2025: Top 20 EPs

20)

Reciprocity

VCTRE

VCTRE's been fairly active this year, and his body of work in the experimental bass scene continues to grow. Reciprocity is another addition to his catalogue, and it's engineered impressively well.

Reciprocity combines a moody, distorted ambient sound with an intense bass flavouring that transcends track structure, arranged in quite a spacey manner that's almost beautiful, but tinted with the violence it trudges through. VCTRE's production is grimy and somewhat offbeat, paired with an inclination towards remarkably clean beatwork and mixdowns. For an experimental bass project, Reciprocity still sacrifices the typical lambs of rhythm and flow, but VCTRE manages to save - and even drastically improve upon - the sound design throughout.

19)

GEMiNI

GRiZ

Everyone's favourite feel-good funky bass artist GRiZ made a return to the scene with his GEMiNI EP, which is a swaggering homecoming for the uniquely freeform artist. With blasting saxophones and bright synthesizer runs, GEMiNI bounds through its four tracks with its face beaming and its bass kicking and its spirit joyful. 

It's good to see GRiZ back, and it's good to see he's retained his excellent form. But GEMiNI doesn't just make this list because of its significance, no, it's also just a very fun EP. GRiZ dominates most of the tracks with his wubby flow and feel-good sampling, along with a strong vocal performance from Grabbitz on "Take Me Home", in a way that still feels refreshing for a freeform bass scene that needed a new pair of glasses anyway.

18)

The Point Between Rage & Serenity

Dyatic

Underground dubstep prodigy Dyatic moves into a more melodic sound for The Point Between Rage & Serenity, which works exactly as the title implies. It's the collision between the rage of his fiery, jagged heavy dubstep, and the serenity of this new melodic, hopeful sound design he's introduced into his arrangements.

Dyatic has always been known for his flow, and, to be clear, whilst The Point Between Rage & Serenity lacks the punch of some of his most batshit rhythm work, it's still got that penchant for creative, skittering flows that is so unique to his style. This EP has its fair share of melodic and heavy work, dropping punchy basses and powerful beats only to lay melodic lead lines over them in a viciously beautiful, elegantly abrasive manner. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new era for Dyatic, perhaps this is simply a detour, but either way it feels novel and consistently high quality.

17)

Darkstar

Eptic

One of festival bass music's most forward-thinking outfits is Eptic, and his punchy, somewhat nonsensical style is all his own. Darkstar only really cements that, but to find itself a spot at #17 on this list proves that Eptic is perhaps at his best when he's doing the style he loves. With guest appearances from bass music juggernaughts like LYNY (on the infectious "Light Up"), Space Laces (tearing through "Crash Out") and Habstrakt (bringing his bouncy bass house energy to "Alone"), Darkstar is appropriately hard-hitting and never really lets up throughout its 5 tracks. Despite its diversity, branching out from dubstep into trap and bass house, this EP is one that still sounds consistent all throughout, and, especially when imbued with Eptic's signature sound design style, a consistent festival bass EP is nothing short of engrossing.

16)

Project X

Caspa

The meaning of the title Project X is surprisingly straightforward - it's simply just Caspa X another producer. A veteran producer of UK dubstep who was there for its early days, Caspa is one of the few dedicated to preserving the sound and culture in its entirety, and this time he brings along 5 new-generation producers to join the fray.

The names Caspa picks out are well-known in their respective bubbles, perhaps as a testament to Caspa's own sound that has managed to remain distinctly underground even over two decades. From MYTHM to Ternion Sound to PEEKABOO, each collaborator adds some spice to their respective tracks, but, let's be real, the sound of Project X is quite definitely Caspa's. Forceful drums and even more forceful basslines - rumbling and gritty and dynamic - are the real stars of the show, and maybe, for the culture, that's how it should be. Lacking bounce and energy, Project X thrives off of pure gravitas, which was enough to push it all the way to #16 on this list.

15)

Arcane

Lizdek

Believe me when I say that Arcane is probably the single weirdest EP to drop this year. And obviously the single weirdest EP to drop this year had to come from Lizdek.

I swear, Lizdek is always trying the most bizarre concepts imaginable, and somehow, on Arcane, he's nailed practically all of them. The result is a project where you have absolutely no idea what the next song will bring, even when it's so close to you it might as well slap you in the face. And slap you in the face it does. With a tracklist disguised as hybrid trap, Arcane pulls tricks out of its sleeves that never should have fit in those sleeves in the first place - from the mangled, metallic, alien creation of "Bite", to the house slammer hiding in "Dogma", to the murky garage cut of "close2me" (with vocals from joss lockwood) and the screaming bass cuts of "Autofocus" and, well, "SCREAMER" - and all the while it feels like Lizdek is grinning at you from behind the soundscape. Arcane is certainly not for the faint of heart, and honestly, probably not for the rational of mind either.

