Photo by Daniel Reche
August and September were busy months at PLAYY. Magazine, and as such, PLAYY. Magazine has put together a collection of our favourite sounds from both months for the fifth instalment of our PLAYYLIST series. As summer fades into autumn, our latest PLAYYLIST captures the emotional highs, experimental edges, and digital textures defining the underground in this era of 2025. While both months saw many incredible releases, these ten picks – five from each month – navigate hyperactive breakbeats, femme-forward hyperpop, dark club tools, and glitch-drenched rave; centering women, queer people, and people of colour at the helm of left-field electronica. Welcome to our fifth installment of sounds from the underground, designed to satisfy the restless wanderings of the modern listener.
TRACKLIST:
1. FKA twigs – ‘Cheap Hotel’
‘Cheap Hotel’ drifts through dimly-lit, hypnotic trip-hop grooves, blending twigs’ ethereal vocals with drowsy, chopped-and-screwed-style raps and gently rippling synths to create a languid, intoxicating atmosphere. Accompanied by an extended music video directed by Jordan Hemingway that follows a surreal hotel escapade with the Clermont Twins, merging dreamy visual experimentation with cinematic mischief. The song arrived with an official release announcement of Eusexua Afterglow, the sequel album to EUSEXUA, landing on November 14th.
2. Valesuci – ‘Amor’
Chile-born, Brazil-based Valesuchi, a veteran of the industry, continues to push Latin American electronic music forward on her latest album Futuro Cercano. Standout track Amor layers harsh machine sounds with delicate hand drum rhythms that flutter like hummingbirds, exemplifying her blend of experimental club textures, tribal percussion, and hypnotic grooves.
3. Yaeji, underscores, Aliyah’s Interlude – ‘booboo2’
Featuring U.S. rapper Aliyah’s Interlude and singer-songwriter underscores, Yaeji’s work on the track amplifies the original’s blistering bass and breakbeats with layers of shimmer and sparkle, transforming it into a radiant fusion of hyperpop energy and R&B-infused club allure.
4. Ninjarachi, daine – ‘Its You’
A standout moment on Ninjarachi’s latest album Love My Computer is the single ‘It’s You’, the album’s sole collaboration, created with Melbourne artist daine in late 2023. The song is a smorgasbord of digital sonics; an invigorating, glitchy, dizzying rave packaged in just under three minutes. Ninajirachi shares, “I initially wanted Love My Computer to be purely my own — no features, no collabs — but this track with daine just clicked perfectly. It had to be part of the record.”
5. AMARA ctk100 – ‘PONYTAIL WHIP’
The title track of her latest EP, PONYTAIL WHIP, cements AMARA ctk100’s status as an underground pop sensation, effortlessly blending rave-infused hyperpop with fearless charisma. Pulsing rhythms and vibrant, confident vocals make this track a sparkling anthem tailor-made for the dancefloor, and any club diva ready to own it.
6. KAYTRANADA – ‘SPACE INVADER’
Unlike its predecessor Timeless, KAYTRANADA’s latest project AIN’T NO DAMN WAY is no feature-heavy spectacle – it is a lean, focused burst of groove built for movement, moods, and moments of quiet discovery. Its opening single ‘SPACE INVADER’ reworks Kelis’s ‘My Life’ into a sleek, late-night house burner with jittery hi-hats and deep, shuffling kicks, a track that feels like it could roll on forever without losing steam.
7. Kloke – ‘Emeralds’
British producer Kloke, a pioneer of post-dubstep turned jungle aficionado, continues his genre-bending journey on the LP Lucidity. The track ‘Emeralds’ showcases his signature approach, featuring intricately chopped breakbeats and shimmering textures, blending the raw energy of jungle with his forward-thinking, melodic sensibilities.
8. TYGAPAW – ‘M32 Riddim’
On ‘M32’, TYGAPAW conjures up the tension and resilience of the immigrant experience into pure physical release. Jersey club, dancehall, and techno collide in a rush of percussion and propulsion, turning identity and resistance into movement.
9. Baxter Dury, JGrrey – ‘Allbarone’
Dury’s latest album Allbarone opens with its title track, featuring JGrrey’s harmonies complementing Baxter Dury’s sardonic delivery as they riff on the quirks of metropolitan bar culture. With a catchy “Answer the texts / answer the phone” hook and a hazy, Italo-disco-tinged groove, the track blends warmth, grit, and sparkle, hearkening to late evenings at the club in summer.
10. The Dare – ‘Tambourine’
Closing the selection is ‘Tambourine’, the lead single off the indie sleaze savant’s latest EP Freakquencies: Vol. 1, dives further into club territory than the feral anthems of his debut project. Gritty glam gives way to darker, percussive grooves, with massive, oozing basslines, jagged sawtooth stabs, two-step rhythms, and glitchy vocals bouncing through the mix. Crafted for strobe-lit euphoria and post-party comedowns alike, the track signals an exciting new chapter in his sound.
