Culture & stories from across the globe . . .
Welcome to Café Riot - Hard launch 26th January 2026
New for 2026, Café Riot seeks to dialogue global snapshots of travel, culture, food, nightlife, fashion, underground club culture, and everyday day life, through video and written articles. Archiving authentic thoughts and voices that aim to provide unique insights, and shed light on established talent, and underdogs of scenes from all over the world. If we find it interesting, it's going up.
Café Riot 2025 picks
From hard dance to breakup despair - here are hot picks of the 2025
Honourable mentions:
Rosalía - Berghain
Chaos in the CBD & Isaac Aesili - A Deeper Life
Desert Sound Colony - Yotolina
Bicep - Chroma 001 Helium
Emma-Jean Thackery - Save Me
When Sherelle dropped 'With a Vengeance' earlier this year we weren't prepared for the face melting dance floor annihilation that arrived. 'Speed' (endurance) and its video are beyond epic.
Think Blade soundtrack meets Berghain on ... well.. speed.
Jacob Alon - Fairy In A Bottle (Mercury Prize 2025)
'Fairy In a Bottle' by Jacob Alon mixes ethereal lament with the timbre of Jeff Buckley and Tom Yorke. Taken from the album 'In Limerance' (nominated for a mercury music prize for album in 2025), its subsequent performance in Newcastle was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Spellbinding.
What did you get when you mix Gen Z with Millennial style, a sample from Underworld's 'Dark & Long' and a 2-step beat? Well that would be 'Illegal'. Pink Pantheress entered new heights in 2025, and this stormer complete with iconic nonchalant vocals, was a big part as to why.
![Josi Devil - Make It Better [Hessle Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C6JJJfATAtA/maxresdefault.jpg)
Josi Devil - Make It Better [Hessle Audio]
Every now and again a track comes out that straddles a myriad of bass genres, and makes people nod in agreement about how cool it is. 'Make It Better' is that sweet spot of power, breaks and bass, whilst channeling an elite dark speed garage sensibility. A perfect balance of euphoria and grit.
When Berlin DJ LACATY teamed up with Mexican duo 'Zombies in Miami' the result was this phenomenal club track. Channeling 90s acid vigour, piano chords, ascending chord progression, the result is a sublimely reminiscent of the glory days of 90s rave culture. Futuristic and soulful in equal measures.
When Lily Allen dropped 'West End Girl' seemingly out of nowhere this year, most of us gravitated to tracks like 'Madeline' and 'Pussy Palace' to gather the juicy goss on Lily's tumultuous marriage breakdown. But for me 'Just enough' is the saddest, rawest, and most beautiful track on the album. Vulnerable and heartbreaking, it channels a 1960's heartache, with soaring strings and eye watering honesty.
Sublime.
'Eteus' by 'Not even noticed' is another one of those tracks that can't be fully put into one genre.On first listen; breaks, but its exquisite mix of vocals and synths create a progressive blend. Sirens take it back to a bass sensibility. I prefer this one to the K-LONE remix (and I love K-LONE)
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