Features

The artists who make the culture tick

• Words: Patrick Hinton, Megan Townsend, Gemma Ross, Becky Buckle, Tibor Heskett, Jack Colquhoun, Felipe Maia | Design: Keenen Sutherland & Tomi Tomchenko
• 11 December 2025

An existential threat has reared its head over the culture industries this year. While digital age doom-mongering and tech disruption have been issues to navigate for a while, nothing’s felt so acute as the power and potential misuse of AI. And 2025 was the year it went mainstream. It now feels like no one is safe. Previously we assumed that Hollywood will always need actors, books will need authors, songs can only exist with musicians. Now there’s deepfakes, large language models, prompts. The tech-led erosion of music’s ecosystem has progressed past the closure of your local record shop to potentially even threaten the livelihoods of superstars.

That’s the cynical view of course, and - crucially - it will only happen if we let it. More optimistically, there’s positive potential in regulated AI, and there’s still plenty of incredibly talented people creating affecting music and art. This year has once again thrown up exhilarating sounds and innovation that’s been the lifeblood of electronic music from its origins, as well as more classic sounding bangers that respect the legacy of where this all began. There’s never been a better time to support musicians, so block that AI popstar and buy that new album by the people making the culture tick.

Here are our 25 producers who defined the year (in alphabetical order).

**Read this next: The Top 25 DJs Who Defined The Year & **The Top 25 Breakthrough DJs Of The Year

Photo: Dee Iskrzynska

1 aya

Returning to Hyperdub Records* *for her second album this year, aya delivered a fraught, haunting look at the dark side of electronic music. Deeply personal, ceaseless in its disquiet, ‘Hexed!’ felt like a gut punch from the abyss; gripping in its piercing, otherworldly details while endlessly relatable in its frankness and vulnerability. Though it was in her balance of instrumentals and production elements where ‘Hexed!’ felt like a game-changer, with the Yorkshire-born multi-instrumentalist pulling in nods to death metal, hardcore, shoegaze, and blistering electro to enfold us within her visceral vision. Countless artists have, and continue to, blur the edges of electronic music with live instrumentals and spoken word vocals, though few manage to mash them into an anarchic paste like aya; while ‘Hexed!’ is inherently idiosyncratic to one of the UK’s best producers, it also feels like a demonstration of what is possible. Regardless of its inspirations, there’s no genre, no markers when it comes to what aya creates – instead, it feels like she is likely to become a benchmark all unto herself. If now, we say something “sounds like Aphex Twin”, in the future it’s plausible we’ll be likening the new world she has presented on ‘Hexed!’ as sounding like aya. MT

Photo: Riley Pascal

2 Blawan

Even before branching away from bass-driven, 4x4 techno toward the new, unorthodox sound he has explored since signing with XL Recordings, Blawan was already setting off SoundCloud ID hunts, 100-page forum threads, and sending your favourite producer packing from the club to get on Ableton in an effort to work out how he does it. Though on this year’s EP ‘BouQ’, and then later his full-length debut on the storied London imprint, ‘SickElixir’, the Yorkshire-born producer’s newfangled vision has become further actualised. Intense, to-the-bone, yet wholly gratifying and even a little bit silly, Blawan creates music that sends your fists skyward as it burrows deep into your soul; you may have had a grin plastered across your face as you brave its shattering kicks and squelching bass, but later, alone in the dark, it will revive something deep within. Having been frank about his difficult journey to reach this point, there’s something deeply inspiring about witnessing Blawan unreservedly take the helm and shift our understanding of bass and techno to new territory. Shattering, boisterous sonics can be vulnerable, and full of heart, in the same way warped, glitchy tempo can leave you hollow. In October, Blawan likened his music to BBC sitcom Early Doors, so it’s worth pointing out that in 2025, we’ve rocked up to The Grapes at 5:30PM, with a pocket full of change, absolutely gasping. MT

