So we’re approaching the end of 2025. Tradition has it that music blogs / sites like mine run “best of” lists – though we blur that to the hopefully less divisive “favourites”. In truth this is largely in order to make it through January, as we travel a terrain seasonally sparse in new releases.
This is what I posted as an intro / explanation last year…
“Since Japanese superstition holds 7 as her luckiest number, we’re gonna try to keep each selection tight to this total, in the hope that our conjuring of 7 X 7 X 7 X … will collectively manifest some magic for 2025.”
To be honest, personally, the last 12 months held one massive high, but several, sequential lows. So I’m not sure if any magic was conjured, or if like W. W. Jacobs’ monkey’s paw, it was a case of be careful what you wish for. If there was a price to be paid.
The OCD / superstitious part of me thinks “Shit, if the magic was working, just imagine what would have happened otherwise”, but the scientist reasons that perhaps any sort of dark forces should be left well alone.
This year, while “lucky 7” sounds a bit more interesting than “favourites”, I won’t be so strict in holding our invited guests and contributors to any chosen number of selections.
NEW 12s (& 1 LP)
Guy Contact & Solar Suite / Perfect Harmony
I think Wax O’Paradiso only do one release a year, but all of them are quality. Guy Contact & Solar Suite’s Perfect Harmony contains 4 tracks that pay tribute to the 1990s sound of Underworld, William Orbit, Guerilla Records, The Orb and A Positive Life.
ddwy treated Test Pressing to another William Orbit-influenced EP. The 4 tracks mixing in touches of shoegaze and Monsoon’s Indi-pop.
Good Block delivered a terrific 10 track debut. Everything on here is “play-out-able”. Chock full of nods to tons of classic / pioneering 80s productions, there’s something for every set. I can’t wait to hear what they do next.
Lovetempo / Live Or Die By Love
I don’t do much “straight” house but the Eric Kupper mix of Lovetempo’s Live Or Die By Love continues to give me “moments”. It’s something to do with the subtle strings, the sentiments and the sort of year I’ve had.
As usual there was a fair amount of acid about but this EP from Moy, for Vladimir Ivokic’s Offen Music, consistently did it for me.
Mark Seven / The Message (Remains)
Proper house and proper positivity. Mark Seven poised this EP perfectly, somewhere between the US of Pal Joy and the Italy of Alex Lee.
A cool collaboration between Wavetest and Lexx. In my review I suggested it might be a tribute to 808 State, but the artists have assured me that’s just a coincidence. I can also hear echoes of Slam’s Eterna. Maybe it’s just me.
NEW 7s
Most of the 7s I bought fall under reggae and dub, so here, to hit the desired lucky total, I’ve had to combine Balearic Beats with a couple of numbers more suited to sipping a sunset cocktail…
Mark Barrott & Norma Winstone / I Am The Stars
2025 saw Mark Barrott accompany the legendary Norma Winstone on a truly sublime slice of “ambient” jazz.
It was a quiet year, studio wise, for Cafe del Mar veteran Phil Mison, but he still managed to sneak out this fine 45.
Los Tres Moretones / A Lo Hecho, Pecho
The 3 Brothers Bruce, Max, Sam and Barney, band together, bringing their combined brass, congas and a guitar to bear on a polished Mediterranean groove.
Both sides of this 45 – the Lexx remix and Pablo Color’s original – rock. The latter swapping the former’s swinging `60s ye-ye for laid back dub.
Tam Tam / Love Is Stronger Than Pride
Tam Tam have a wonderful wistful dubwise sound anyway, but is it possible to go wrong with a bit of Sade?
Triana Y Hermano Juana / Bamboo Tango
21st Century Tropicalia. Like Tom Ze meeting CAN.
Windy City / 시장에 가자 Si Jang e Gaja (Adrian Sherwood Remixes)
South Korean Afro-beat, with authentic Tony Allen ants in its pants, bent into all sorts of shapes by the On-U Sound head honcho, Sherwood.
DIGITAL
A brilliant blend of pirouetting keys and belligerent TB-303 that takes Second Summer Of Love smash Salsa House as its jumping off point.
This was apparently one of the first cuts the Californian couple produced. More William Orbit / Torch Song-esque stuff. Here’s hoping they dust off the rest of the archive.
I don’t know what was better here, the music or the mad accompanying story. Ace acid house served up in increasingly potent doses.
The Grid / Floatation (Made By Pete Remix)
A dance remix of The Grid’s loved-up classic could easily have been a total calamity, but Made By Pete pulled out the stops. Sounded absolutely magic in the magic castle at Covenanza.
Sewell & The Gong / Communion Phase (Sounds Of Slackness)
The Sounds of Slackness man the controls and transform Sewell & The Gong into a hypnotic, dubbed-out, funky roller.
Gordon & Gabriella Kaye / Galactic Ride
Father and daughter, Gordon and Gabriella stir post-rock, shoegaze and “baggy” in a big ALFOS pot.
Pigeon Steve / Unboxing A Mantis Shrimp
Another from Offen. A throughly modern mid-tempo mover that mixes in elements of industrial, EBM, the Middle Eastern mystery of Muslimgauze and a sneaky, peaky spike of acid.
REMIXES / RE-EDITS / REISSUES
Dynamite chuggy, druggy edits that borrow from Lion Rock, The Beatles and Chris & Cosey.
Kolago Kult / Blessing Of Shango
Blessing Of Shango is a “Beat” of 2 halves. The first is a traditional hand drum driven ritual. The second, a techno journey into the far reaches of outer / inner space. As Beauty & The Beat’s Cedric Woo once warned me, “Watch out for those apricots.”
I went potty trying to get a copy of this – thank you to Ryo at Rana Musica for sorting me out. Really this is so much more than a remix, but by stretching the definition I can squeeze this Jun Fukamachi reimagining in.
That Chilean Jamie Principle cover that sent everyone searching. Made available on vinyl by Luke Una and Mr. Bongo.
Shakespeares Sister / Black Sky
Progressive house pinnacle / landmark, care of Underworld. Every home should have one.
Spooky / Orange Coloured Liquid (Alex Kassian & John Beltran Mixes)
This much-loved ambient excursion from Guerrilla Records’ favourites Spooky got brilliant breakbeat dance floor overhauls care of techno veteran John “Placid Angles” Beltran and man of the continuing moment Alex Kassian.
Topium / Bo Bay Lanmen (Kay Suzuki Remix)
Time Capsule’s Kay Suzuki channelled the cosmic, via kosmische collective The Unknown Cases, for this chugging downtempo, afro-acid trance dancer.
Track-List
ddwy – Stars Stars
Good Block – Coda
Guy Contact & Solar – Perfect Harmony
Sewell & The Gong – Communion Phase (Sounds Of Slackness)
Kannoushiki – Horizon
Florecer – Breathy Drops
Gipsy Kings – Orchestra Veneta Edit
Full Circle – Sharp Water
Guy Contact & Solar – Spindrift
Tambores En Benirras – Generadora de Reyes (100 Poems Mix)
Topium – Bo Bay Lanmen (Kay Suzuki Remix)
Andy Bell – I’m In Love (Justin Robertson Remix)
Gordon & Gabriella Kaye – Galactic Ride
Ghost Assembly – Resist
Pigeon Steve – Unboxing A Mantis Shrimp
Full Circle – Odd Perceptions
Kolago Kult – Blessing Of Shango
Parkwerks – Got To Find Dub
Zaf & Linkwood – Yokai
Julius Papp – Sade 2000
Mamacita – Tu Amor
Shakespeares Sister – Black Sky
The Grid – Floatation (Made By Pete)
Deep 88 – Acid Flamenco
The Light Brigade – Shuffle The Deck
ddwy – Beaming Backwards
Spooky – Orange Coloured Liquid (Alex Kassian Remix)
Mark Seven – The Message (Remains)
Love Tempo – Live Or Die By Love (Eric Kupper Remix)
Wavelexx – Alpine State
Moy – Outburst
Mohinder Kaur Bhamra – Disco Wich Aa (Peaking Lights Remix)
Good Block – Datura
Kleo – Acid Coolada
Moy – Phaseacid
Sabres Of Paradise – Lik Wid Nitwit (Flightpath Estate Mix)
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