2025 Top 3 – Readers List
We take the chance to thank you, our readers, for your continuous support and we also have a look at what you enjoyed the most on hipodrome. This is a summary of the top 3 albums, compilations and recordings that you liked the most last year.
Continue reading “2025 Top 3 – Readers List”2025 Best Tracks part. 10 (of 10)
We present our favorite tracks from 2025, more or less in a chronological order and finally we are at the last set of 10 tracks.
VA – Freedom, Innovation, Resonance Vol. 2 [EMSLDV002]
Some big names feature on the second volume of Ensouled’s ‘Freedom, Innovation, Resonance’ series, and they serve up suitably profound sounds. Dutch mainstay Orlando Voorn gets the hairs standing on end with his ‘Deeper’, a sumptuous blend of soft synths, undulating rhythms and spiritual keys. The Cee ElAssaad remix has still soft edges but a little more upright groove, and then Chicago legend Boo Williams cranks it up further with his loopy, melodically intense ‘Loose Cannon’. Lastly, Nawfel’s ‘Fight Or Flight’ is a textural deep house affair with mechanical, rigid rhythms softened by the lush pads.
Franck Roger – My Illusions EP [SL117]
Franck Roger lands on the Seasons Limited imprint as they head into their 30th year in 2026. This typically soulful EP opens with ‘My Illusions’, which has Roger again centreing his own vocals to beautiful effect. ‘Organika’ is a supple, subtle and smoky deep house gem for cosy vibes and ‘Emotive’ shuts down with a lush, slow-burning sound that taps right into the earliest house roots.
Kerri Chandler – Downtown EP Pt. 2 [KC050V2]
This release includes four tracks reconnecting with the spirit of Kerri’s iconic Downtown Records era while offering something fresh for the next generation of listeners. Three of the tracks come straight from that timeless catalogue and firm favorites among Kerri’s community, now beautifully presented on vinyl once again. Downtown EP Pt. 2 captures everything Kerri Chandler represents, soulful, honest, and made with nothing but heart.
Traxx on Dek from Wall Of Sound (Stage 2 aLL NiTe 2025)
‘Celebrating the annual observance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora of Black History Month…
When it comes to musical delivery, technical ability, and TRUTH in music, the BLACK Visionary Deknician
provides beyond the dance, beyond “house” or “techno” as most of the society overall would define it for a FULL 10 Hour Seance (the longest playtime slot ever in the midwest) recorded LIVE with boom mics over the entire outdoor stage like a concert, at Hush’s 2nd year edition of The Wall Of Sound event as thee resident advisor pick of Saturday nite in detroit for 2025 that no other afterparty got the recommendation which means serious attention.
for those who were there last year witnessed duKe’s performance were left in awe…
Supporting Black Artists 👊🏾🎶🖤🎵’
Charles Tyler Ensemble – Voyage From Jericho LP [FRB24]
ep into the wild heart of New York’s underground avant-garde jazz scene with ‘Voyage from Jericho’. Recorded in 1974, release in 1975, this landmark session finds the Charles Tyler Ensemble pushing boundaries with fearless improvisation, deep spiritual yearning, and a raw emotional fire. Joined by top-tier collaborators — including Arthur Blythe, Earl Cross, Ronnie Boykins, and Steve Reid — Tyler shapes a sound that fuses avant-garde intensity with soulful depth, creating a powerful celebration of freedom and expression. This is music that demands attention and rewards deep listening. Whether you’re a devoted explorer of the avant-garde or a curious listener seeking something beyond the mainstream, Voyage from Jericho offers a journey both challenging and transcendent.
