- Moore Kismet arrives and is aiming to SATURATE YOUR WORLD! and I will say he surely does because the pure cohesion of this sound design makes such a unique, smooth listening experience. Almost to the point where I say that this album is way too coheesive like some of these lead-ins sound nearly identical across the tracks. Nonetheless, this is a whirlwind of an album, which drops straight up out of this world like its just silky smooth colorful saturated and then blended with these riddim attacks and it creates this hypnotizing experience and then the cherry on top are the snare samples that Kismet employs like WOW.

- ANyway tho, I forgot to review this album in Q2 so that's why its carried over here. Top track is easily that single "RAINBOWFHISH" with insane postdrop breakdowns and a wild concept of talking about fish on a date and that 2nd drop is just so elaborate and the transitions and everything just create the most versatile track of the album. Then, I noted down "DOWHATUWANT!" with this trap-like lead and then that pulsing double-time 2nd drop just absolutely takes it home like I love that technique that Kismet uses throughout this album. And then I also wanna shout out that final track that wraps up this album really well whilst maintaining the core themes of this album somehow, like it's executed really well and really drives home the sonic cohesiveness of this album. So overall this is some really great work and I'm really pleasantly impressed by Kismet's execution of this sound design. Some of the drops and lead-ins do feel formulaic and repetitive, but when they hit hard it's a beauty to the ears.

Rating = 6.5/10

Favorite Tracks = "RAINBOWFHISH", "DOWHATUWANT!", "hollowmind", "makeuhappy? (conclusion)"

7/11 = Slushii, sapientdream - Chrysalis

- Slushii and sapientdream have a long history of collaboration and teamwork (notably on mega-successfulu "Past Lives") and here they continue it with Chrysalis which has a lot of pleasant chord progressions but just repetitive instrumentation and no melodic direction. The progression really takes its time but it honestly takes way too much timebecause there coudl not be less of a direction than this. The drops odnt feel like drops and the only good thing i can say abt this album is how atmospheric it is. The SPIRIT LINK album doesn't commit hard enough to the dorp and all these vocals are so filler and dreamily processed which is certainly a stylicstic choice, just not one for me.

Rating = 4/10

Favorite Tracks = "What Could Have Been"

7/11 = Skybreak - HALF BLOOD

- I'm so excited for this album because Skybreak was honestly my artist of the year for 2024 and to push that momentum towards this really creative work of an album just has the potential to shape up how this year sounds.

- Skybreak takes a pivot into his UK origins, with this crazy uk garage d&b + colorbass fusion which is just so crazy. This is artistry at its finest, taking your own sound and incorporating and exploring it in a new genre. You can tell he's done his research and extensive listening, because just the sound design and atmosphere and cohesion taht this album sets with this "subway storyline" is so brilliantly executed. I'm a huge fan of this album and this direction, theres no way you don't appluse this. It's honestly such a drastic pivot from his previous melodic dubstep and colourbass sound design with these grand, triumphant drops.

- Standouts include "STONE KOLD" which in my opinion carries this album. Like that track is such a sensational track that represents this album for me, like that 2nd drop is just so gritty and nasty and the instrumentation that follows the rapping in the verses adds so much color to the song its just brilliant. Other than that "CAN'T LET GO" is also super catchy with some dense drop elements and I also really liked "DREAMER" and "ANTIMATTER" and closing track "WORLD'S END (REMEMBER"

- With that being said, there are a handful of tracks here that are more on the filler side and are kinda mid and don't offer much, which is quite surprising for Skybreak's standards. These include "VAGABOND" and "CHRYSALIS" and "STREET GARDEN" to some degree. I understand that they add the transitiosn between the narrative of this album but all in all this album could've had more standouts for Skybreak's standards, as "RED HOT SKULL" is the only track that is fully sensational, the rest are just some mainly solid hits. Saying that, i am a bit underwhelmed with the album, though just a little.

Rating = 8/10

Favorite Tracks = "STONE KOLD", "CAN'T LET GO", "DREAMER", "WORLD'S END (REMEMBER)", "ANTIMATTER", "RED HOT SKULL"

7/11 = Vylet Pony - Love & Ponystep

- Vylet Pony just cranks out so much music and this time its back in full form with some top-tier brostep and vocal progressions. This album visits internet history and nostalgia with many old-skool edm samples and internet youtube samples. It also critiques copyright laws and narratively is a masterpiece but I won't dive too deep into it. This album is exactly what it says: Love & Ponystep with this insane brostep design and tracks with insane runlength and many transition songs of these conversation recordings that im ngl i most of the time skip. This album is crazy, it's intense, it has wild swings, and it's high quality with very elaborate, very drawn out progressions and themes across the album.

