Our 49th exclusive FACT mix is a disco and house extravaganza presided over by Hardway Bros, specifically their London agent, Mr Sean Johnston.

Sean’s been our pal for a while, and after we heard his top-notch Beats In Space session a few weeks back, we realised that we absolutely had to get him to do something for FACT. The resulting beauty is now available for you to download below, and as well containing some of the sweetest disco cuts you’ll ever hear, it also acts as a manifesto for Hardway Bros’ residency at Future Flash, a belting fortnightly clubnight kicking off at new London club Cable this Saturday with guests Rub N Tug, Rolando, Will Saul, Chateau Flight and DFA’s Cage & Aviary (unmissable, basically). Tracklist, link and Q&A below…

1. 40 Thieves – Don’t Turn It Off (Brennan Green Remix)

2. Andrew Weatherall – Brother Johnston’s Travelling Disco Consultancy

3. Tal M Klein & Anthony Mansfield – Land War In Asia

4. The Fog – Been A Long Time (Ralph Falcon Remix)

5. Lola – Wax The Van (Yam Who? Remix)

6. Precious System – Voice From Planet Love (Dixon Edit)

7.  Toby Tobias / Cabin Fever Edits – Beyond Contact

8. Samurai Sam – House of Japanese (Rub N Tug Edit)

9. Salta & Mike Roma – I Feel Disco

10. Trentemoeller – Polar Shift

11. Arthur Russell – Tree House (Lil Tony Remix)

12. Don Quixote – Before I Started To Dance (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)

Who or what is The Hardway Brothers?

“Christened by a Las Vegas craps dealer for their love of long-odds dice betting the Hardway Bros are DJ Sean Johnston and producer Jake Davies, with occasional assistance from mysterious South Londoner Rico.”

What’s your past form?

“The following offences should be taken into consideration…We were once members of Sabres of Paradise-related 90s techno outfit Flash Faction. Sean has been a sporadic DJing fixture in London nightclubs since the invention of electricity, whilst Jake has provided production assistance to Madonna, Bjork, U2, Keane and a whole host of the pop cognoscenti from his LA mansion.

“We more recently came to public attention via our off kilter re-edits for cult imprint Beard Science,  but our ‘Deutsche Trak’ / ‘Acid Trak’ EP on Mungolian Jetset’s Luna Flicks label is what’s really got people talking.”

Tell us a little bit about the mix you’ve recorded for FACT…

“I’ve been appointed resident (alongside Will Saul, Dave Congreve and Matt Waites) at [promoter] James Baillie’s new venture Future Flash at soon-to-open London Bridge club, Cable. This mix is my Future Flash Manifesto – in which classic disco, house and techno are put through the Hardway blender and come out the other side reconfigured for 21st Century discotheque use!”

What inspired you to start making music?

“John Peel’s radio show and listening to the work of producers like Adrian Sherwood (Tackhead / On-U) and William Orbit (Torch Song) in my formative years.”

Are you pessimistic or optimistic about the state of dance music today?

“I’m really optimistic currently – I’m hearing so much exciting new music from all directions – the next Mungolian Jetset single, Weatherall’s LP, Joker’s aqua-crunk. What I really like at the moment is that the disco thing has really opened things up from a DJing point of view and that dancefloors are becoming more open-minded again. I came from the old school of DJing where music from all sorts of different genres got thrown into the mix as opposed to the micro-specialisation we’ve seen for the last ten years – and it’s exciting to see this approach coming back.”

What’s the best thing about being The Hardway Bros?

“Rolling 4 or 10 but 6 or 8 is better!”

And the worst?

“The 11-hour commute to the studio in LA is pretty brutal.”

Tell us about any current / forthcoming 12″s/releases you have out….

“Out now – ‘Deutsche Trak’ / ‘Acid Trak’ on Luna Flicks. Forthcoming: edits on Beard Science 4, History Clock and Astrolab; a Hardway Bros remix of Disco Builders’ ‘Don’t Look Back’ on Aniligital in July. We’re currently mixing our next Hardway Bros EP and a collaboration with Tal M Klein.”

Anything else we should know?

“Future Flash opening party 23rd May – Cable!”