Snezhana – Stock 107
phlp. @ Operator Radio 29.01.2026
DayVentura – The Midnight Man [SLOMO056D]
DayVentura graces Slow Motion Records with his debut EP ‘The Midnight Man’ a release that champions his perceptive ear, expanding on his refreshingly charged approach to Italo Disco and its smokier corners. Opening with the hefty heat of the title track ‘The Midnight Man’ FM arps flicker from ear to ear, riding explosive bass and a familiar effervescent tone. Sultry vocals drift over the track, igniting the acid lines. ‘Into The Mirror’ follows this thread, soaked in steam and infectious energy. It features vocals from Marina Leggieri. DayVentura leans into the dark and throws listeners into a peak time, wall-climbing setting. Pushing the envelope with each transition with gutterall weight DayVentura fuels the fire. Wrong Era affiliate and Italo, Electro icon Leona Jacewska, joins DayVentura in ‘Fashion District’ a driving collaboration dripping in infectious sleaze. His signature percussion rides through with Charlie’s enigmatic synths and commanding vocals. ‘The Horizontal Technique’ plays with the tongue-in-cheek nature of its title. Crisp claps and thunderous synths thrust the track into action, allowing the vocals to saunter through
Mr. Pauli – Cyber Shadow [USR037]
Undersound Recordings brings on board Mr. Pauli. After 9 years from his last vinyl appearance, Mr. Pauli is back with a 3 tracker EP showcasing his melodic and emotional side. A release devoted to the Italo-Disco and Synth Pop sound, with an electro touch here and there, that will bring you to another deep dimension towards your inner self.
Log_In / Shkedul – Techno Mantras EP [LONEWOLF020]
Lonewolf marks its 20th release with a split EP from Log_In and Shkedul. Both artists deliver hypnotic, forward-thinking techno, driven by mantra-like repetitive patterns designed to move the body and free.
Troy – Echoes of Ancient Life LP [INF028]
Dutch techno producer Troy, has long been a steady presence in the deeper realms of contemporary techno. Known for his timeless sound on labels such as Klockworks, Non Series, and KEY Vinyl, Troy continues to explore the intersection of raw energy and refined sound design on his first Double EP ‘Echoes of Ancient Life’ on Function’s Infrastructure New York. Across these 8 tracks, Troy constructs a continuum between the mystical and the mechanical: deep, tunneling synth lines, evolving textures, and precise rhythmic flow pushing his punchy techno sound to the next level.
Deniro – 4 Cities EP [TAPE017]
Deniro is back on his own label with 4 tracks inspired by 4 cities around the world. ‘Detroit’ opens with deep Motor City techno laced with soft acid and subtle bird calls that bring an organic feel. ‘Amsterdam’ leans more into the drums but is still a warm, supple sound with late night serenity in the pads and ‘Birmingham’ cuts more loose and has taught techno and spangled synth lines. ‘Paris’ has a classic touch with warm surges of synth and icy hi hats that are oversized and jazzy.
Arnaud Rebotini & Acid Washed – Artificial Darwinism (A) [LAXBLACK03]
Skylax Records presents the second chapter in a landmark 4-part saga — a secretive and conceptual series uniting two titans of French electronic music: Arnaud Rebotini & Acid Washed. Following the acclaimed Winter Sequences (LAXBLACK 01) and Rebotini’s Musical Component, SKYLAX BLACK 3 pushes further into cinematic rave, electro, and techno territory. On the A-side, Artificial Darwinism ignites the EP with raw intensity — fusing early 2000s Blackstrobe energy, UR aggression, and cold wave tension into a hypnotic, funk-laced ritual. They Are Coming follows with darker, driving techno — mechanical yet alive, pulsing with paranoia and urgency. Flip to the B-side for Space Time 303, a dreamy ambient-acid trip evoking early R&S and IDM — ethereal, timeless, and drifting through time. Closing the EP, A Comet in the Northern Sky delivers melancholic electro in the spirit of Dopplereffekt and Drexciya, elevated by Rebotini’s analog mastery. A visionary statement — intelligent, bold, and essential.