- Very reminiscent of 2024's Girls Who Are Wizards, the opening track consists of some really addicting tunes and vocal chops along with just blasting us with some insane brostep. The whole verse and vocals really sets the stage so well and this is a top-tier track here. The brostep is so magnificent its honestly sensational, I love those vocal chop fills from section to section. And then there's a metal-infused midsection and it just ties this whole track together.

- The album holistically also just travels all over the place through so many genres and production atmospheres. Besides primarily Skrillex, I felt some Porter Robinson influence with some vocaloids or synth designs, then theres Virtual Riot type future bass melodic dubstep in "Peace, Love Glalie", 6/8 ballads in "The Slow Dance", notes of complextro in "LiveLaughLove2", even latin-brostep in "Lightning Bolt". I don't really follow the storytelling between the Radio Channel transition tracks (i do really resonate with the revelation in Ch 3) but it doesn't matter as this album contains so much and upon just the first listen isn't enough. There's this unifying brostep theme along with addicting vocal melodies and synths, and of course those classic Vylet Pony "the music never stops!" sample among others, but unlike Girls Who Are Wizards there are also these longer vocal samples that remind me of this transition in Wave Meow - "Arcade". There's also many rather random samples like some skrillex samples scattered throughout the album, "watch me whip watch me nae nae" in the outro of "Falling in Love With a Corporate Illustration", or "oppa gangstam style" at the 38 sec mark in "Peace, Love, Glalie".

- I need to talk about one of the 8 minute tracks, "Falling in Love With a Corporate Illustration" because I've been spam replaying this which is insane to say. Never in my life would I think I would be addicted to an 8:44 song and not get sick of it like 8 minute songs aren't supposed to do this. But this one does that and it takes me on a journey and there's just so many unique sections in this track and it's not repetitive and main melody/drop only plays 3 times and the midsections and verses just are so golden. Like this progression is so insane how do you not make me sick of listening to an 8 minute song, this is mindblowing. That prechorus at the 90 second mark is my favorite part of the song like bro ITS SO ADDICTING and like this is just so peak bro. It's amazing timing of the title too right now.

- Other than that there is just so much to talk about this album. All this time I was planning on making a separated post for this album but atp I will just have it here. I listened to this album front and back so many times, especially when I'm driving to and from college from home on those 90 min car rides. Those car rides are so peak like this album is just so peak I would listen and belike THESE TRACKS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER. I feel kinda guilty not giving this album its proper respect in a separated blog post with more well-thought-out review and analysis and a full tracklist breakdown but man that will prob take like 2+ hours.

- Lastly, ever since I started reviewing music which began in 2024 with monthly EDM wrap-ups, then in 2025 with quarterly EDM wrap-ups, among the near hundreds of albums I've listened to and reviewed, we've never had a perfect 10/10 score. I currently have 3 10/10 albums: Madeon's Good Faith', Porter Robinson's Nurture, and Virtual Riot's Simulation. Debatable is Lorde's Melodrama and maybe some Taylor Swift albums, but nonetheless, this album had me questioning what it means to be a 10/10 album. I knew this would be at least a 9/10, but I started having serious 10/10 thoughts around 2 months into lsitening to this album when there's just so many replayable and sensational tracks that I kept looping and as I kept spam replaying these tracks I just wouldn't get sick of them. This album took over my 2025 and dominated my listening habits. I would almost consider Vylet Pony a separate genre with my listening habits because of how dominant it is. A 10/10 album must be sonically cohesive, narratively a masterpiece (lyrically or not lyrically), and every track must move with intention. Every track must be a 10/10 in the context of the album. There's not a single moment in the album that feels like filler or unnecessary, and it honestly has to be a timeless, life-changing album. No producer/DJ/song-writer can make it their goal to have a 10/10 album, the 10/10 album has to come to them.

Rating = 10/10

Favorite Tracks = "Falling in Love With a Corporate Illustration", "My Love is a Quickscope", "Peace, Love, Glalie (And, in 2009, Somebody stole my Ancient Mew Card)", "Webpunk", "A Digital Flower Field", "Wonka X Howl", "Angel with a Longshot (Courier Overture)", "Jester", "Worst rave EVER", "Lightning Bolt", "LiveLaughLove2", "Love & Ponystep", "Comet Catcher and the Reek Fish", "The Slow Dance"

7/13 = bxchii - STILL YOUNG 2

- Bxchii who is a filipino r&b artist who I presume from Bay Area makes what I call "lightskin jordan poole music" and he further leans into this with this new project. The singing is so melodic with a high range and tons of runs and holds. This is some great songwriting and instrumentation, however, most of these songs are kinda mid to me as they become really r&b which I usually dont sway towards because the progression is just very one-lined and chilled out and it loses the storytelling aspect. Also, the tracks are really short with maxlength being 2:15. There's 10 songs totalling to 18 min, tho it is worth mentioning theres a 20 sec intro track.

