La Collectionneuse (Éric Rohmer, 1967)

These are the tracks I enjoyed and found interesting in 2025—rap, techno and other. Despite the relentless, draining discourses of AI generated music and the barrage of useful participants who urge us to ’embrace’ it (the commercially shrewd operators + AI-like creators + early adopter commentariat arts persons that have always sought ladders and lifeboats of portfolio diversification from a difficult game), and despite increasingly fractured modes of promoting and releasing serving to position further creative cheapening of music in life and culture, artists have made interesting work this year and shaken off the torpor of the start of the 2020s.

The majors are undergoing a flurry of signings (comparatively speaking), which suggests a totally different audience consumption narrative compared to what has been pushed in the tech pablum and think-pieces. Presumably the contracts now explicitly include model training on the repertoire but as fans continue to show that they want the immediacy and reality of a person and their efforts from moment to moment, the big question remains—to what end?

I’ve never done an end-of-year list before—except in high school, where I more or less emulated Noz—but with less time to DJ and record mixes this year I found myself logging what I thought were the most interesting beats (and beats + performances).

Notwithstanding the work of many brilliant critics and the welcome, revitalised editorial direction at places like Pitchfork (many of the rap songs listed here double up with selections by Alphonse Pierre in his Pitchfork best of 2025), there is, unfortunately, also a wave of influencer-critics or criticoids who most value being first on scene and who provide lifestyle programming like a Spotify editorial playlist and perform information flattening (and historical distortion) like a TikTok, under the veneer of their individual, indie personality. Their content—like all successful social media content—requires a disciplined through-line of easily recognisable stylishness and comfortable ideas that demonstrate an approachable consistency with prior material covered, as opposed to consistency of critical voice. In keeping with the influencer model, it’s an article of faith among followers that commercial partnerships are great achievements and that these are more celebrated than any great line of critical comment (that the partnering might be tasteless or compromising is a totally alien, outdated view). Within this environment there’s a strange and contradictory attitude to genre that is subtly but strictly enforced, which is an intensified version of the curation that some online verticals established—there’s a refined and modish address that, in the main, suggests ‘this is electronic music coverage’ and so you shouldn’t expect ‘other’ genres, yet at the same time, where suitable, the purview suddenly includes rap and R&B when it has been sufficiently refracted, reinterpreted or seemingly elevated to critical interest by virtue of the collaborator. I am not suggesting any cynical or deliberately exclusionary motivation; the position is staggeringly vulnerable to capture.

‘Let people enjoy things’—sure, but there seems to be a strong online ecosystem that reproduces and collaborates fully with the platforms. And with these influencer-critics, there is also the rise of the cultural consumer who is proudly attentive to astro-turfing and optimistically obedient to the magical thinking about who has innovated what and when (that’s their prerogative—coolness attended by commercial certainty is an understandable source of ontological security in a guilt-inducing and uncertain world). Wrapping up this acidic straw-person argument (straw only so I don’t single anyone out), which I know feels a bit negative—what I mean to do is explain why I’m compelled to care about personal taste that is unproductive for personal branding.

This list of 99 songs is unranked and is ordered alphabetically by artist name. In most cases the absence of a producer credit means the track was self-produced (in a couple of instances I couldn’t find the credit).

Tracks

1morning – Rebound (bandcamp)
3L3D3P – rpa (bandcamp)
9lives, 5EB – MONEY RAIN (youtube)
Acopia – Falling (bandcamp)
Alex R – Shotts (Hodge Remix) (bandcamp)
Amaarae – She Is My Drug [prod. Kyu Steed, El Guincho, Nuviala and Amaarae] [qobuz]
Aris 1201 – A GoGo (bandcamp)
BABYDOOM, Renz – Don’t Flex [prod. Nammy Wams] (bandcamp)
Bay Swag – Caicos [prod. Cash Cobain] (qobuz)
BossMan Dlow, OJ da Juiceman – Big Dawg Status [prod. Musik Majorx, B100, London Jae] (qobuz)
Bree Runway – HOT LIKE! [prod. Finn Wigan] (qobuz)
BSG Rambo – Naybahood Anthem (qobuz)
Cakedog – Romp Stomp (bandcamp)
Chicago Underground Duo – Egyptian Suite Part 1: The Architect (bandcamp)
Ciel – memento mori (bandcamp)
clipping. – Dominator (bandcamp)
Command D – Fever (bandcamp)
Cúbico – Exceso (bandcamp)
Destin Conrad, Kehlani – BAD BITCHES [prod. Louie Lastic and Maxwell Hunter] (qobuz)
dexter in the newsagent – With u [prod. dexter in the newsagent, Kurisu] (qobuz)
Dijon – HIGHER! [prod. Andrew Sarlo, Dijon, Mk.gee] (qobuz)
DJ Elmoe – The Baker (bandcamp)
DJ Fitness, NAP – Micro Bass 2025 (bandcamp)
DJ SpringLoadedChicken – High Sierra (bandcamp)
EsDeeKid, Fimiguerrero – 5am [prod. WRAITH9] (qobuz)
Facegatorr – Gator Bidnezz (qobuz)
G Jones, Eprom – 1000 Cuts (bandcamp)
Hit-Boy, Spank Nitti, BabyTron, AZ Chike – Start Dissin’ [prod. Hit-Boy and Scott Storch] (qobuz)
Holly G, Tiitof – Wa Coco (qobuz)
Hv Burto, It’s Dynamite – Joker Laugh (soundcloud)
Hyacinthe – Olivia (qobuz)
Hyroshii – TENSION [prod. Keyzee] (youtube)
Ikonika – Activate (bandcamp)
Introspekt – The Transmission (bandcamp)
J Hus, Asake – Gold [prod. P2J] (qobuz)
Jae Stephens – Afterbody [prod. Dallas Caton] (qobuz)
Jay Strata – Byterate 006 (bandcamp)
JayDon – The Way You Move [prod. Blaq Tuxedo] (qobuz)
Jeune Morty – Zoo XXL [prod. VKKNG] (qobuz)
JIALING – Descend (bandcamp)
Justine Skye – YAP [prod. Channel Tres] (qobuz)
KeiyaA – fire sign oath (bandcamp)
Kelly Moonstone, Saba – IKEA [prod. Daoud] (qobuz)
Kitty Ca$h, Aliyah’s Interlude, OG MarlynMonROLLUP – FLY GURL [prod. Kitty Ca$h and Simon Lam] (qobuz)
Leikeli47 – Stella’s Groove [prod. Leikeli47 and Mike Bombz] (qobuz)
Lelo – Paris [prod. 4amjuno, GroovePill] (qobuz)
Lil’ Flip – Slingshot (qobuz)
LILPIXIE – DOWNTOWN (SYDNEY) (Tanssi Remix) (youtube)
Lily Haz – Quad (bandcamp)