Versalife – Crack City [RET017]
Rotterdam Electronix continues their journey in the realm of Electro teaming up with profound producer and city inhabitant Versalife. The Crack City EP contains four versatile Electro tracks with each a distinct mood that covers the different elements of the harbour city in presents times. hard, rough to playful and joyful.
Elektrotechnik – Fictional Reality EP [ABSTRCTRTM012]
‘Fictional Reality’ is the new EP from Elektrotechnik. The EP contains five original tracks and one remix by LDI Records label head Lloyd Stellar. Track “Delta” sets the right mood straight away with its nice warm and atmospheric pads, while “Options” already brings in the energy for the dancefloor. The A Side closes with the track “Electro”, a real old school style Electro hymn. For his remix of “Electro” on B1, Lloyd Stellar focusses on a few elements of the original track and creates a totally new groove. The tracks “A.I.” and “Primate Dance” are both energetic, eclectic and round up the EP in a perfect way..
Afrobot – Rough Afro Edits [Afrobotic Musicology]
After years of lighting up dance floors around Europe and beyond, Afrobot it’s finally opening the vault. Dozens of unreleased edits – tested in sweaty rooms, peak-time moments, and long nights between 2009 and 2020 – are coming out at last. This new compilation series will travel through Disco, New Wave, Bollywood, Caribbean sounds, and electronic Afro mutations. Raw cuts. Heavy grooves. Dance-floor weapons.
Grupo Um – Nineteen Seventy Seven LP [FARO254LP]
Brazilian avant-jazz vanguardists Grupo Um celebrate their 50th anniversary, sharing a second previously lost 1970s album from the vaults. Nineteen Seventy Seven (titled after the year it was recorded) is another rip-roaring instrumental fusion treasure from the band which spawned from within Hermeto Pascoal’s famed mid-1970s São Paulo collective. Like their debut album Starting Point, Grupo Um’s Nineteen Seventy Seven was recorded when Brazil’s military dictatorship was at its most repressive. “There were no open doors to those who dreamt to be protagonists in creative instrumental music”, remembers drummer Zé Eduardo Nazario, “even popular composers and singers had to submit their songs to censors and many records were banned and confiscated from the stores.”
Sweater On Polo – Almighty Grand Essence LP [LIES-222]
NYC’s Sweater on Polo follows up his acclaimed L.I.E.S. 12 inch from 2023 with debut full length double LP, “Almighty Grand Essence”. This is pure to form 1985-1988 Chicago House worship, and while many have attempted to recreate this sound, most fail to deliver with correct reverence. Names like Saunders, Mixx, Virgo Four, undoubtedly appear in this conversation with Sweater on Polo taking cues and transforming the vintage sound into re-imagined dancefloor classics. Raw but clean, psychedelic but functional…this nine track record can move the crowd in all the right ways, with the lush deepness of “The Creation” to the nu-wave-house hybrid of “Proto Wave” or BMX beat track closer Psychotic Seance, its rare to find a young producer tapping into the vaults in such a focused, effective manner.
UFO95 – A Brutalist Dystopian Society part 2 LP [MORDLP005]
Sometimes you’ve just got to point things out for what they are. Brussels-based, French born UFO95 does so impressively on the second instalment of his brutalist architecture-inspired series, framing producer and DJ as alien abductee and diagnosing the current world state from an extranormal perspective. Techno with narrative suffers much unfair derision, so this album is very welcome: the saturated ambience of ‘Dystopie’ sounds like a Heptapod’s warning blasted over glacier valleys, while everything from there is an invasion in churning waves, like the many bulldozing arms of a self-replicating war machine.
Gockel – Otorongo [PATENT002]
Gockel steps out with Otorongo, a 4-track EP of deep, dub-infused techno touched with Detroit spirit. Heavy low-ends, driving rhythms, and atmospheric layers make this one built for heads and dancefloors alike. Each track carries its own depth and character, yet together they form a powerful and immersive journey.
The Hipodrome Of Music 