Photo: Suchi Jalavancha

3 DJ Haram

“I’m always fighting for agency, for independence, for freedom, for autonomy,” New Jersey-based artist DJ Haram said this year upon the release of her debut album ‘Beside Myself’, which, even if subconsciously, became a symbol of the many pieces of music, poetry, and experiences in dance music that she’s endured throughout her ten-year career so far. “It was such a challenge to get here,” she said at the time. But with ‘Beside Myself’, DJ Haram’s journey is pulled concisely into a 14-track body of work – the first solo record from the self-taught, multidisciplinary artist, which enlists rap and Jersey club producers, live instrumentalists, and underground North African talent. The record, which leans experimentally and sounds as cathartic with its blend of noise, rap and punk as it does club-ready, was her landmark release of 2025 following a steady roll-out of singles, and stands as one of the year’s best. A complete feat that garnered acclaim for every corner of the world and saw her come back together after more than three years with her 700 Bliss partner Moor Mother, ‘Beside Myself’ came at a pivotal moment globally amid heightening political and economic tensions, and reflects Hyperdub’s legacy as a longsighted, ear-to-the-ground label that never, ever misses. GR

Photo: @fotografastes

4 Fortunato

In 2025, Fortunato’s name became a staple on CDJ screens flashing in the darkest and grooviest dancefloors in Latin America. With a knack for patching up the bass idiom and the region’s vast percussive universe—take the forró’s triangle he mashes into ‘A Mi Me Llaman’—the Brazilian producer has caught the eyes and ears of up-and-coming labels from Argentina to Mexico, the likes of Gop Tun and Algo Bien. His first album, ‘Grave Matriz’, is an elating sonic catalogue showcasing a dominant artist whether on frantic drumworks or sluggish tunes. The sped-up hardgroove samba ‘Tecnomagia’ is an essential display of his skills, but he shines the most in the eponymous track. The collab with *Tandera Rec *co-founder (and equally talented DJ) Alirio jaunts across a hoover bass and a patchwork of soundbites reshaped into a precise dancefloor tool. FM

Photo: Theo Batterham

5 Fred again..

It’s hard to sum up the seismic impact Fred again.. has had on popular music this year as a producer. Arguably one of the most prolific names in this current generation of dance music, Fred again..’s productions seem to easily permeate both pop and club realms – it’s something that feels accessible to the masses, with vocals often front-and-centre, and big name featuring artists bringing these songs to entirely new audiences. And while he’s been grinding away like this for years, we really witnessed him sharpen his tools in 2025. His club obliterators went stratospheric this year as he continued his ongoing USB project, which he describes as an “infinite album” with a continual string of new music added to it – a testament to his determined production efforts this year. Doing everything with intensity and rigour, Fred again.. never seemed to hit pause in 2025 in the midst of a seemingly endless spree of shows, sharing snapshots into his fast-paced life on social media where he invites you to watch him make music on the go, come together in the studio with major musicians, and piece together tracks that would soon become immeasurably huge anthems of the year.

While his output has been relentless in 2025, there were some key releases that spoke to Fred again..’s momentum. Driving grime and dubstep’s great comeback while paying back to the original grime scene by tapping MCs and OG rappers, Fred joined forces with Skepta and PlaqueBoyMax in June to release ‘Victory Lap’, a single that has, to date, accumulated over 150 million streams and picked up a 2026 GRAMMY Award nomination (also marking Skepta’s first nod for the prestigious award). Fred then went on to work with Skepta on a larger project released in August, ‘Skepta .. Fred’, which saw the pair collaborate on five tracks. Later, one of several collaborations with KETTAMA in 2025, ‘HARDSTYLE 2’ featuring Shady Nasty, became his next big hit popping off across dancefloors globally, and was the latest in a run of A-list link-ups between Fred again.. and the likes of Amyl and The Sniffers, Ezra Collective, JPEGMAFIA, Floating Points, Caribou, Sammy Virji, and many, many more this year. GR

Photo: Samuel Ibram

6 Introspekt

Few have had bigger years in bass music than New York’s Introspekt. The DJ and producer’s debut album ‘Moving The Center’ combined the grit and beauty of dubstep and garage to devastating effect. That it was legendary dubstep outfit Tempa’s first full-length since it relaunched this year speaks volumes. We are witnessing the passing of the baton. Introspekt is a modern great in the making.

Tempa’s early output was foundational listening for Introspekt and no doubt ‘Moving The Center’ will be the same for rising producers in years to come. There is a striking confidence to the album, comfortable with subtlety, while still holding the essence of Introspekt’s previous work: bass-bin rattling subs and irresistibly swung grooves.

