The year is coming to an end and we're serving you our Best of the BestOur picks for 2025. Naturally, this is outrageously subjective and quite arrogantly presented without any further explanation. We're eager to hear your opinions on our selection – and what your favorites were this year. Let us know in the comments.
22 replies to “Dubblog annual charts 2025"
Marcus Gad. I've tried to "get in" three times so far and failed three times. It's a luxury problem, of course, due to the overabundance of options available to me, but it was "too little," "too tame" for me. Maybe another day, dear Marcus ;)
I would never presume to judge your selection. I can only say that I can understand almost everything you've said. However, I must confess that I was quite overwhelmed by the sheer number of good to very good publications. I've already forgotten at least half of all the good material. And the less good stuff, of course.
If I take Ono Sendai Sound as an example, I only remember thinking they were really great, but I've forgotten about them since. And that's how it is with many good ones. DubData packets.
Now there are three columns with five albums each. I'd love to guess who contributed to each column, but I have to admit, I can't. Each column also contains at least one album that I wouldn't have expected from the artist I would normally assume is responsible for that column.
Furthermore, I am from my favorite-DubI was so impressed with the album that I would have bet it would be number one for every single one of you. But it's not even on any of the charts. I have to admit, that's a bit of a shock. Oh well, whatever.
This album isn't just number 1 for me! NO! It's the album of the year for me.
The Breadwinners “Return To The Bakery”… An album dominated from beginning to end by the saxophone?! Really? Am I serious? Absolutely! I'm completely captivated by the saxophone. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't occasionally, in very rare instances, push my tolerance a little, but overall it's played and used with the utmost skill. Moreover, there's almost always a slightly mystical reverb on the instrument, so that it's more like an apparition than a "jazz solo."
Well, Vin Gordon's trombone playing gives absolutely no basis for criticism. On the contrary! One can only praise and celebrate it! And when a saxophone is played like this...
“The Great Stalwart” brings tears of joy and tears of emotion to my eyes, and I wonder if I should finally start learning this instrument from scratch.
But what Al Breadwinner conjures up at the mixing console is, for me, truly something new. DubRevelation. To me, it sounds and feels as if every note, and even the nuances, possesses a very special quality.
They received an effect treatment. So much "Curly Wurly" and
I haven't experienced "sound umami" in a long time. Furthermore, every BiassLine is – in my opinion – beyond reproach.
The A-side of the album is fantastic and really makes you want to hear the B-side. For me, the B-side definitely belongs in the pantheon of holy grails of... DubA fantastic DubAlbum which – for me –
It was also perfectly rounded off with the feel of vinyl and a fine cover. Yeah man!!!
I think I would now also include Sir Pinkerton with his “Vinyl Robbery”
I'd put it in second place, but it's still too new and hasn't really impressed me that much yet, simply because I've only heard it once. But it's truly excellent, that much is already clear.
So I'm going back much further, to the year 2025. Almost to the beginning of the year.
Mr. Woodwicker's "Under My Voodoo" was and is very much alive for me.
DubUpliftment. DubPure joy!
Then! Lisbon by Bus: “Sincretismo” belongs to me primarily because of “Eurasia” + DubThis version is among the albums that have truly captivated me every time I listen to it. Especially "Eurasia," for me, is one of the instrumentals + Dubs, of the year.
The Wafestate project introduced me to “Dub“ocracy” is also very deeply rooted in my being, or rather, in my… DubRoots gripped, although or precisely because it also extends over the roots of the Dub outgrows.
I had a similar experience with Ashtech's "Walkin' Target", where I was also very often captivated by new ideas and a very good and ubiquitous groove.
Otherwise, I feel very sorry for everyone I haven't listed here, because they just barely missed it.
RoomMate unfortunately couldn't hold my attention for the entire album, but it has a few very powerful moments. Dubversions included.
Blanc du Blanc, with and without Jeff The Brotherhood! Absolutely fantastic!
I also always find Harris Pilton very good! Except for the album, which whizzes past me at the speed of light, or rather, dances past me.
And there was much more, but I can't quite remember it right now. And again and again, individual... Dubs that simply knock me off my feet. Dubs, where the cannabis practically flows through my ears into my brain.
Yes, my predecessor also spoke of oversupply. So why add AI on top of that?DubMusic? Humans are so creative, we really don't need that kind of crap. But oh well, maybe we'll revisit the topic next year in some other context.