- I did really like "SUMMER BABY" and "STOP PLAYIN'" with that funny intro. Generally, I love the bxchii tracks that have a more concrete structure and verse/chorus progression, and this album doesn't have much of it.

Rating = 6.5/10

Favorite Tracks = "STOP PLAYIN'", "SUMMER BABY", "BTE", "HALF EMPTY"

7/17 = Neddie - neddie:online

- Neddie, a relatively underground EDM producer I discovered from the exobolt label, has leveled up from an electrohouse/complextro style into this electrohouse/electro-pop design with these really nice vocal progressions. I'm a big fan of this direction as "the motions" is a big standout with the sweeping vocal runs and synth counter melodies. It's just a great progression and I love the synth runs that cap everything off. That techno finish is a bit questionable but I don't mind it.

Rating = 7/10

Favorite Tracks = "the motions", "on my mind", "where you been?"

7/18 = redwater - fahrenheit

- Here we have a massively underground artist that I discovered thruogh his collaboration through "roro", another underground artist that went to my highschool. Roro is actually gaining some popularity through engineering this modern "bollytech" fusion genre. But either way I was hesitant on including this album. However, there's some really mature grooves and progressions alongwith a lot of smooth instrumentation that makes for some catchy melodies.

- I wanna jump directly to my standouts which includes the 2nd track "Chasing Static" with these lesser-processed vocal chops that legit sound fire and add so much depth to the vocal leads. You'll notice a ton more of this glitchy sound design throughout the album, but you know how much I love vocal chops and I thought that this incorporation was quite brilliant. Next, I really love that transition and drop on "trace" with those digital synths in the backing, and the fluidity of the transitions throughout this track is honestly almost dizzying it feels like this track is all over the place. Next we have lead single "locust" where everything just comes together for this pulsating groovy drop and its SO PEAK theres like these strings or bells in the verse too that make it so pretty and the vocals just guide the progression so well. "inconclusive" is also an insane track with this same production style but with this synth solo bridge and theme that instnatly is one of the top tracks of this album like holy cow that is so melodic. The last 2 tracks I'll talk about is a collab with roro on "no time" which is Fireflies[owl city] inspired with just additional great hooks and vocal design. And then I also particularly enjoyed "predictable" it's just such a smooth song with that hollow synth theme bouncing in and around and the verse progression is just so intentional it's not filler at all I love the bounce and groove man you've heard me say those words so many times.

Rating = 7/10

Favorite Tracks = "locust", "inconclusive", "no time", "predictable", "Chasing Static", "trace"

7/18 = DJ DIESEL, Shaquille O'Neal - M.D.E

- Exactly what I'd expect from DJ DIESEL in this 9-track LP. As hard as the album cover goes, this is just abrasive and dense dubstep screeches with generic Shaq hype vocals. This album doesn't have much quality but for the festival enjoyers who like this energy, this LP definitely offers some headbanging classics.

- The lead single "Damage" with Virtual Riot CARRYING easily makes this album not forgettable. Honestly this track is one of the defining tracks of the year for me because of how replayable it is witih that frogstep drop and variation in postdrop and the 2nd drop. Also, "Run It" with IVORY has this fairly nice UK d&b design and this crossover was MUCH needed as Shaq does pop off with this genre. "Pay Respect" has a nice wubstep section that I actually added to my rotation when the single came out.

Rating = 5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Damage", "Pay Respect", "Run It", "Throwin' Bows"

7/23 = Snail's House - ujbeats : summer

- An 8-track EP with some upbeat pixel sound designs and nice tunes here and there. It's a bit better from Sanil's House's previous LPs but still, no standouts among the bunch.

Rating = 5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Te Amo"

7/25 = Derivakat - Archive #02: Desire

- This songwriter Derivakat apparently was in the Dream SMP or something cuz she has thsi EP with millions of streams but anyway I discovered her as a vocalist on many Netrum songs and I really do like her vocals a lot.