Not content with just a knockout album to boot, she has followed that up with another five-tracker on the London label with greater dancefloor impetus. Long may this run continue. TH

Photo: Juan Camilo Diez

7 james K

“This one’s a bit of a feeler,” prefaced james K while performing at London’s ICA this month on the final date of an extensive tour across North America and Europe, before a pause and admission of “that’s a common theme with my music.” And truly, has any artist made us feel as much as james K this year? Comparisons to the Cocteau Twins are not to be made lightly but her third album ‘Friend’ has that lightning in a bottle etherealism that feels like it takes over your whole body when you first lock in. Landing via AD 93 in September the LP instantly rose to year’s-best reckoning with its captivating blend of emotional dream pop, blissed-out ambient, foggy trip hop and even forays into clubbier sounds (a full strobe show accompanied the breaks-infused closing track ‘Play’ at the aforementioned show). Things like spirituality and emotional connectivity are knotty concepts to make sense of, not least communicate, but her music generates a feeling of latching onto something beautiful with your soul, while creative choices like sampling cicadas (often hidden but loud insects) add to the sense of an unseen yet collectively experienced world swirling around you. The extent of her sold-out tour dates this year affirms how much her music compels people to come together and transcend. PH

Photo: Igoris Taran

8 Jim Legxacy

This year belonged to Jim Legxacy, Raised in Lewishaw and experiencing some of the harshest things life can throw at you, including the instability of homelessness and the loss of his younger sister, Jim’s music is highly sensitive but also shines a light on his youth and inner child with its playful attitude, moulded around nostalgia. This year, the XL Recordings signee put out his third mixtape, ‘black british music’. Produced by himself with help from the likes of beat-maker Joe Stanley, the project is embedded with the catchy ‘BBM’ adlib that has become a synonymous tag this year. As a true craftsman who isn’t afraid to weave his emotions and character into music or pretend to be anything he’s not, Legxacy doesn’t boast or diss, but instead, he’s in his own lane, telling honest, human stories with music that resonates with people. Inspired by the likes of Mitski and David Bowie, his mixtape is built with character and is simply unique. You’d struggle to find an artist who can merge the sounds of an indie electric guitar together with Afrobeats-inspired rhythms. The track ‘father’ quickly caught everyone’s attention for its tight production and lyrical repetition sliding seamlessly within the Legxacy’s bars. Meanwhile, on ‘’06 wayne rooney’ we are transported back to the noughties with its energetic guitar riff despite his lyrics being an emotional confession of truth and confusion. With this gift of storytelling, Jim Legxacy is a generational artist. BB

9 Leod

Leod, pronounced “loud”, has been taking over the internet release by release since their ‘Untitled’ Bandcamp series began in 2023. Their signature brand of groovy, sample-heavy techno led to rumours that Leod was another alias of storied producer Steve Bicknell like Grain and Artwork, however those conspiracies have since been dispelled. Although part of their allure, the mystery behind Leod has slowly started to unravel this year. Sets at *FOLD, Ormside Projects and Rex Club plus guest appearances on Rinse and NTS *suggest that, after two years in the game, Leod is ready to take this project further.

The producer’s quality of releases in 2025 has been unwavering. Stripped down session ‘Untitled 08’ dominated clubland while June single ‘Untitled 09’ quickly became one of the songs of the summer, a schooling in groove with a vocal sample so catchy you’ll struggle to get it out of your head. I don’t think anyone had the anonymous producer remixing PinkPantheress with Loukeman on their 2025 prediction cards but, yes, that did happen too. Clocking on at ‘Untitled 11’ now, the producer has a stranglehold on DJ’s USBs like no other, be it Ben UFO, Four Tet or Mall Grab. To reach this level at a point where you haven’t even released a dozen tracks is a producer’s dream. TH