Until then, I wish everyone "DubHeads” and “Deadheads” ( ;-) ) wish you a “Happy New Year and a Happy New Year.”
I'd love to share my joy with you. Today is the day I've been waiting for since the end of summer. The long two-week weekend is finally beginning.
Oh what a happy day! …………………. lemmi
Hi Lemmi, I completely agree with you about The Breadwinners. Ada's album only just missed the cut for me. These kinds of decisions aren't based on days of deliberation. It's more about gut feeling and current mood. In other words: In my opinion, The Breadwinners really belong on the top list.
It was difficult, and the offer this year was really good.
Antony Bee: Blessings Of Dub
Manwel T: Africa
Roots Architects: From Then 'Til Now
Keith Hudson & Soul Syndicate: Nuh Skin Up Dub
The Breadwinners: Return to the Bakery
Balkans Dub System: Balkan Dub System
Agobun Riddim Section: Late Night Dubs
Sir Pinkerton Meets Hijakkah and Investigates the Great Vinyl Robbery
Ras Teo: Deh Pon Dem In Dub
I-Mitri meets Slimmah Sound: Vocal and Dub Showcase Volume 1
Lisbon By Bus: Sincretismo
weeding Dub: Substance and Forms
Mick Dick: Spatial Agency
Quiet Horns, Newen Dubz: Tribute to Rico Rodriguez
Nat Birchall: Liberated Sounds
Salvation Sound: House of Twelve Vol.1
Dalston Dub Stars: Dub works
I think I've forgotten some, but these ones have really stuck with me; it's not a ranking/order. And choosing a number 1 is very difficult, I'm still thinking about it… ;).
Unfortunately, the "fail" of the year: Hilton Paris and all its releases + this abundance of AI bullshit, like full dub riddims, rastahari, badulu dub, dubWise Mikal and whatever (please stop the upload)...!
blessings for one and all – a lovely time with the family!
give thanks at DUBBLOG for the works, big up!
(Even better if AI uploads decrease)
We generally avoid reviewing AI-generated music (for now). But these albums belong in the release radar – for the sake of completeness. Besides, it's becoming increasingly difficult to clearly identify AI-generated music, so we would eventually have real problems populating the release radar.
But I'm sure the discussion surrounding AI will continue to occupy us for some time. Why should our small niche music industry be spared from all the other major disruptions triggered by AI (photography, illustration, graphic design, coding, writing, etc.)? I'm curious to see what happens.
pity...
I prefer real music and discussing it to brooding over "fake" ones and zeros...
Unfortunately, the "fail" of the year: Hilton Paris
...and kicked them while they were down, or what? It's still just like that in the... DubTo make a claim without solid evidence is the real FAIL (!)
That's unfair! And I don't want that kind of thing to be tolerated here.
I hope the day will come when the "anonymous" finally realizes that he actually has no right to anything. Dub to hear, let alone like.
How can anyone be so evil? ……………. lemmi
Bleesing for 2026 dublog!
Didn't sleep well, Lemmi? I'm not angry, my dear. I have an opinion, and sometimes it's harsh and not everyone likes it, but surely I'm allowed to express it!? This isn't a kick in the teeth; it's my summary of the year...
I don't insult anyone and I can handle disagreement! I don't like HP's music and I've explained why several times; that has nothing to do with you, Lemmi, or anyone else! And his "defense" against the accusations speaks volumes to me, Gwaan!
I simply did a review of the year for myself and shared with you what I noticed as positive and negative this (last) year.
"I hope the day will come when the 'anonymous' finally realizes that he actually has no right at all, Dub to hear, let alone like.”
Wow, that's disgusting and disrespectful! Thanks, Lemmi!
"I hope the day never comes when I am allowed to decide what is right!"
If I'm triggering anyone here, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!
I see things differently! So far, you've only shared your opinion. An opinion that personally attacks someone or even portrays them in a completely false light, perhaps even slandering them, is, in my view, EVIL (!). Such things must at least be justified, but even more importantly, they must be proven clearly and beyond doubt. Until that's the case, you can expect nothing but "negative respect" from me.
I've mentioned it before. A "Reichswürger" (these beasts are absolutely disgusting) also claims he's just expressing his opinion.
It is not an opinion, but a disease, which in common parlance is also called imbecility.
“One day, when you think it’s over, all the wrongs you have done, you will pay!”