- However this is so unique because I think her vocal progressions are really great and intruiging, however the drops just aren't grand enough and don't follow thru well enough. It's unique because normally in so many EDM tracks i say the inverse where the drops are solid but the verses just feel so filler. Many of these attempted post-drops in this album feel just so filler and unmoving. And sometimes things feel too drawn with the vocals like theres too manys ections. Also just 90% of this album and measures are consumed by her vocals like theres no air and space to breathe in between it feels like sometimes. This is objectively some solid work though with the vocals, just feels a bit wasted as I admittedly have to say many of these tracks would hit hard if she collabed with an EDM producer or opened it up for remixing.

- I say that because one standout track stands alone among the rest in "Late Spring" with Netrum with just this clarity within the verse and chorus. I love the instrumentation with the synths and the adlibs almost like call-and-response style.

Rating = 5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Late Spring", "Alone"

7/25 = Cheat Codes - Future Renaissance

- Really excited for new Cheat Codes music because they're honestly just sleeper and I always mix them up with Clean Bandit. We see more of their characteristic instrumentation and minimalist drop designs in this album, tho it is just generally a bit weaker than previous albums. My point of reference is tracks like "No Promises" and that country album One Night in Nashville which is AN ABSOLUTE BANGER. So with the standard set so high I was a bit disappointed with the lack of standout tracks but all in all theres still some solid earworms of tracks that made my rotation, like many of the singles and "Rich Kids" and others. There's even a Linney feature in "Lonely" that I was pleasantly surprised to see but the drop is just so plain and weak it was disappointing.

Rating = 6.5/10

Favorite Tracks = "TYSM", "Bloom", "Don't Leave", "Stand By Me", "Rich Kids", "Go To Hell",

8/1 = OBLVYN - Inertia EP

- OBLVYN's Inertia EP is nothing short of her usual indistinguishable sound design that I talk about every time her music is mentioned. Notably here I want to talk about "Dopamine" which has this synth solo with the lick snuck in but just having this synth solo act as a bridge and straight into a new progression of these eerie synth stabs is SO intentional like I just lvoe the direction that this track takes after the synth solo. It's not safe and it's not traditional at all and this is exactly what makes a progression special. Let's also just talk about the synth solo setup that appears throughout this EP and her discography because it really does feel like in high school jazz band or wind ensemble when all the instruments would leave into just a backing track and the soloist stands up and starts ripping like it's just so drastic the production takes into these synth solos. It's a bit unsettling at first but I think it speaks to OBLVYN's character and her sound design.

- With that said I do love the synth solos but I wish it had more pace and flashiness to it. Like some really high and fast runs mixed between those minor leaps could add so much dimension to these synth solos. Because truthfully, this is below average for synth solos that I listen to among Glacier, Teminite, etc. And then some of the production just feels like the exact same composition throughout the entire EP. I would love to see her add in some collabs or features or a vocal-led verse to spice things up a bit in future releases.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Dopamine", "dont need u"

8/6 = Rocketman - From a Certain Point of View EP

- We have a smooth Monstercat EP release from Rocketman who I'm normally not too familiar with but he's splashed on the scene with this EP. I really love the concept and art and just cohesiveness throughout this EP. It's very atmospheric with this unique blend of melodic bass, future bass, and even some liquid d&b. There's lots of repetition and slow buildup so some parts are a bit bland to me ("waning" was just boring to me) but theres certainly some really intriguing sections like the drops in "Let Go" and "Moonlight". Also, I really liked the Teminite/Chime/Pixel-Terror "Sleepless" sample approach on "[can't] sleep" it was really fun to hear and it acted as this transition to this really progressive electrohouse drop which I consider the top drop of this entire EP like it is PEAK.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Let Go", "Moonlight"

8/8 = Inzo, Blookah - Nexum

- Inzo has come out with another album, this time in collaboration with Blookah. This one is 12 tracks long and im ngl i didnt really listen to this too intentionally like it definitely is some high quality stuff but I just feel a lack of depth. There's tons of genres and swings and atmospheric sections and progressions but overall its just nothing more than that. I liked more vocal-led tracks and collabs and features such as "World Is Yours".

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Beyond Love", "World Is Yours", "Bad Timing (So Sorry)"

8/8 = Ninajarachi - I Love My Computer

- Australian producer Ninjarachi has broken out on the scene with this really dynamic, high-quality electrohouse album talking about early 2000s internet, with songs like "iPod Touch", "Delete", "and "Battery Death" and "ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ" and"Infohazard" talking about growing up in this really pivotal time of technology and everything. This album is narratively very deep but I didn't really dive TOO much into it especially with that "F*ck My Computer" track I wonder what the deeper meaning behind that is but anyway this is some SUPER high quality electrohouse like just the sound design makes my speaker feels like its not qualified enough. Maybe its because I was reviewing the Derivaikat album right before this but wow there's just such a high standard here.