Photo: Nadine Fraczkowski

10 Marie Davidson

On her monumental 2018 album, Marie Davidson’s commanding vocals and sharp-edged bass proved to be such a phenomenon that it catapulted her from Québécois underground regular to a household name; ‘Work It’, her tongue-in-cheek exploration of the trials and tribulations of club culture, is, ironically, now featured in a deodorant advert for crying out loud. Following a string of collaborative EPs and a, somewhat, departure from club music, we’re not sure about you — but we’ve been dying to know what the ‘Working Class Girl’ thinks about all that, right? Well, on her sixth album - released in February - Davidson opted to build upon that absurdist, latent satiricism with ‘City of Clowns’, a rampant, twisted look at big tech (inspired by Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism no less), sexuality, and authenticity that fires on all cylinders. Once again enlisting the help of Pierre Guerineau as a co-producer, alongside Soulwax - who both helped send the aforementioned record to astronomical levels with their ‘Work It’ remix, and released the album via their label* DEEWEE* - their collaboration is felt throughout the tingling analogue and colliding percussion. But all are just a small part of what makes the album so notable; the moments of genius are found within the record’s upscaling, its even more commanding vocals, its even sharper bass — but this time, with a hefty bag of chaotic, domineering energy thrown in. No longer the ‘Working Class Girl’, passively clinging to the runaway train of life, on ‘City of Clowns’, Marie Davidson is the train. MT

Photo: Erika Kamano

11 Mechatok

Germany’s Mechatok started the year by announcing a slightly unusual production achievement – that his remix of Mass Lines’ ‘Young Punks’ with Kamixlo was being used as the walk-out track for professional wrestler Zack Sabre Jr. at the 2025 Wrestle Kingdom showdown. A quick procession of singles followed from the producer and instrumentalist, including the monumental hit ‘MAKKA’ featuring Drain Gang affiliate Ecco2k and 2025’s rap wunderkind Fakemink, as he geared up toward a full-length album. By August, Mechatok dropped that record – his first-ever – via Young, a genre-bridging, live instrumental-electronic crossover titled ‘Wide Awake’, featuring the likes of Bladee and Isabella Lovestory. The record was well received, and saw Mechatok step out from behind the scenes as a collaborative artist and producer for other musicians on the scene, and into the limelight as a solo star, with themes across the record exploring identity and cultures colliding. Mechatok’s music went far and wide this year reaching millions globally, setting him up as an influential standalone producer to keep a close eye on. GR

12 Mikado

"Hummm Mikado". In 2025, this tag blasted out of speakers on probably every dancefloor where DJs were spinning the latest shatta bangers. The low-slung genre beaming out of Martinique and Parisian clubs has been gaining momentum for the past couple of years, and Mikado is one of the most important names in the game. A master at doing lots with little, he’s known for quite lean drum schemes, bit-sized melodies and the good old offbeat key chords—a signature that led him to collab with the likes of Aya Nakamura, Damso and Kalash. His trick lies all in the bass. In songs like Sas’z ‘Tic’, the boasty strings lure at each bar, engulfing the dancefloor with an infectious invitation for belly and booty moves. "Bass makes everything, les gars," he said in an interview for French news channel La 1ère. He knows he’s right. FM

Photo: Caterina Haddad

13 Nick León

When his sun-drenched single ‘Bikini’, landed last July, it was apparent Nick León was onto something special; vivid percussion, woozy synths, and Erika de Casier’s captivating vocal hook made it an instant summer banger. However, while ‘Bikini’ feels like an ice cold can of Lilt in sonic form, that first sip did little to prepare us for the full drink of ‘Tropical Entropy’. For his full-length debut on TraTraTrax, León’s long-awaited love letter to Miami delves far deeper than simply sunshine sonics, balancing pop-tinged dembow, glittering atmospheres, and dystopian bass. There are unmistakable nods to Ibiza trance anthems and UKG in there; those bittersweet, sunset-inspired ‘00s tunes, there to remind you that, despite how wonderful everything feels right now, it will all come to end an end — whereas on the Esty and Mediopicky-featuring ‘Millenium Freak’, we’re in full-blown Metal Gear territory, a piercing, low-end club track that has found its way into soundtracking EA Sports FC 26. Capturing the imaginations of DJs and producers across the global underground, León later enlisted the likes of Gracias RHR, CCL, Roza Terenzi, Minor Science, and more for ‘Tropical Entropy’s’ accompanying remix package – further ensnaring us within its riveting depths. While Nick León easily created one of the best albums of the year, it feels like ‘Tropical Entropy’ will live on for much longer as a new criterion for poignant, club-but-not-necessarily-for-the-club music. MT

Photo: Passive Kneeling

14 Ninajirachi

In recent years, promoters, festivals and venues globally have shifted their attention towards a type of electronic music generally seen as less commercial, less pop-inspired, and, generally speaking, with far fewer vocals. Ninajirachi is changing that. Born in a rural town on Australia’s Central Coast, she stormed into global dance’s view this year with her debut full-length album, ‘I Love My Computer’, released via long-time collaborator NLV Records.

