Best Music of 2025: Q1
From FKA twigs and Goya Gumbani to Traxman and 8ULENTINA, we try and cover all the bases.
Three months of 2025 down, and I’m unsure if time is moving by too quickly or too slow… All I know is it’s been a rough year already. Thankfully, that didn’t stop a bunch of great music from coming out. Despite me going to the depths of hell and back, I dove into every album, compilation, and EP that I could to let you know what’s worth listening to.
ALBUMS & mixtapes
8ULENTINA - SURPASSING DISASTER
Label: SILLAGE
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Genre: Electronic
8ULENTINA doesn’t hold back on his debut full-length, using the project to challenge what electronic music can sound like through the lens of his own experience and experimentations.
Listen: Bandcamp
Boldy James & Chuck Strangers - Token of Appreciation
Label: 1301 LLC
Release Date: February 27, 2025
Genre: Rap / Hip-Hop
With effortlessly cool cadences that complement both of their lush, velvety tones, Boldy James and Chuck Strangers give us something to be thankful for in this collaborative album.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
DJ CLENT & DJ COREY - TRUTH BE TOLD
Label: Juke Bounce Werk
Release Date: January 24, 2025
Genre: Footwork
A son of selectors himself, DJ Clent continues to pass down his family’s love of music while proving how strong generational creativity can thrive by teaming up with his own son, DJ Corey, for this joint record on Juke Bounce Werk.
Listen: Bandcamp
FKA twigs - EUSEXUA
Label: Young Recordings
Release Date: January 24, 2025
Genre: Dance Pop
FKA twigs is anything but average, but her music always brings listeners something they can relate to — EUSEXUA is no different. In the innovator’s latest, FKA twigs captures the human experience in its rawest form.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Ghais Guevara - Goyard Ibn Said
Label: Fat Possum
Release Date: January 24. 2025
Genre: Rap / Hip-Hop
Ghais Ghevara isn’t claiming he’ll save hip-hop in his debut album, but he might be saving those who fly too close to the sun from themselves.
Listen: Bandcamp
Goya Gumbani - Warlord of the Weejuns
Label: Ghostly International
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Genre: Rap / Jazz
The cleanest, most well-executed blend of jazz and rap I’ve heard in years.
Listen: Bandcamp
JEAN-pierre - Gospel
Label: Self-Released
Release Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: 160, Footwork
A take on footwork so informed and inspired, I would’ve never guessed this Jersey native has never stepped foot in Chicago.
Listen: Bandcamp
miles cooke - ceci n’est pas un portrait
Label: Rucksack Records
Release Date: January 10, 2025
Genre: Rap / Hip-Hop
While packed with quick-witted puns and references I’m sure have flown right over my head, miles cooke doesn’t think he’s better than anyone — in fact, he’s struggling just like you and me, and isn’t afraid to talk about it.
Listen: Bandcamp
Pink Siifu - BLACK’!ANTIQUE
Label: Dynamite Hill
Release Date: January 27, 2025
Genre: Rap / Noise
BLACK’!ANTIQUE’s noise-laden sound isn’t surprising. Over the years, Pink Siifu has continuously shown us he can do it all — and very well.
Listen: Bandcamp
PremRock - Did You Enjoy Your Time Here…?
Label: Backwoodz Studioz
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Genre: Rap / Hip-Hop
Ricocheting between collaborators track-by-track as if asking from advice from different friends hoping for the answer he’s looking for, PremRock attempts to extrapolate a blurry generalization of whether a time was time well spent.
Listen: Bandcamp
Time Cow - Scaring 1100 Chickens To Death
Label: Kullijhan Records
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Genre: Electronic / Instrumental
Equiknoxx’s Time Cow returns from a five-year hiatus with instrumentals that amalgamate his sonic influences in eight cuts that could make up the score of a short horror film.
Listen: Bandcamp
Traxman - Da Mind Of Traxman Vol. 3
Label: Planet Mu
Release Date: February 7, 2025
Genre: Footwork / Juke
Traxman proves you don’t need to look outside of Chicago to get the most boundary-pushing footwork and juke tracks. The OGs still got it.
Listen: Bandcamp
COMPILATIONS
VA - Bay Area Renegade Trax Vol. 2
Label: NO BIAS
Release Date: February 1, 2025
Genre: Club / Techno
Favorite Tracks: Bored Lord & RITCHRD - Bongo Music; @@ - Marimba Mechanica; estoc & RITCHRD - Bounce That Ass
Listen: Bandcamp
VA - MOVELTRAXX 18
Label: Moveltraxx
Release Date: February 6, 2025
Genre: Footwork / Ghetto House / Club
Favorite Tracks: DJ Phil - House Love; DJ Tameil - Everybody; Heavee - RTS
Listen: Bandcamp
VA - Rare Frequency Transmissions Volume Three
Label: Rare Frequency Transmissions
Release Date: March 28, 2025
Genre: Club / Breaks
Favorite Tracks: Dynoman - Jhoom Lay; JIALING - ENERGY VAMPIRE; BADSISTA - FUMISAN; Zvrra - Boreal
Listen: Bandcamp
EPs
1OO1O - BREAKBEAT BOUTIQUE
Label: Self-Released
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Genre: Breaks
A playfully funkadelic examination of just how diverse breaks can be.
Listen: Bandcamp
camille - TUFF CROWD
Label: roomfullofvices
Release Date: February 2025
Genre: Rap / Hip-Hop
One of the most exciting new artists I’ve discovered in a while. This EP is fresh yet nostalgic — what Doris and Ctrl’s lovechild would sound like.
Listen: Bandcamp
KOOXLA - WATER SIGN
Label: Self-Released
Release Date: March 7, 2025
Genre: Breaks, East Coast Club
I don’t even like water signs, which I’m looking to overlook because KOOXLA is my favorite producer right now and because this EP has saved my USB.
Listen: Bandcamp
MoMA Ready - MR001
Label: Self-Released
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Genre: Techno / House
For MoMA Ready’s first project of 2025, he releases four cuts of driving house and techno that show it’s not as monotonous as normies think.
Listen: Bandcamp
nextdimensional - 2046
Label: starry
Release Date: March 5, 2025
Genre: Techno / Breaks / Electro / Trance
nextdimensional returns from outerspace to deliver six tracks that sound alien-made.
Listen: Bandcamp
