Re: 2025 favorites / standouts?

I’ve been thinking about that over the past month. It really feels like
this year has been generous with solid IDM releases.

Off the top of my head:


   -

   Obviously *OPN’s* *Tranquilizer* — a gorgeous album that came out just
   recently.
   -

   *Matmos*
   -

   *SuperValu* (aka Sunken Foel aka Minced Oath — feels like I spent the
   entire spring digging through his discography, and I’m pretty sure there
   were more aliases I didn’t get to. While writing this list I also noticed
   there’s a new Minced Oath release.

   - Mike Paradinas has been productive. Besides the *Kid Spatula* release,
   I spotted on streaming another album under his classic moniker. Later found
   out there were actually two albums. I haven’t listened to them yet, but i’m
   assuming they’re on the ambient side, like *1977 *release on Balmat from a
   couple years ago or rather it’s a direct follow-up.


   -

   - *Serwed* (duo of electronic artists Flaty and OL) was great excuse to
   revisit everything they’ve put out as duo, it blended together into a
   whole and now I can’t say anything specific about the new release
   itself. it’s worth attention.


   -

   - *Djrum* - powerful and heavy drum sections get me so hyped that, every
   time one of those sentimental piano breakdowns comes in, I find myself
   getting a bit bored and thinking: come on, man, stop whining, give me more
   of that intensity. wasn’t able to perceive it as a whole.


   -

   - And *Stereolab* for some reason i also want to mention

…sure there’s something else I’m forgetting.




On Wed, 26 Nov 2025 at 08:00, Chris Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:

> Getting a jump on the most important question of the year - what was good
> that came out this year?
>
> Seems like the biggest thing would be the Autechre tour (which I didn’t
> catch any chatter about here?!) - got to see them three times, each very
> different, two of them extremely sick.
>
> NHKyx did a good ep for Skam.
>
> Ghost Dubs stuff  from this year and last is very good - elegant, fresh
> and musical.
>
> Foodman did some crazy releases.  I caught him live doing an Electribe
> set.  Very hype and mental - reminded me of 00s minimal at a happy hardcore
> tempo?
>
> Cool seeing Topdown Dialectic do some gigs. Definitely melon twisting
> stuff that sounds great on a big system.
>
>
> Not IDM but I also dug Sissy Spacek “Entrance” on Shelter Press, Ryu
> Hankil’s 8 Rhythm Machine, Rafael Toral’s “Traveling Light” and Takuma
> Kuragaki’s “Cleave” were all novel sounding and intense electronics
> records. Oh have to mention Nick Forte’s new harsh noise project Green Tea
> - brilliant.
>
> Big year for familiar names impressing me massively on the dancefloor - DJ
> Sprinkles, Theo Parrish, Appleblim and Mark Ernestus all delivered.
>
> Was it this year that a friend put me onto Guitar - Sunkissed? Positive,
> headnoddy, almost twee computer version of MBV. So sick.
>
> Ok your turn
>
>
>