Seeing love from everyone from Tame Impala to Alison Wonderland to John Summit and sealing three of her eight ARIA Award nominations, the record’s production speaks for itself, with a blisteringly deep attention to detail across a fusion of hyperpop, dubstep, trance and more EDM-aligned moments. Throughout it, Nina writes a love letter to her computer, as an enabler of her passions, her upbringing in a more remote part of the world, and a vehicle through which she explores herself.

In a time where ‘cool’ can mean uncaring, ‘I Love My Computer’ has flown in the face of modern dance music in a way that challenges it to care. In her own words, “maybe people are starting to think, ‘oh, this actually feels better than any amount of cool that I could possibly feel.’” JC

Photo: Karolina Bajda

15 object blue

Distinction between the roles of DJ and producer is blurred in frontline dance music, but on a list paying respects to the craft of music-making specifically, it’s hard to look past object blue as the art form’s most dedicated disciple this year. The reasoning stretches back several years, when she began working on a debut album which the London-based artist finally released via TT in 2025. During the drawn out process of its creation which took up all of her creative headspace and was marked by existential writer’s block, self-doubt and procrastination, she watched her career as a touring DJ and live performer gradually dwindle away to the point where she gave up on music being her main source of income. Suggested quick fixes of knocking out an EP of club tools or growing a presence on TikTok were dismissed out of hand. Making an album wasn’t a vehicle to get bookings, it’s an artistic urge — music for the beauty of creation, not the business of vocation. That couldn’t be more evident from all the gloomy headlines and stats we see about how no one listens to albums anymore. Still, it’s a musical format with a world-changing legacy, that means a lot to many people, and one in which the outer reaches of an artist’s tastes and skillset can be explored. So careerism be damned, object blue was making one whatever the cost. And what an album it - ‘what resembles the grave but isn’t’ - is, immersing listeners in a sublime sonic world of erratic percussive hits, propulsive club ryhthms, seductive tones and shimmering textures. To stave off a future ruled solely by AI plagiarism and unimaginative playlist slop by numbers, we need saviours with the dedication of object blue. Salute. PH

Photo: Elliot Hensford

16 PinkPantheress

Despite its title, it’s of little surprise thatPinkPantheress’ second mixtape has been one of the defining records of 2025 — after all, this is an artist who has been reshaping pop music since she was uploading GarageBand creations to SoundCloud in her teens. Yet, ‘Fancy That’, and its accompanying remix package ‘Fancy Some More?’, still feels like a revelation. Maybe it’s because, after her early years of preferringan elusive approach to pop stardom, PinkPantheress has embraced the limelight on the promotional run for ‘Fancy That’; she’s been a Mixmag Cover Star, undertaken aTiny Desk session, and performed to thousands at the Woodsies stage for her Glastonbury debut. Or, maybe it’s because after years of being synonymous with Gen Z and TikTok, ‘Fancy That’ seems to have enraptured a wider audience; with its endlessly catchy hooks and prominent sampling of ‘00s classics - such as Basement Jaxx’s ‘Romeo’, Just Jack’s ‘Starz in their Eyes’ and Groove Armada’s ‘I See You Baby’ - it’s a record that your older siblings might listen to, your boss, maybe even - shock - your parents.

Even with everything that is unique about ‘Fancy That’ in the PinkPantheress canon, what really feels remarkable is how unshakeably on-brand it is. The combination of sugary vocals, scattered breaks breaks and sunshine-tinged UKG basslines - found within her early viral hits such as ‘Just For Me’, ‘Boy’s A Liar’, and ‘Break it off’ - is still there. And while her trademark style has been endlessly emulated by anyone wanting a 24-hour FYP splash, nothing comes close to the real deal. Phrases like “Y2K” and “fun and flirty pop” have been thrown around, yet PinkPantheress’ productions never feel manufactured — expertly balancing conspicuous pop culture nods and underground dance music references throughout her mash-up of genres and samples. Who else would have thought to chop Underworld’s ‘Dark And Long’ into a track about meeting a boy you fancy on ‘Illegal’?

