your back pocket to cause trouble?

A folder on my USB is called “MDMA” for when it's time to cause a ruckus. I always joke when playing B2B with someone that: “Is it time to whip out the secret file?” When it is chaos o’clock, I’m ready.

But recently I was lucky enough to get sent fabric SELECTS VI early, big shout out to Daniel aka Sopp. One track in that LP sent people sideways at a recent Nan’s Basement party, and that was Kontrol by Body Clinic. I actually met Rory at Jaguar Shoes in Hoxton last year and love pretty much his entire back catalogue.

Why do you dance?

Music’s the only thing that’s stayed true in my life. I don’t dance because I want to — I dance because I need to. It’s not a choice, it’s the release.

You'll often pop up at several events in a single night. What's something you're seeing right now in London's underground?

I really pride myself on supporting anyone and everyone. The most important thing for me is to try and get down early to fill the room and also to back the DJs and promoters that are putting the work in.

Something I'm seeing now in the underground? It’s the underground that are the innovators. Hands down the best music and creativity is coming out of grassroot nights. We are the ones playing the exciting music, digging the hardest, and not taking ourselves too seriously.

I have lost count of how many so-called headline DJs I have seen who have been disappointing. But of course the marketing machine works, gets people in these mega clubs and builds the hype that the best DJ’s in the world are in town. Sometimes yes, a lot of the time no.

The talent in London’s underground is just stupid, at least from where I have been dancing.

What advice would you give to people looking to find a cool new night for themselves?

I have said it once, I'll say it a million times: There is something genuinely special happening in London at the moment. Maybe it's something in the water?

Personally, I try to avoid clubs owned by big umbrella companies. They tend to strip the soul out of what a rave should be. You can tell pretty quickly when a night is being run by people who actually care.

Most of these nights are built on a real love for the music, plus a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. And the truth is, a lot of them are barely breaking even. If people are putting genuine effort into something, you know straight away. And more often than not, chances are you are probably guaranteed a lovely time.

What's the ethos with Nan's Basement?

Nan’s Basement is the party I run and I think about it pretty much every day.

The party is built on the love of showing people these cool electronic tunes that I found and think you will like. And fast forward to now we have been doing events for the past two years.

The rules of the dance for DJs is: play the music the dancefloor hasn't heard, but need to hear.

We sit somewhere between house, techno, and electro. But of course rules are made to be broken.

Having tried hard to build the ethos that it is all about ‘community’ (gosh I do hate that word or more so it gets used way too much). But the DJ’s who play have been to a party, they understand. They want to play for the party, and not for themselves.

At the core, it’s about people showing up for the right reasons. We have somehow managed to pull together a crowd who keep coming back and are welcoming to everyone from all walks of life. I realised that putting on these events was a cheat code to getting booked. Because I can book myself but when the events are in full flow the realisation is that actually so many people need this. It's really grown bigger than I first thought.

Our next event will be the 2-year anniversary. It will be a real celebration because being truthful to myself, somewhere along the way, it’s become more than just a party. It’s a big part of who I am.

What's on?

Easter Weekend is ahead of us, and I'm scared and excited in equal measure. There are a few big parties, a ton of small parties and a pretty miserable weather forecast that means you might as well sack off any big outdoor plans and go dancing. As there's two whole bank holidays, I'll be listing a couple of Thursday events too.

I've got a lot going on. Friday, I'll be heading to The Cause for the first of the venue's all-in parties, this time running (confusingly) from 10AM until 10PM. The early finish is appreciated, though as it means I can head to Hoxton Cabal to check out a vinyl masterclass courtesy of Benebe, Lively and Bekefi. Saturday, I'll be going to All Day I Dream because I'd like to see Satori play, and then Sunday, I'll be going to Fabric to see Amelie Lens.

It's packed out and this newsletter is already huge, so instead of talking you through it all, here's some listings. Email and let me know what you're upto this weekend. It will probably work this time.

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On Location: New Era Sessions, ISOamsterdam, March 14

The Mix

In the Booth - Make Money Mafia

What's on?

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday