Sonic Wandering
A liminal space. Without sticking perfectly to a subgenre, these are some of the best electronic and ambient sounds of the moment. The sounds here exist in between categories of textures, twisting into one another. Between synthesizers like stretched shadows, and frivolous piano rythyms, Sonic Wandering is a field trip to an undefinied landscape of interpretation. For winding down, for studying, for sitting and staring, let Sonic Wandering disassemble and reassemble your brain.
Sd-2, Loukeman (2024)
Loukeman is doing stellar things. Sd-2 is the second installation to his 2021 debut LP Sd-1. Both are good, though I believe Sd-2 is a more rewarding project. Loukeman builds club-ready and ambient tracks from indie, pop, R&B, and hip-hop foundations, erecting a collection of songs that take a variety of shapes and forms. In this way, Sd-2 has something for everyone.
From the fantastic Snoopy (my favorite track) to the funky acoustic strings of Baby You’re A Star to the Mk.gee-like off-kilter touch of JUMZZZ, Sd-2 puts on display Loukeman’s (1) love for all genres and (2) skillfull ability to mix them into eachother. I learned from Pitchfork’s review of Sd-2 that, “The same anything-goes spirit creeps into Loukeman’s erratic DJ sets, where you’ll catch him mixing synthwave instrumentals into Chief Keef or playing the Shins’ “New Slang” atop a thundering techno beat.” His impressive technical mixing skills smooth out any creases between the genres in Sd-2. It is his creativity that keeps the record feel interactive, complete, cohesive, and interactive.
Daisy Cutter, Ouri (2025)
Ouri has an immense command over emotion. With such small movements, she makes waves that send ripples through the whole body when listening to Daisy Cutter. The album draws from indie, lo-fi, electronic, pop, and R&B to create a strong atmosphere out of delicate string of sounds. Although her lyrics are drowned out, it matters little as Ouri’s magnetic vocals feel like more like means than an end.
Her voice is used as an instrument, rather than any main attraction. Her subtly is so carefully crafted. It is strange in a way that demands your attention. You think, at first, that it may not be entirely compelling. But once listening to the album in it’s entirety, you will feel a shift.
w/ The Producers, Paul St. Hilare (2025)
Dominica-native and Berlin-based Paul St. Hilare is an anomaly. For over two decades, Paul St. Hilare has been making consistently good techno-dub fusion music. But for the artist who has said “I prefer to say a little ting and stay out of the light” to Resident Advisor back in 2021, w/The Producers is awfully front-facing. In collaboration with some of EDM’s best, Paul St. Hilare’s voice comes to the center stage on w/The Producers.
While honoring a legacy in the dub genre, the record also looks ahead, offering a brain-melting sonic menu curated by innovative artists. It is true that dub can feel dated. And while the glory days of the genre may be behind us, it is important that we applaud Paul St. Hilare (and the slew of featured artists) for attempting to revive/revamp it with the human presence, balanced between soul and youth.
Kissom, Xexa (2025)
On her third album, Xexa perfects her approach to Afrofuturism. With dance-floor energy against an introspective, ambient backdrop, Xexa designs a radiant soundscape layered with throaty Portugese vocals. The album hovers in one place but witnesses a transformation - like watching a sunrise. In other words, it is vertically coherent, rather than spread across subgenres. This means it is less daring than other records in this list.
But it is also therefore more coherent. With shimmering synths and scattered drums, Kissom is enchanting without demanding too much from us. It could be for studies. For the spa. For sleep. For making art. Certainly, Xexa is a visionary - and while I believe her visions have yet to be expanded to their fullest capacity - Kissom is a strong installation.
Goodness, feeo (2025)
The tracks in Goodness by feeo act as intermitent interludes of ambient distortion. There is a cast of disturb to the album in its entirety, but taken individually, the tracks can offer some form of peace. The album has been hailed as one of the “most breathtakingly beautiful albums of the year” by Pitchfork among praise from many critics and, while I would not go so far as to agree, I concede that the album is a rather brilliant concept piece.
To be clear, Goodness is not a noise record. It is melodic ambient, streaked with glimpses of tangible feelings. Aching, yearning, grieving, stalling. It is patient, and encourages us to be the same. I am grateful to Goodness for slowing us down in a time of competitive consumption and overstimulation. There is beauty in a dark room. There is beauty in a simple strain of sound particles. There is beauty in waves of vibration. There is beauty in extended silences and simplicity and there is beauty in nothingness.