It’s in her evocative worldbuilding where PinkPantheress has really shone this year, ceaseless in her pursuit of that distinctly-British, ‘00s nostalgia; it’s the scene in Bend it Like Beckham where Jess and Tony go shopping for football boots; it’s Bang On the Door bedspreads; it’s Top of The Pops Magazine with the Sugababes on the cover; it’s Tracey Beaker blaming her hayfever. And even in its lightweight, airy simplicity, ‘Fancy That’ unmasks a discerning, almost-obsessive attention to detail. It’s probably why she’s received Mercury Prize and GRAMMY nods; it’s probably why she managed to rope in the likes of Kylie Minogue, Oklou, Sega Bodega, Groove Armada, Kaytranada, Basement Jaxx, and Bladee on ‘Fancy Some More’. In an era of female pop stars taking the helm of their own creative vision - an era of ‘Brat’, of ‘LUX’, and ‘Addison’ - we’re a long way from “girly pop” condescension. Yet, PinkPantheress’s ability to pair up references to Panic! At The Disco and Jessica Simpson with electronic greats feels like a real statement, a fuck you to the boys club purists. And that bassline wobble on ‘Tonight’ is just the cherry on top. MT

Photo: Romain Guede

17 Ploy

Sam Smith AKA Ploy became one of the posterboys of Bristol’s broken and percussive brand of techno in the 2010s through releases on some of the most esteemed labels in bass music. Smith debuted on Hessle Audio* before putting out seismic EPs with Hemlock Recordings and Timedance *that asserted he’s a producer to be reckoned with.

Last year, he made a significant shift towards house music that stunned most of those familiar with his work. Across five tracks, ‘They Don’t Love It Like We Do’ presented Ploy’s very own brand of weirdo psychedelic house. Now, in 2025, he has perfected it. Standout releases for *Dekmantel *and Ryan Elliot’s Faith Beat reflect a mastery of groove and subtlety. ‘It’s Later Than You Think’, the *Dekmantel *double EP, offers up eight leftfield 4/4 bangers while ‘The Flirt’ showcases a greater impetus on Smith’s melodic sensibilities. Make no mistake, these tracks still sound like Ploy though. There’s deep and powerful subs, rattling percussion and plenty of frenzied risers that he made his name with.

The London-based producer has always been one step ahead of the curve. Listen to his 2021 Deaf Test EP ‘Rayhana’, which references Baile funk and samples Latin vocals, and it sounds like a snapshot of what you’ve been hearing in clubs up and down the country for the past two years. Who knows what Ploy will make next. After mastering not one, but two distinct production styles, you can be assured that whatever follows this will be first-rate. TH

18 Rainy Miller

Following the release of his ‘Desquamation’ EP via HEAD II, the in-house imprint of Salford’s White Hotel, Rainy Miller was heralded by critics as a figurehead within Greater Manchester’s DIY noise and ambient scene, marked by its experimental, sometimes brutal, reflection of the post-industrial North West. The Longridge-born, now Preston-based artist may have briefly held an M postcode, but his association with Manchester grew frustrating — not least because the foundations of his dark, metaphysical sonic realm are tied so deeply to Lancashire. On this year’s soul-baring ‘Joseph, What Have You Done?’, Rainy Miller introduced his “Northern Gothic” vision; inspired by the 2003 documentary* Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus *and the parallels he found between the American Deep South and satellite towns of the North, places that, in his words are “forgotten, full of memories that have been forgotten in time.” This surfaces on ‘Joseph, What Have You Done?’ through pairing up evocative blues percussion and fraught drill, ricocheting guitar strums with sharp, grime-esque basslines, affecting spoken word swimming below pitched-up, distorted vocal harmonies. It’s eerily beautiful, unequivocally heartbreaking, and disconcertingly magnetic. Miller has admitted that the process of cultivating this album, and hammering down his Northern Gothic concept, began five years ago – the seamless and innate way it comes together on ‘Joseph, What Have You Done?’ has proven it time well spent. With various nods already coming in, including from BBC Radio 6 Music’s Mary Anne Hobbs, enshrining it as one of the best albums of 2025, it feels like Rainy Miller has tapped into something profound. Unburdened by his imprecise association with the North’s foremost metropolis, he’s created something distinctive — a new reference point for not only Preston and Longridge, but scores of underdog towns throughout the UK. MT