That also applies to me… lemmi
Wow! Blessings upon blessings for you, brother!
Everything I've claimed is more or less true and isn't just opinion, but facts! He uses AI in production, cover design, captions, and fictional musicians* that don't exist, studios that don't exist, and so on and so forth. It's all "no" problem if he were transparent. But I've said exactly that a hundred times already, and I stand by it! What can be proven beyond a doubt...? There are many indications, and that's what I'm addressing. I don't have a monopoly on the truth! And he can stay in your spotlight if he wants; with me, he's in the dimmed light, easy go!
You seem hurt and very arrogant to me right now, and as you said yourself, disrespectful! I didn't do anything to you... to me. dub to deny me music, to call me evil, and so on... please make a (.)
I appreciate you and your statements here very much.
I think your comment is really awful…!
If this were just about me or the two of us, it wouldn't be a problem! But as far as I know, others read this too, and they're very biased by what you're writing about Haris Pilton. And it's not just you who thinks you know something, I do too. And I see it this way: Haris Pilton has even provided insights into his work that prove it wasn't done with AI. And all you've offered is an (understood???) opinion. I want and need evidence to be able to follow your opinion. But so far, only Haris Pilton has provided it. Besides, even back then, the gorillas were already "disguised" as comic book characters. None of this is new. AI can't create anything new anyway. New things only come from inspiration.
Until ………………… lemmi
gosh!
Please read your comment and mine again. It's not just an opinion I'm stating here; almost every cover, vocal, etc., is created with or using AI (lately, not before)!
We're both right. I didn't say they were AI productions, but he uses it very, very often without attribution. As for the fictional characters, everyone has to decide for themselves whether they like them or not; in his case, I subtly dislike them (it's about Jamaica and the cradle of reggae). dubs!) There isn't much room for maneuver for a white person living in Europe! Just "my" opinion.
The gorillas were amazing!
Some things have been proven!
Okay man!
That sounds better now. And it's clear that you particularly "despise" it in Haris Pilton's work. Yes, he's been using ki for all the things you mentioned lately. He doesn't even try to hide it from me, at least. And yes, I even found parts of it fantastic.
Adrian Sherwood, who for me is the greatest magician of all time, also DubProducers, who are and probably always will be, use AI as a tool. So at least two of my DubHeroos selected AI as a tool.
It's a bit like if my parents voted for the AfD.
I would still always love her.
(This is also meant as a "dig" at the producers mentioned, because I personally would prefer analog production methods until the end of my days. No offense intended. More of a gentle tap on the back of the head than a "dig.")
But hey! I've written this many times before. I have no idea about music production; maybe AI as a tool isn't so "evil" after all.
As long as ……………. lemmi
Okay, I'd like to add something to that as well.
Actually, your enthusiasm for Dub and especially for “flawless” traditional Dub to be quite pronounced.
Therefore, I would even apologize for calling you "evil" and denying you the right to... Dub to hear. But that's only temporary, because maybe your only goal is to destroy Haris Pilton, so to speak. For whatever reason. (I "know" the reason, but that's really not relevant here...)
As far as I remember, you've trashed almost every Haris Pilton album. Even the ones where you didn't suspect any AI, at least not in the music. And phrasing suspicions in a way that could cause damage, by potentially giving a very talented musician and producer the wrong kind of recognition, is, to put it mildly, very unfortunate, especially for the artist. But okay! I don't know either of you personally, but I have considerably more contact with Haris Pilton than with you. Haris Pilton has convincingly shown me that he's not a fraud, whereas I still can't be entirely sure about you.
So it's a matter of faith once again. And right now, I still firmly believe in Harris Pilton! If only because he's so awesome. Dubs produced. That's just my feeling, anyway. Whether you're "evil"
Whether you are one or not, you know best yourself. I found it "bad" because the topic came up again right at the start of the new year. It was about the Top Five, not the Fake Five.
But I, too, like to rant from time to time. I pepper my comments with world-weariness and pseudo-social criticism. I often feel a bit unhappy doing it and wonder if I could leave that out sometimes. It's difficult for me, I admit.
Okay, I'll say it again: only Haris Pilton, you, and JAH himself know if I've wronged you. Therefore, I apologize in advance if I've completely misinterpreted you.
Even though I now feel somewhat too soft (normally I would write "gay"), I'm prepared to take a step back "for the time being." Some truths just take a little longer to come to light.