14)

Lawless

Nitepunk

Nitepunk's another trailblazer in the world of bass music, but instead of going all out, he reins it in for his Lawless EP. Rather than his typical, screechy sound signature, Nitepunk strikes at a steadier, unwavering style made for the underground, 'lawless' club. Lawless is a little more straightforward than his other works, but it also represents a step up for Nitepunk's production standard - which was already pretty high anyway - as well as containing enough substance to be a reliably good time.

Lawless is thumping and diligent, navigating Nitepunk's techno-esque beats with his typical filthy bassline work, and dialing down the chaos he usually incorporates allows the sampling to shine in a more natural environment, trading off unbridled energy for a more cogent mood. Make no mistake, this EP is still intense by any other standard, especially with performances from dami and SOH SOH, but it's clean and it's polished enough to deserve the #14 spot on this list.

13)

Corps Noir

Tryst Temps

Another rip-roaring EP enters this list - it's Tryst Temps' Corps Noir EP at #13. This one resides quite firmly within the gritty, unforgiving DnB subgenres of neurofunk and darkstep, and despite the seemingly scientific branding, Corps Noir is produced with a savage, primal, almost terrifying violence. Tryst Temps aims Corps Noir like a shotgun, a scattershot of neurofunk's most merciless production across tracks like "Nuclear Bomb Alarm"; but also some highly technical work, such as in "Planck"; and, mostly, a bit of both. It might not be the most polished project ever, on account of being pretty harsh in places, but Corps Noir makes it on this list because it feels critically aggressive in all the right places, with plenty of interesting ideas across its four tracks.

12)

Rude Boi

Azumai

VISION recordings brings on Azumai for his take on the minimalistic, sound-design-forward style of neurofunk, and Azumai delivers. With plenty of creative compositional choices, Azumai exhibits an impressive control over this short little project, pushing his ideas to the fore of the mix. And those ideas are very charming in of themselves, like the meaty neurofunk of "Brainer Gainer", the polymelodic "Phyllody", the atmospheric and wistful "Simono", or the dark, progressive roller of a title track. It's amazing what you can do in drum n bass - despite rigidly sticking to the same beat patterns and BPMs - and Azumai grasps the mantle of the boundary-pusher with both hands, always shrouded in meticulous minimalism yet always shaping a cohesive project in Rude Boi.

11)

Beyond Light

Au5

Self-proclaimed sonic alchemist Au5 has been on a tear this year, releasing three separate EPs and a full remix comp. And for all of the strengths of his first two EPs Earthwave and Emberwake, it was his third EP of the year that really struck home. Beyond Light is Au5 in full flow. It's him experimenting with genres he's familiar with - and what I mean by that is genres he's incredibly proficient in, so far as to be one of the best in the game at them.

Au5 returns to the classic sounds of bass music he knows and loves. There's some trance here, some melodic dubstep, even some old-school brostep and complextro. These are old styles he's long been regarded as one of the best producers of, and these are styles that he continues to compose into masterpieces on Beyond Light. But this EP is simultaneously varnished with the sounds of the future, a powerful force of colourful synths and crystally sound design that interact brilliantly with the sounds of the past for a distinctly modern take on both Au5's own approach to production, but also the bass music industry itself.

10)

4URMIND

splitter

Unfortunately, 2025 marked the end of the splitter alias, with 4URMIND being a form of sendoff EP - the final fully developed project from splitter (yes, I am aware of his notapes project, but that had a lot of demos and was essentially a vault dump). Now, splitter isn't fully gone, he's just switched over to his new runThis alias, centered on energetic bass house and other four-on-the-floor styles.

But 4URMIND was one hell of a sendoff EP. Radical sound design and and experimental songwriting were always at the core of the splitter alias, with an impressive array of drops even on this EP itself - from the bright, cathartic "RISE" to the highly technical "MIND" and the downright merciless "LOSE IT" - and combined with jazzy offdrops and a penchant for frenzied sampling, 4URMIND holds back none of its cards as it roars through its 6 tracks with metallic defiance. Despite not being necessarily aggressive, the intensity of this project is only superseded by its technical prowess. 

9)

Should've Known Better

ALLKNIGHT

Should've Known Better is ALLKNIGHT's first project as a fully-fledged singer-songwriter. It's her artistic vision finally moving wholly into the light, framed by a simplistic, chillout vibe and a set of deeply personal vocal performances of her own.