MEYDAN by Meral Polat

Lithe, Don Toliver – Cannonball [prod. BBYKOBE, 206DEREK] (qobuz)
LNS & DJ Sotofett – Gearbox (bandcamp)
Lonelyspeck – Wishing (bandcamp)
Lorde – Clearblue (qobuz)
Louisa – Standing Too Close (bandcamp)
Maara – I Wish You Would (bandcamp)
MALI JO$E, Pink Siifu – 432hz [prod. OJC43 and JCAL] (bandcamp)
Meral Polat – Can (bandcamp)
Metro Boomin, Roscoe Dash, 2 Chainz, Waka Flocka Flame & DJ Spinz – I Like That [prod. Honorable C.N.O.T.E.] (qobuz)
MexikoDro – No Date [prod. BapeBrazy] (qobuz)
Mobb Deep – We The Real Thing [prod. Havoc] (qobuz)
Nastia Reigel – Perfect (bandcamp)
Natanya – Moviestar [prod. Natanya and Jkarri] (bandcamp)
NZO – Deadweight (bandcamp)
object blue – the fool (bandcamp)
Okubo – Speed (bandcamp)
Papo2oo4 & Subjxct 5 – Rlly Love [prod. Subjxct 5] (qobuz)
Parados – Xtra Vortex (youtube)
PARTYOF2 – SAVE YOURSELF [prod. Solomon Fox, SWIM and Oliver Cooper] (qobuz)
Pinkpantheress, Kylie Minogue – Stateside + Kylie Minogue [prod. JKARRI, PinkPantheress, The Dare & aksel arvid] (qobuz)
Player Dave – STUTTERING (bandcamp)
Precious – Block Me (youtube)
RADA – youmakemewant2 [prod. endevour] (qobuz)
Rico Nasty – STUNNA [prod. Oscar Santander, Sir Dylan] (qobuz)
Rio Da Yung Og – Never Switched [prod. SAV] (qobuz)
SALIMATA – 9-5 [prod. a. LeRoi] (bandcamp)
Sampology, NMMWL – Ripened (bandcamp)
SEL.6 & PlaySHADO – Gimmie Some Tek (bandcamp)
shadstackzzz, 10meil – Met his fate [prod. beatsbyslimy] (youtube)
Shy One – Nort Wess (bandcamp)
Sidney Phillips – BARS freestyle [prod. Chazaiya] (youtube)
Skrillex, Boys Noize, Dylan Brady – ZEET NOISE (youtube)
Smerz – Big dreams (bandcamp)
Splurt Diablo – Chochy (bandcamp)
Syredu – MAS SE PASSA DA PRINCIPAL (bandcamp)
TeeboFG – CASH IN A BOX [prod. Spuddy] (qobuz)
Tenzia – Off-Axis (bandcamp)
thatboykwame – great (youtube)
The Cool Kids – Cigarello Helmets [prod. Chuck Inglish] (bandcamp)
Theodora – MON BÉBÉ [prod. JEEZ SUAVE] (qobuz)
Thirteendegrees° – Da Problem Solva [prod. Gyant] (qobuz)
TiaCorine, Flo Milli – Lotion [prod. Kenny Beats] (qobuz)
Traxman – House of Werkz (bandcamp)
Treety – Making Love [prod. BlaqNmilD] (qobuz)
Uninamise – Papi Flex (bandcamp)
V.I.V.E.K – Gone W3st (bandcamp)
xavisphone, mc zeus, dj nelhe – pique do preto (soundcloud)
Yasmine Hamdan – Daya3 ضياع (bandcamp)
Zaylevelten – Bali (qobuz)
ZelooperZ – BeBe Kids [prod. Dilip] (qobuz)

Pierre Bourdieu receives a letter from Jean-Luc Godard

Albums

These are the full-length projects where I was most engaged by the originality, overall style and ideas in a sustained way across the project (it doesn’t mean the albums that any of the above single tracks are drawn from are not good—they’re also recommended).

Acopia – Blush Response (bandcamp)
Chicago Underground Duo – Hyperglyph (bandcamp)
dexter in the newsagent – Time Flies (qobuz)
MexikoDro – Still Goin the EP (qobuz)
object blue – what resembles the grave but isn’t (bandcamp)
SML – Small Medium Large (bandcamp)
Thirteendegrees° – BLACK FRIDAYZ (qobuz)
Time Cow – Do Nat Piss Here (bandcamp)
Uninamise – UNI ACT 1 (bandcamp)
VA – Music For A Revolution Vol 1: Guinea’s Syliphone Recording Label (1967-1973) [compilation] (bandcamp)
Zaylevelten – then 1t g0t crazy (qobuz)