Photo by Daniel Reche
As we usher in the second half of 2025, we present the third edition of PLAYYLIST — our monthly roundup spotlighting standout new releases from the underground and beyond. June delivered a surge of boundary-blurring tracks that dug into the grit, reflecting the year’s evolving, shape-shifting sonic mood. From warped club tools to ethereal hyperpop anthems to immersive headphone journeys, these are the sounds that defined the month and set the tone for the rest of the year.
Tracklist:
1. Ninjarachi – ‘iPod Touch
A hyper-pop flashback laced with future club energy, ‘iPod Touch’ turns digital nostalgia into a high-octane joyride. Ninjarachi fuses chiptune chaos with sugar-rush melodies and razor-sharp percussion, channeling early-2000s aesthetics through a 2025 lens. It’s glitchy, glittery, and totally unhinged – in the best possible way.
2. FiFi Zhang – ‘WHERE U R (angel with no feathers)’
Otherworldly and emotionally raw, FiFi Zhang’s ‘WHERE U R’ floats somewhere between dream pop and ambient ballad. Her voice drifts like vapor over celestial pads, soft horns, frayed textures, and ghostly echoes. There is an intimate divinity in every note, as if this is a love song sent from another dimension – one that remembers Earth, but barely.
3. Pixel Grip – ‘Split’
‘Split’ is synthpunk for the post-human dancefloor. Pixel Grip delivers a high-tension, body-moving anthem where EBM rhythms grind against glossy synthwork and visceral vocals. The track is pure strobe-lit catharsis; vulnerable yet formidable. Fierce, seductive, and totally wired, it’s a fractured mirrorball moment that demands your full attention.
4. Rezz – ‘Prophecy’
Rezz taps into her signature dark magic on ‘Prophecy’, a sludgy, sci-fi club weapon pulsing with apocalyptic energy. Thick basslines churn beneath sinister synths, while drops hit like slow-motion implosions.
5. Nicole Moudaber – ‘Soul Brothers’
A deep, driving techno sermon, ‘Soul Brothers’ sees Nicole Moudaber return to her most hypnotic form. Rooted in chunky bass and swirling percussion, the track builds with patient force, layering tribal grooves and meditative vocal snippets into something both physical and spiritual.
6. GENESI – ‘Hyper’
True to its name, ‘Hyper’ hits with ballistic energy. GENESI blends breakneck beats, distorted synths, and flickering vocal chops into a track that never sits still. The track is urgent, unrelenting, and precision-engineered for full-body release. A high-speed anthem for an adrenaline-packed peak-time, or the most insane car ride of your life.
7. AMPRS&ND – ‘Sorry’
‘Sorry’ is low-lit club emotion with a serrated edge. AMPRS&ND melds sultry, pitched-down vocals with shadowy synths and a rolling beat that feels equal parts confessional and confrontational. Late-night introspection done right.
8. Ardalan, Goldie Gold, Sharpness – ‘Drip (Sweat)’
This is bounce music on steroids. ‘Drip (Sweat)’ is a body-shaking collaboration built for sweaty basements and peak-hour chaos. Ardalan’s production is as slippery as it is solid, with Goldie Gold and Sharpness bringing heat and humour in equal measure. It’s brash, bold, and impossible to sit still to.
9. ELIF, Predex, Rodriguez Jr. – ‘Praise The Sky (Rodriguez Jr. Remix)’
Rodriguez Jr. elevates ‘Praise The Sky’ into something celestial. His remix transforms the original into a cosmic slow-burner, where ethereal melodies orbit around deep, meditative grooves. It is layered, emotional, and gorgeously restrained – the kind of track that sneaks up on you at a festival sunrise slot.
10. Notelle & Autograf – ‘I Can Get High’
Notelle and Autograf deliver an emotionally lush slice of dance-pop on ‘I Can Get High’. The track has an air of euphoria as an ephemeral salve for heartbreak, fusing shimmering synths, deep grooves, and soaring vocals into a bittersweet rush.