Photo: Daisy Denham

19 Rossi.

Despite delivering one of the most titanic Mixmag Labs of the year, playing hundreds of shows worldwide, and taking the reins on his own BBC Radio 1 residency, 2025 wasn’t just a big year for London’s Rossi. as a DJ. Sure, you’ve seen his name all-summer-long across festival line-ups, but it was his productions that hit he further reaches of the globe this year, with tracks amassing an enormous 50+ million total streams and counting. January’s ‘Don’t Touch That Dial’ EP, which featured its namesake, groove-laden hit single, was later succeeded with the enormous, world-dominating track ‘High On Me’ with vocals from Jazzy, which accumulated tens of millions of listens and took over clubs and festivals. Over summer, the track got spins in front of thousands at Boardmasters and even more at a pop-up street party in Shoreditch, later getting extended mixes and dubs. While also celebrating eight years since the launch of his record label *HOME//GRXWN, *2025 also saw Rossi. get tapped by New York legend Todd Terry to remix his 1995 classic ‘Devil’s Dance’, reshaping it for the next wave of garage house fans. GR

Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett

20 SHERELLE

SHERELLE has been on the world domination tip since her career rocketed off the back of a viral DJ stream six years ago. But this year she took it up another notch with her debut album, ‘WITH A VENGEANCE’. 10 tracks that don’t fall beneath 160 BPM, it’s a lethal turbulent, club-centered project. However, it wasn’t the easiest of albums to make. Two years ago, on a trip to Amsterdam, SHERELLE’s laptop was stolen which included all the work she had done so far on the release. This frustrating moment gave her the time to start again, and rethink how she was going to make this work. Her process was to lock in and make one track a day, infusing the eventual LP that came out with a strong sense of urgency and dynamism. Packed with thunderous, basslines and galloping drum beats, this hybrid of jungle, footwork and more is the concentration of those inner feelings isolated in the studio. It’s definitely a contrast to her ecstatic persona behind the decks, yet this celebration of deeply felt emotions is something that works in harmony on the dancefloor. One track that stands out is ‘FREAKY (JUST MY TYPE)’. Featuring vocals from George Riley, it’s a tantalising breakbeat tune that is infectiously catchy. The album was made in her London studio that she shares with her community-focused label and programme BEAUTIFUL. Black and LGBTQI+ artists are all welcome to share the studio and resources to help support their musical output, which has seen over 100 members work from the space, reflecting her community-first values.

2025 also saw her biggest SHERELLELAND with a takeover of London’s Roundhouse on top of launching her new A/V show at HERE. Alongside this SHERELLE started to wrap up the year with the surprise release of the two-track EP ‘LOSSLESS SOUND 01’. Less centered around channelling her “vengeance”, both tracks are more playful experiments of textures and sound effects. Oh, and just when you thought that was everything, she even released something none of us were expecting, an official remix of Metronomy’s 2008 track, ‘Heartbreaker’. BB

21 Silva Bumpa

Sheffield is well-known to be home to a rich heritage of musical greats, but now we induct a new member of their hall of fame, Silva Bumpa. Representing his city’s deep roots of bassline and UKG history, Bumpa is producing absolute heavyweight sounds that have been catching the attention of the masses. To kick off the year, we saw him release his EP ‘Check Dis Out’. The four-tracker included ‘Wrap It Up’, a bouncy, vocal-heavy tune that quickly spread like wildfire for its more groove-oriented style. After this, Bumpa began churning out banger after banger, including ‘Doin’ It’ featuring MC DT. With over two million monthly listeners, it’s been heard across the world, from boat parties in Croatia to Interplanetary Criminal’s Mixmag Lab. You must have been living under a rock if you missed out on hearing this one. Its punchy build-up and contrasting dark, deep bassline, amd catchy riff paired with a hollow drumroll, have been igniting crowds throughout the year. And just when you thought we’d reached Bumpa’s magnum opus, he has tied up his 2025 with the highly anticipated release of ‘Wanna Party’, sampling UKG legends Wideboys and Dennis G’s 2006 tune ‘If You Wanna Party (Boogie Down)’. On top of these killer releases, Bumpa has been one of the most talked about names of the year, selling out his debut show in Sydney to his all-night-long at The Cause before bringing it home with a residency at Hope Works. There’s also lots of unreleased work from the artist, including a tune with Josh Baker - fingers crossed this drops in 2026. Silva Bumpa is dominating the resurgence of UKG, bassline and everything in between. BB

