my #8 Track of the Year for 2025 is...
"MZ (Pional Remix)" by Sascha Funke!
if we're going to finally christen this a genre, this is the way to do it.
hypnotic house. a tech house off-shoot that isn't just about groovy basslines and a balance between low and high end. this is house music meant to FORCE you to dance, completely unconsciously. and maybe give the nuclear codes to a global supercomputer in the process. computer house music. broken dialup modem ass house music.
this is a genre i play a LOT. it's the sort of stuff that has inspired me most through my career. and just calling it "tech house" feels reductive. this stuff is WAY more powerful than your average Toolroom release. if that's a single hit off a blunt, then this song -- and so many like it -- are two full bites of a special brownie. it has long been time to give these tracks their own space, and since i'm just crazy enough, i'll be the one to do it.
what a track to start us off, too. layered vocals that feel like they should have a subliminal message of some sort. those indie dance drums that have more of an analog snap than your basic house snare. a buildup over the course of the entire track that sends your frontal lobe on a roller coaster. and of course, what could be the single best bassline in EDM this year. seriously, i knew we had a winner with this one already, but at 75 seconds in, the track jumps to an entirely new level.
there were a lot of opportunities for tech house to get onto the chart this year and they all missed. that's because this sub-subgenre of it is where all the creativity is. crazy that we haven't had anything i can give this genre tag to, but believe me, we will in the future.