- This album deserves its commercial success. I don't have too many takeaways into my rotation but "Infohazard" is a really compelling track with such an elaborate drop. "Delete" is also on almost sensational level with such a captivating lead on that drop and theres so many moving parts and stutters its so good. Like honestly this entire album has such a sick sound design with the acid bass and synchro nyces I'm 100% gonna revisit this.

Rating = 8/10

Favorite Tracks = "Delete", "Infohazard", "ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ"

8/13 = Chime - Between EP

- Chime has rebranded to this 'old-skool' dubstep uk-infused style and I'm all for artists shifting their directions and exploring. This time, it's a pretty moderate success. The album has an undeniable signature Chime hint to it with the microdrop integrations and elaborate midsections. However with more gritty old-skool dubstep, and I'm a big fan.

- "Between" is easily the most versatile track of the EP, with this really captivating hook and theme. However, many of these tracks aren't far behind with the vocals on "Control" are honestly insane like the vocals hard carry this song it sounds so beautiful. "Mecha Turbo III" with MIKESH!FT also has a MINDBLOWING midsection like I need to listen to that again it's actually so peak. Other than that the intro and closing song are solid and this is a really solid EP, nothing too standout ish with most of these drops but Chime again cements his standards in the EDM space.

Rating = 7/10

Favorite Tracks = "Between", "Mecha Turbo III", "Control"

8/18 = Rameses B - Nostalgia

- Rameses B has a THIRTY TRACK ALBUM here and im 5 tracks in and it just seems to be a lotta soundscapes so respectfully that will beit from this album. It doesn't really evoke any feelings of nostalgia for me and its releatively lowbeat.

Rating = 4/10

Favorite Tracks = N/A

8/29 = Sharks - Panic Attack EP

- Sharks has returned and with the Panic Attack EP we hear more of Sharks' signature future riddim design. This time there wasn't as many water samples though it was still existent. This EP contains some really gritty drops that do hit hard. They're not bad, just wish it could be rounded out with a fuller progression. "Take My Time" and "close your eyes and dance" showed some promise with the vocal lead and smoother synths.

Rating = 5/10

Favorite Tracks = "close your eyes and dance", "Take My Time", "Heart Stab"

9/5 = Dabin - Aura Park (Remixes)

- So we have the remix album out and I usually just put the tracks scaterred throughout the singles section but theres so many tracks that it would clutter it a lot and this honestly makes sense to put here. There's SOOO many artists I recognize through this 20-track remix album, and we'll start off with the remixes for my favorite song: "Night Blooms", where Culture Code just puts some mid on it like I'm not gonna discuss it for sake of time, then MUZZ's take with the hard d&b and some vocal chops and its a nice take. but the entire structure seems exactly the same and I prefer the original production, like I feel like MUZZ could've taken some sections with variation and added vocal chops or had his own midsections and fills but he kinda just slapped a linear d&b line on everything with some really minimal vocal chop support. I guess the track is kinda at it's peak though I do think it does invite some melodic dubstep ideas that wasn't filled.

- Then let's take a listen at ROY KNOX's remix of "Not Enough" with those really beautiful chords and stabs, and then a really gritty post drop, just some really classic melodic dubstep design with ROY KNOX. I really love this approach and structure and I love how he mixes in the vocal samples, and let's not forget a really abrupt yet flawless 2nd verse transition. This track is making it to my rotation.

- Paper Skies features with his remix of "Won't Be The Same" with some rather linear colourbass stabs, I like the breakdown in the 2nd drop but it just feels too safe for me. It's cool hearing colourbass lead these drops but there's so much more potential that could've been done and I'm pretty disappointed for Paper Skies standards. This track did hit live tho (check my blog post of the dabin aura park tour if you havent) just because of how thick that colourbass is live and honestly anything is fire live like even techno is passable for me.

- Now let's listen to "Constellation" Mazare remix which is very exciting because it's like an EDM-rock producer remixing an EDM-rock track, so like its like an attribute boost and right off the bat this song does that. I really love the guitar design but honestly it's kinda mid and the song kinda flew by but it's ok i just dont wanna replay it again lOL yea its not making my rotation.