ALLKNIGHT envelops Should've Known Better in a delicate wrapping of melodic house, and then lays her own production on top. Mostly the production is reserved yet pretty, with pattering percussion and a strong leading kick and a couple of tantalizing basslines to frame her vocal. Being an experienced vocalist, however, means that ALLKNIGHT's vocals are the uncontested highlight of the EP, and they do not disappoint at all, as she weaves heartfelt verses and sincere lyricism with a couple of addictive hooks, all whilst being well aware of her beats underneath.

8)

Disk Utility

G Jones, Eprom

As far as collaborative EPs between G Jones and Eprom go, Disk Utility might just be their strongest. For the two artists, who are both trailblazers in experimental bass in their own right, Disk Utility might be some of their cleanest, most polished work yet - whilst the two volumes of Acid Disk were forward-thinking and innovative, this latest project has shown that they can still be radical innovators whilst keeping things spotless. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this is some of their most accessible work yet.

And it's still uncompromisingly creative. Bouncing around breakbeats, hybrid trap, and even a spot of garage, G Jones and Eprom strike hard across all four tracks, skirting energy with digital, crunchy sound design and a penchant for unique, underground-sounding production signatures. And with no shortage of songwriting tricks up their sleeve, Disk Utility is engaging, not bothered enough to overstay its welcome but dense enough to provide ample helpings of the good stuff.

7)

Two Turntables and The Mic

TESSERACTS

For the #7 spot on this list, we go way back to the start of the year, when TESSERACTS were the flagbearer for releasing the first EP of the year on neurofunk label Eatbrain. Two Turntables and The Mic is not your typical neurofunk project, however. Yes, it's drum n bass, and drum n bass is rapid by nature, but something about Two Turntables and The Mic feels slow, almost staggered. And that only plays to its strengths. With the thickest basses and funkiest grooves around, TESSERACTS blow through speakers with sheer impact, shoving monstrous modulated basslines through spirited beatwork and a smattering of brash hip-hop sampling - sampling that's always chopped up, warped, toyed with in any fashion that could possibly contribute to the pure unbridled fun that Two Turntables and The Mic brings.

6)

Skepta .. Fred

Skepta, Fred again..

Following the release of the hip-hop anthem of the year "Victory Lap", Fred again.. and Skepta rejoin forces to produce a full EP together, and, in a nutshell, this EP has some of the best tracks of the year. More than anything, this project is a demonstration that both Fred and Skepta are both alive, well, and kicking out a hole in the wall.

For a mainstream hip-hop project, Skepta .. Fred is refreshingly experimental, yet maintains a standard that's deceivingly high in both the production and the rapping aspects. "Back 2 Back" marries Skepta's modern flows with samples of his career in the past; "London" throws around some surprisingly underground-sounding breakbeat production; "Last 1s Left" is a techno thumper, which is incredible to me because I didn't realise Skepta could sound so good over some of Fred's most animalistic techno work; and, of course, "Victory Lap", the star of the show, the rhythmic paragon hoisting a quality beat and one of Skepta's best performances to date. Some would say these two have milked this collaboration enough - I say, milk it a little more.

5)

Prologue

Josh Teed

Those who know me will know that I've always been a bit of a sucker for the fantasy aesthetic - after all, YMIR's The Fae scored the number one spot on my EPs list last year. But despite being just three tracks long, Josh Teed's Prologue EP would have probably made this list either way on production value alone.

Teed proves himself to be proficient in both songwriting and technical skill. The opening track "The Journey Begins" itself feels like a journey does, in fact, begin, with a long atmospheric first movement. Perhaps as a byproduct of the fantasy aesthetic, Prologue's atmosphere work is immersive and downright impressive, employing orchestral soundscapes to just as much effect as the electronic elements. What is equally impressive is how well that blends with the harder-hitting 140 bass of his drop sections. Punchy drums and deep basslines are welded almost perfectly with mystical instrumentation to cement Prologue as a compelling, cohesive project that feels majestic despite its length. But, of course, Prologue wouldn't be as high as the top 5 if it wasn't for the fantasy motif that glues the whole thing together tightly.

Prologue is the first EP of what Teed claims to be a line of interconnected, lore-related projects, and whilst his next EP The Rise of Mycaria didn't quite have the track quality that Prologue did, I'm nonetheless very interested to see how his little conceptual experiment fares.