Photo: NAKEESHA

22 Skrillex

Considering hisincreasing presence in the underground club and festival circuit, it came as little surprise when, in November 2024,Skrillex declared his intention to go independent. It will be interesting to see where his career moves if he follows through. But even still on the Atlantic roster this year he made surprising moves, his latest album landed on April Fool’s Day, a 32-track project ‘Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3’, via a newsletter Dropbox link — complete with not only familiar collaborations with Varg2TM, Bladee, Fred again.., and Boys Noize, but also dubstep and purple pioneerJoker. Then, just weeks after appearing Slikback’s self-released ‘Kixa’ - a virulent, futuristic deconstructed dub track self-released by the Kenyan Tempa Records affiliate - in August, Skrilly was, inexplicably, back releasing concrete-shatteringbrostep on ‘Fuze’ with San Diego-based producer ISOxo. It was just the first single from a new EP, it turns out, ‘hit me where it hurts x’; landing in November. The five-tracker traverses breakneck Caroline Polacheck-featuring bassline, climactic hyperpop-tinged trance (alongside Swedish supergroupswedm®), contorted 4x4, and some seriously warped dubstep contingents that probably need to be in their own category at this point. Skrillex has, somehow, also racked up a dozen or so features in this time frame with a varied range of artists, including John Glacier, Wuki, and most recently PEEKABOO on ‘6 Million’, along with Fireboy DML and Flowdan. While we’re all pretty well-versed by now on the “superstar DJ yearns to be underground” cliché, we’re watching closely if an independent era materialises. The US-born producer never fails to take risks, to experiment, and bring up-and-coming talents and originators into the fold. MT

Photo: Konstantin Sonnenkind

23 State OFFF

Sometimes an album is a “grower” — and sometimes the first listen sonically whacks you round the face with the force of a freight train and has you instantly hooked. State OFFF’s debut album ‘Hard Currency’ falls into the latter camp. My first listen was during a mid-afternoon lull at my desk, searching for a soundtrack to prevent concentration levels flatlining. Minutes later I was more alert than a gazelle sensing danger, pupils practically dilating and fingers snapping into gun shapes to the seismic tones of his gqom-rooted hybrids. Now imagine that impact on any already amped up club crowd.

The record also stands out for the way it connects gqom’s stylistic similarities to all manner of global club music styles, including Brazilian funk, UKG, Jersey and Baltimore club, with a mighty roster of collaborators, including DJ Lag, DBN Gogo, Kwamzy, BAMBII, Clementaum, ZVRI and Scratcha DVA, on board to join the dots across borders. From these blurred boundaries emerges music that impacts your body in exhilarating ways and can resonate on dancefloors all around the world. State OFFF is determined to show there is "gqom everywhere", and with the waves this album is making its omnipresence is assured. PH

Photo: Pamela Mendez

24 Traxman

Chicago stays undefeated. The foundational city that birthed dance music as we know it never wavers in asserting its figurehead status, with a constant flow of quality output from its artist community and an earned swagger that tells the world we’re the marker to follow. One of those key players is Traxman, who started out in the ’80s and has stayed at the forefront of relevance across multiples waves of Chicago club music for his masterful productions and DJ sets in the realms of ghetto house, juke and footwork. This year he most notably served up the ‘Da Mind Of Traxman Vol.3’ on Planet Mu, a tour de force of an album that streamlined 20 years of productions into 15 dynamite tracks that bring forth touchpoint styles like soul, jazz, funk and regional hip hop into the rowdy, breakneck dance sounds he’s become synonymous with. It’s an exhibition from an artist who has been there and done that, and is still here and doing that — required listening for any dance fan worth their salt. Not least because, without getting too morbid, there’s been sad and significant losses of his peers in recent years. Having an OG still at the top of their game is a blessing, cherish him. PH

Photo: Noah Riecansky

25 Wraith9

“OK” might be the most commonly spoken word in the English language, but we’ll never be able to hear it the same way after this year. And Wraith9 fully deserves his producer tag