On Repeat: Harold Heath looks back at some of the best electronic music albums of 2025 in this special series for 5 Mag.

The third comp from the Black Artists Database is a boundary-pushing, global collection of contemporary club music, mostly in the 4/4 house and techno realm, but with plenty of box-fresh, genre-blurring musical developments to keep dancers and reviewers alike on their toes, like the percussion-heavy, intricately rhythmic fragmented techno courtesy of Mukuna, Joe Milli’s UK bass / broken techno roller “Dub 9,” as well as some haunted robot breaks from Tim Reaper.

On the 4/4 front, Vol 3 includes a set of serious dancefloor tracks, like UK producer Mason Maynard’s “The Language” – effective, efficient, and equipped with a superbly funky bassline, some driving, rolling deepness from James Bangura, skippy, subtle, futuristic dub-heavy UKG from Isaac Carter, angular techno with parts that fit together like sonic geometry from Parris, and Tsepo’s bass-heavy synth-happy funky techno. Together, it all adds up to an exciting, dedicated, and uncompromising collection of tunes, with rhythm and realness at their heart.

⚪️ Synergy Vol 3 Tracklisting

Various Artists: Synergy Vol 3 (Black Artists Database / Digital)
1. Isaac Carter - She Likes to Move (06:07)
2. Parris - Steam Room (05:49)
3. Mason Maynard - The Language (06:02)
4. James Bangura - Branchbrook Park (04:26)
5. Tim Reaper - Lightning Rod (05:02)
6. Mukuna - Yango Oyo (04:25)
7. Tsepo - B.A.D Demo (04:45)
8. Mafou - KV4 (04:51)
9. Joe Milli - Dub 9 (05:36)
10. NIKS - Subtle Delights (06:44)
11. WARREN XCLNCE - DIASPORA (05:45)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement

This record was not submitted as a promo.

 

✳ On Repeat: Harold Heath’s 2025 In Albums /

❇   On Repeat: Joe Morris and Some Kind of Paradise
❇   On Repeat: 15 years of A Love From Outer Space
❇   On Repeat: Black Artists Database’s V/A Synergy Vol 3 compilation
❇   On Repeat: Unspecified Enemies and Romance In The Age of Adaptive Feedback
❇   On Repeat: DJ Bone and The End of Never
❇   On Repeat: Futuristic Sonics for the Soul on rRoxymore’s “Juggling Dualities”
❇   On Repeat: Maurice Fulton’s sparkling house album “Night Blooming Cereus”
❇   On Repeat: A decade of Ron Trent tracks come together on “Lift Off”

 

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