Sweet Philly - Top 10 Picks Of The Year

An effervescent exercise in impeccable club energy. No other EP has inspired me more this year. GRRL & Made of Oak bring a bounciness and light touch to some of the hardest club tunes released this year. Can't recommend this EP more.

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

Hudson Mohawke is (somehow) a part of why I moved to Scotland. Cry Sugar is HudMo at his best: decadent, radiant and bright. Equal parts happy hardcore and pop-radio channel surfing, this record has so much to give. And who'd have thought CBAT would go viral this year on top of it all?

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

I've always been obsessed with Imogen Heap, and this pick betrays how often I use TikTok. These demos and the subsequent 20th Anniversary re-release of Details (their 2002 album) have been some of my favourite music of the year. They still sound cutting edge, 2 decades later and reaffirm Imogen Heap's position at the forefront of pop experimentation. None of your favourite experimental pop girlies exist without her.

Listen here: Spotify

An art pop symphony that has stuck with me since I first heard it. Combining the sublime and soaring instrumental with reflective meandering lyrics. I'm really moved by this song every time. It just has something magical to it that makes me come back over and over.

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

Nothing I can say that others haven't said already – so much so that it's a bit of a cringe pick at this point but I really have a soft spot for this tune. It really sums up the vibrant, exciting energy of my time clubbing this year. They're probably industry plants tho, who's to say (jk).

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

Avalon Emerson and Anunaku come together on this EP in a way that's felt so transcendent. A little slice of paradise. Drawing on both of their signature, bright and euphoric styles, this EP really brightened up those dark winter months. It's got huge sunset festival set vibes.

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

It's just a good tune. The Palidrone label debut V/A is packed with gorgeous and off-kilter club vibes but Limes has stuck with me on my USB since release. The Palidrone lads are luvly too and defo deserve your support <3

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

An EP that leaves me speechless every time. It's just so fun and unlike anything I've heard this year. East Coast does it better. This EP is oozing with confidence and blends into sets like nothing else. Smooth like butter but sharp as a knife. OSSX & TAH feature in almost every DJ set I play out and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

I'm showing my composer-side with this pick. Rousay's work stands out to me as a singular energy in avant garde composition. Drawing on field recordings and snippets to create a gorgeous and deeply personal, intimate soundscape. Worth sitting with for the full run time and just soaking into. My radio show on EHFM, Sweet Selection has found a voice centering on intimate, ambient and soundscape. Not to plug myself or anything.

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp

Himera is and has been my favourite producer for years. It's hard to put into words just how much their work means to me and this EP is a gorgeous summation of a lot of those things. Meticulous trance, sound design and composition. Their work is singular and I struggle to define it in words. All you can do is listen and I really really encourage you to do so.

Buy & Listen here: BandCamp