- Let's talk about Vincent's remix on "Deepest Water" which exceeded my expectations because that bass house execution is SO FIRE, like I forgot about the existence of bass house and it gets me thinking that a ton of these tracks hvae room for a bass house remix. I love vincent's more light bass-house design, almost like a future bounce vibe but the buildups are so Knock2-coded and I love those guitars that kinda just whirr back and forth in the 2nd drop. This is my lead remix so far, this is incredible work and an improvement at a lot of the emptiness that the original held.

- Skybreak has his HALF BLOOD coded remix on "Summer's Gone" which is very exicing to see considering Skybreak's high standards. It's a great track with some really complex drops but overall this remix is a miss to me. I just don't think this HALF BLOOD style fits in too well and those breakdowns with those static colourbass hits are great but idk they're jsut too monotone and I can't really describe why this execution is a miss to me. The 2nd drop is just so unique and mindblowing but like it just doesn't fit in this track feels like a waste of great production and design like those vocal chosp are so crispy and fire but in this context somehow doesn't provide too much value.

- Next I will visit Hex Cougar on "I See You" because he was an opener for the Aura Park tour in Seattle and I discovered him through that. I really like these drops and how it oscillates to these like almost hip-hop trap breakdowns, it fits in quite well and adds a lot of flavor. He even inserts it in the 2nd prechorus and it leads into a really nice swirling buildup and drop. I'm a HUGE fan of these breakdowns and the pure contrast between the drum patterns and production every 4 bars. This one's making the rotation.

- Hoang is on "In The End" and coming off of a horrible album this track isn't too bad. Like I'll never be critical of some nice vocal chops and these are executed solid. This is so Hoang coded tho, like I literally knew exactly what to expect on that 2nd prechorus with the dip into piano and I do like thoe strings bring it together, so overall this track honestly isn't that bad. Just still very basic and formulaic, like bro does Hoang not get sick of doing the exact same strcture for every track like he has legit 20 straight tracks of his recent discgoraphy thtat have this exact same progression like its incredible how consistent he is with it.

- Jason Ross in "In The End" remix continues to impress me with some really standout pacing and drumwork in that 2nd verse like honestly makes me wanna replay that section to hear it again. The drops are great too.

- Then we have another big name, Trivecta on "Nothing At All" with Kill The Noise. It's a pretty short remix but I really enjoyed the first drop it's almost like a Skrillex brostep x d&b x garage drop, it's really creative. I really don't like the midsection it's so filler, there could've been a really unique groovy midsection, and the 2nd drop is really great but it's so short I wish it was more grand, so I really do have mixed feelings of this song. Like the last impression it leaves me is so sour, so yeah, honestly might not make the rotation which is crazy to think because that 1st drop alone should be enough.

- So there we have this remix album with like 3 additions to the rotation and 2 tracks that barely missed it. Crazy that Skybreak didn't make it even tho it's usually a default minimum rotational track.

Rating = 6.5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Deepest Water - Vincent Remix", "I See You - Hex Cougar Remix", "Not Enough - ROY KNOX Remix", "Summer's Gone - Skybreak HALF BLOOD Remix", "In The End - Jason Ross Remix"

9/12 = Eliminate - Turn It Up EP

- Eliminate is here with a dubstep EP and honestly theres not many takeways here. There's some neat drops here and there honestly like modern virtual riot type drop design with just spamming samples and more minamilist feel. I enjoyed many tracks off last year's get off the internet album and this one just doesnt have any round progressions or catchy melodies, all these tracks just are so drop-centric. And what i mean by that is that outside of the drops theres not much depth and everything else feels filler.

Rating = 4/10

Favorite Tracks = "Turn It Up"

9/12 = Ray Volpe - FOREVER, VOLPETRON

- Ray Volpe has broken out to the scene in the past year and it culminates into this FOREVER, VOLPETRON gimmick. I will say these drops really do hit insanely hard and even remind me of some Virtual Riot style drops but its still vastly filled with repetitive festival targets. He also mixes in some wubstep and techno for that ultimate festival collection.

- Standouts include "WHAT'S UP" collab with Virtual Riot and I love that groovey change of pace in the outro to cap it off. Also "ANESTHETIC" shows so much promise as that vocal lead and progression makes for such a catchy, thematic track. "PAYBACK" also reminds me a lot of Knock2 trap/bass-house style like "dance or dead" or "fw me (dirty)". I wanna see Ray Volpe lean into this side more in the future.