So long …………… .. lemmi
As always, it is very difficult to make decisions, and there were many very good ones in 2025. Dub-Releases. I can understand and support all but one of this year's charts.
But how the hell did the album “Cosmic” come about? Dub"Waves" on this select list?
That's completely unacceptable and sounds to me pretty much like what I imagined. Dub-would present a hit song! Bottom of the barrel and urgent AI alarm included... please, someone tell me they made a mistake there.
Prior to reading through this post, I hadn't heard of most of the albums shared. But after listening to a few of tracks from each, I can see why these artists were chosen. Thank you for the new music to enjoy.
You are welcome…
No offense!
But to conclude our “glorious” presentation of our DubRegarding the highlights of the year 25, I simply have to ask a somewhat provocative question.
Are there only "anonymous" ones now? Is it really that dangerous already?
"BadNet", meaning that you can only express your opinion anonymously?
Okay, there's no picture of me, but I don't think that's the case. DubBlog users would face any reprisals if it were known which of you had posted which Dubs has selected. My question is whether it's about five top albums selected by three people, or three top albums selected by five people. I know the answer now, but I think it could be a bit clearer.
Perhaps I made a mountain out of a molehill a little, but somehow it was something I cared about. lemmi
Yes, Harris is a fraud.
It has always been regrettable that a few orcs are enough to make life a living hell for humans. And unfortunately, that's still the case today. The future looks very bleak.
Therefore, it is not entirely accurate for me to speak of a sharp decline in morality in all societies worldwide. Morality is something profoundly human, but unfortunately not a universally accepted and reliable code of conduct that all people adhere to. Of all the possible and "impossible" examples that exist worldwide, I am now choosing a rather trivial one.
The use of AI in art, and especially in the DubArt.
Here, a new phenomenon is clearly noticeable, which provides an example of moral decay, especially in the advancing computer age, among users and, of course, among the "inventors".
The internet could have been a very good and comprehensive information network, which, to a large extent, it is, if I'm not mistaken. But just as it only takes a few orcs to oppress, exploit, and thoroughly deceive humanity, it only takes a few fake news stories and similar disinformation to completely negate the advantages of the internet.
I'll stick with these for now. DubBecause I neither want to nor can I write a book about human morality and its depths. Besides, there are certainly already plenty of people who can do that much better than I can.
My DubAlbum No. 1 against all the anonymous computer- and possibly AI-“degenerate” albums that have been released in recent years.
I am, NO (!) I was fortunate enough to grow up and live in a time where, well into the 2000s, things were not only much more relaxed (much more nudism and police who weren't so extremely wary of every joint... our pseudo-legalization will surely be quickly overturned by the orcs, since they've already ensured that this pseudo-legalization won't improve the situation, and certainly not bring about justice regarding alcohol – the fuel for orcs. One could write a whole book about that, but not now).
I'm getting to the point now ;-)
My generation is used to buying music that came in a beautiful record cover (and occasionally still does). Very often, the front cover was already quite telling and, just from its overall design, made it easy to identify with the music. AND (!) the back cover often contained extensive information. But what was always there, and still is, is information about the instruments, especially about the MUSICIANS (!) who played those instruments.
And the producers and/or engineers often had names like Scientist, Prince Jammy, or even Adrian Sherwood. Back then, you knew what you were getting. Since "Sleng Teng," there's also the version without musicians. It's quite an irony of history, or something like that, that the "downfall" of good quality came from Jamaica of all places.
Well, now perhaps only the "computer programmers" who fed the computer were mentioned. Compared to everything that was produced before without computers, this sounded—not just to me—like rubbish. But the foundation was simply too good to throw away immediately. Dub It was and is completely unsuitable, if I'm not mistaken. The crowning achievement is now AI-generated computer music, which is unfortunately already capable of making fake musical instruments sound just like real ones. YES! OK! But who plays these instruments? If it's not a musician, it can't just be removed, in my opinion it MUST be removed!
To relieve the burden on the Release Radar, or rather, to avoid overwhelming us users, I think it would be a good idea to pre-filter any data package that doesn't include a list of musicians who played the instruments. And if it was just a multi-instrumentalist, there's absolutely nothing preventing us from including that information, if I'm not mistaken.
And if the music was entirely "played" by an AI, this MUST be mentioned, otherwise it is just further proof that there is no human morality on the Internet.
Perhaps it's like "Nonstop Nonsense",
To be continued ………………….. lemmi