4)

Hypnotics

BOP

Whilst Hypnotics is certainly not the flashiest of his projects, BOP retains his prestige as a state-of-the-art producer of liquid DnB, with his style he appropriately describes as "intoxicating" and "ice-cold". Hypnotics, then, is everything it claims to be - a hypnotic four-track mood EP washed in icy synths and detached basslines, thriving from its minimalism and reflective nature. That's not to say that Hypnotics is distant or unrelatable, though, because these tracks, despite the style they hail from, still feel resonant. I suppose that's the true beauty of BOP's production wizardry - he has a certain ability to craft ambient DnB soundscapes that are seemingly simplistic on the surface, yet listen closer and you realise that they're uncannily elaborate. And with a couple of well-placed collaborations - namely the reserved vocals from Doktor and DRIIA on "Siren Eyes", and Chime's colourful microdrop style on "Dormant", Hypnotics is engaging and still feels like a mood that's traditionally very difficult to capture.

3)

Henka

Devath

Nowadays, releases from the Halcyon label are few and far between, with only a small cluster releasing each year. But you can typically guarantee their quality, and Devath's Henka EP is no different. Unlike Halcyon, Devath himself has been fairly frequent with his releases, but there's been a lot of crushing, heavy riddim added to his catalogue over the last two years - with Henka, that changes. 

Henka is nothing if not pretty. Devath aligns himself perfectly with a rhythmic, jagged future riddim style. Each melodic track on this EP blossoms with colour and upbeat synthwork, opting for staggered dubstep flows in the drops and trading that out for unexpectedly, but exceedingly, beautiful offrops, complete with sparkling synth runs and magnificent ambience to replicate an ethereal, almost angelic, sound, which still retains the liberty of sounding aloof at times - the jazz fusion aesthetic also definitely helps, with groovy instrumentation to pick up movements that may have dwindled without them. Jazzy colour bass is not necessarily a new concept, but Devath executes it in a very refreshing way. He also throws in the sucker punch of "Immortal" slap bang in the middle of the EP to shake things up a little, leaving Henka as a project that treads a fine line between experimental and consistent, but a line it treads adeptly.

2)

Bronze Claw Iso

Iglooghost

At this point in his new style's evolution, Iglooghost has created an entirely new music scene within this strange new wasteland of a world he describes. Last year was Tidal Memory Exo, which, on my 2024 end-of-year LPs list, I did award the #1 spot to - but he's back to continue toying with his worldbuilding on Bronze Claw Iso. This is, obviously, a much shorter project, but for all its length limitations, it somehow manages to exhibit even more diversity than its parent. Between the DnB-leaning lyrical genius of "Slug Song", the mournful "Mouthbreath-r" and the balls-to-the-walls "Xcavator.03", this EP is new ground for Iglooghost, but new ground he explores with a deft touch.

Indeed, Bronze Claw Iso takes a somewhat more melodic approach to its composition. Where Tidal Memory Exo was filthy and very honed in on its aesthetic and cohesiveness, Bronze Claw Iso is broader in its scope, constructing mindbending atmospheres with lyricism whose intricacy is only outweighed by the incredible sound design on display. With a less rap-oriented approach, we see a little less of his grime verses and a little more of his melodic singing voice, along with a flurry of samples. This is another project that proves that Iglooghost is one of the most exciting innovative acts right now, and the world he constructs is only going to get more enrapturing.

1)

Fizzbuzz

Vorso

Fizzbuzz is the spiritual successor to Vorso's debut LP Holonomy, which is already sets pretty big expectations. Surely no EP could live up to the magnum opus of one of the most highly respected producers in the scene currently? Right?

Wrong. Somehow, Fizzbuzz does it. In fact, it aces the task with flying colours.

We must first establish that Vorso is simply a wizard in the way he produces. I've said it countless times myself. And, over the last few years, his style has matured further and further. Fizzbuzz is actually Vorso's second EP of the year, his first being the shorter CORE EP that felt spacey and hi-fi, but in contrast, this project is much more grounded, just as Holonomy was. But Fizzbuzz is also darker, more diverse, more technical. Ranging from IDM to drum n bass, UK garage to electro house, this project spreads its influence far and wide across the electronic spectrum, but Vorso nails his production. Every. Single. Time. A master of sound design and proficient at mixdowns, each track feels firmly encapsulated by the signature Vorso sound whilst also freeing itself up to fully explore the possibilities of the concept it aims for, as well as the overarching narrative of the EP (as a natural continuation of Holonomy). It's true that Holonomy was an impressive project in its own right, and it's also true that it gave this EP a strong foundation for its cohesive quality, but ultimately Fizzbuzz climbs to the top of this list by pure independent merit.