Favorite Tracks = "WHAT'S UP", "ANESTHETIC", "PAYBACK"

Rating = 6/10

9/15 = SPORTMODE - Woodwinds EP

- A really fun listen here as SPORTMODE incorporates these woodwind leads in this basshouse/future-bounce drops. Normally you hear these instrumentations in the countermelody or B-section of a drop so hearing it take the drivers seat in these drops makes a really fun and bumpy listen. It's a great sound with that hollow melodic feel and adds so much ocntrast to the grittiness, especially in some of the octave jumps. Reminds me of some old school monstercat/rocketleague sound design. Love this take from SPORTMODE, however none of the drops and progressions jump out to that standout level for me.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Seasmoke", "BOUNCE"

9/26 = Au5 - Emberwake EP

- Au5 with another EP here, this one noticeably incorporating many vocals (of which a lot is his own) and guitar aspects whilst maintaining that signature Au5 flow. I also noticed that many of the vocal progressions were less intense and dramatic compared to the Bridges album. Admittedly many of these vocal progressions are just kinda weak, however in "Starflame" we have this INSANE production which transitions to this emergence of this vocal theme in the 2nd half and it's just SO PEAK the transition and catchiness man such a killer of a 7 minute track. However other than that lead single like I said before the vocal progressions are relatively mid. I don't hate it though and I see a lot of potential, like the groove in "Lost Without" is really intriguing.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Starflame", "Into The Light", "Lost Without"

Conclusion

July

Kicking us off in July we have redwater's lead-single "locust" which was released in June but I forgot to put it but its fine because the fahrenheit album dropped this month so its quite fitting to have it fallbackhere. You've heard my feedback on thatbouncy track, its straight fire.
Then we have "Duality - VIP" which is yet another F.O.O.L master piece with gritty, jumpy midtempo and a electric guitar finish, and then just suhc a smooth, blocky progression yet so seamless. I especially love the incorporation of the flutes. I actually used this song in an edit here for my chinese project lmao: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mLSVfTM90HZYdnKYj5DoVx_xeXzZzOXg/view?usp=sharing
Then we have a PLEEG track who just absolutely leans into this sound that I love from him with these bouncy, glitchy breakdowns. Like that intro just goes straight into it and the vocals add great contrast too. I wanna note how drawn out that conclusion is as it starts at around the 1:40 mark but lasts 30 seconds with these progressive sections. Easy standout pick here.
Then after that is just the string of standout tracks from Love & Ponystep you can argue theres many stubs like "Worst rave EVER" or "Wonka X HOWL" or title track "Love & Ponystep" but nonetheless this is insane amount of representation. Kinda like that Skrillex album representation from last quarter lmao.
Then we have 2 tracks from that fahreinheit album which we already talked about
Finally, we have jeonghyeon's remake of Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" which is lead-single off Midnights, and he actually made this track a couple of years ago and I literally downloaded it and put it in my offline folder on Spotify. It's great to see it finally released on Spotify but for copyright reasons they use a different vocalist and not Taylor's vocals, which kinda downgrades the track. Anyway let's talk about this track, bro ITS TAYLOR SWIFT VOCAL CHOPS. 2 of my favorite musical things in the world combined together. I need more taylor swift vocal chops in my life I need her to release an EDM album and for there to be some insane vocal chops in there. Reputation kinda did it but not to this thematic full-force dance way.

August

August was a solid month with "Aphrodite" by JVNA who continues to impress me like this track has such a unique drop and the bass counter-melody grooves so well. I also wanna shout-out that snare lead-in to the drop is SO CRISP like I have to fingertap along to it every time I listen to this track. This track is one of if not the best of JVNA's discography, and I could see this sticking in the top 10 for the rest of the year.
Like mentioned before "Delete" will land in standouts. I still need some more reps of the album so I might be missing another track from the album that deserves to be on here but for now we have this.
SAM GELLAITRY HAS ENTERED THE SCENE and this track is so good bro this dance house track is SOOO bouncy and it's such a feel-good track that I can't stop replaying. The progression is masterful, and the chorus is so catchy. What a joy of a track this is like man I can't help but smile while writing this review and listening to this track bro Sam Gellaitry is such a breath of fresh air.
And then we have a really nice team-up of Virtual Riot + Eliminate for "Aura Farming" which has a sick drop + post-drop breakdown like you'd expect and insane sound design and that midsection is really crisp too.
Au5's iconic "Snowblind" is revisited by Teminite and Nasko for a really holistic drop construction and progression and the vocals navigate the track so well and I really do like this remix a lot and those melodic dubstep drops. Beautiful and quintessential Teminite work.

September

Firstly we have that Vincent remix which I talked about earlier.
Then we have another Sam Gellaitry banger with another fresh atmosphere and those looping instrumentations and I love the way those notes are so meticulously released. Like so many of those notes are released early among the runs and the attention to detail is just so good. This one isn't as good as "START UP A RUMOUR" but man this is setting up some really high standards for an upcoming Sam Gellaitry album.
Now Ray Volpe invites Virtual Riot on "WHAT'S UP" which is yet another hard-hitting banger, this time with some really scratchy stabs on the lead of the drop and I love the outro on this song with those almost-robotic sound design and artist tags like that's pretty much enough to land in standout for Ray Volpe and Virtual Riot it's just too easy for them.
Now I don't listen to much John Summit but this one "crystallized" has such brilliant tension to explore this drop that almost acts like a duet between the vocals and synchro-nyce bass counter-melody. It's a really versatile track and the vocals are stellar.
We have "Starflame" which I talk about earlier.
Then relatively underground Korean producer RUQOA has come out with this really compelling and nostalgic track "In Time". It's also so soothing the vocals and instrumentation and then the strings in the post-verse and future bass drop is so peak and I love the runs and transitions and embellishments throughout the drop. Really nostalgic feeling that this track creates and I'll be sure to keep RUQOA on the radar moving forward. I discovered this track from Spotify Discover Weekly.
And then EJEAN and niko rain have yet to disappoint, closing out the quarter with such a captivating and catchy track in "Ocean Blue!". That thematic synth and then the vocals in the verses hold so much intention and yeah this track is straight peak.

Rankings

Let's see how our rankings change:

~~Vylet Pony - My Love is a Quickscope~~ ~~[June]~~
Vylet Pony - Falling in Love With a Corporate Illustration [July]
Sam Gellaitry - START UP A RUMOUR [August]
Knock2, Sophia Gripari - my melody [Jan]
NEPTUN3, redwater - NONSENS3 [Feb]
Jesse Barrera, EJEAN - Ambulance [June]
Trivecta, Armen Paul - Someone You Forget [Jan]
Skybreak, Subten - STONE KOLD [June]
EJEAN, niko rain - Ocean Blue! [September]
JVNA - Aphrodite [August]
Dabin, Blanke, Lø Spirit - Night Bloom [April]
~~Virtual Riot, DIESEL, Shaquille O'Neal - Damage [Feb]~~
~~Flight - CATCHA VIBE [March]~~
~~Skrillex - VOLTAGE [April]~~

You can see here due to 1 track per album max appearance rule to avoid saturation, we have replaced single "My Love is a Quickscope" with "Falling in Love With a Corporate Illustration" which just feels right and it feels whole and it feels home this way. And then WE HAVE A NEW #2 ENTRY with "START UP A RUMOUR" yessir and then "Ocean Blue!" and "Aphrodite" sneaks into the #8 and #9 slot which is really well-deserved. I had a really really hard time figuring out exactly where these entries would be placed but I think this is solid for now.

Top 5 albums as of end of September (Q3):

7/11 = Vylet Pony - Love & Ponystep
1/17 = Knock2 - nolimit
4/1 = Skrillex - F U SKRILLEX
7/11 = Skybreak - HALF BLOOD
4/18 = Dabin - Aura Park
6/27 = Fox Stevenson - Sunk Cost Fallacy
3/14 = NOTD - Digital Notes EP

Vylet Pony and Skybreak has entered the scene and it does feel kinda weird after Skybreak entering at just #4 like I really do wanna put it above Skrillex but when I do think abt it Skrillex album is 8.5/10 for a reason and Skybreak album is 8/10 for a reason. I was also considering adding the Ninjarachi album, just too high standards in the rankings unfortunately.

I posted Q2 in November 2025 and here we are in February 2026 posting Q3!!! Hope to have Q4 pushed out sooner but man these blogs are insane to write-up and maintain. It really does feel like pushing code to prod as I'm closing out these final thoughts. So far tho Q1 is the Knock2 quarter, Q2 is the Skrillex quarter, and now Q3 is the Vylet Pony quarter. Gonna be hard to top this going into Q4, let's see what happens!

Lyric(s) of the Post:

Vylet Pony - Falling in Love With a Corporate Illustration

Find something on my blog

My story

2025 Q3 new EDM (first 10/10 album?)

July 1 - September 30 NEW EDM: Vylet Pony, Ninjarachi, Skybreak, Eliminate

Singles

🗑 TRASH 🗑

MID

GREAT

🔥 FIRE 🔥

Albums/EPs

Conclusion

Rankings

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