We are back with another iteration of Magnetic’s progressive house chart, where we select the top 15 tracks across the genre each month and unpack into what we love about them, while sharing a look into the artist behind each song.
Last month was unique because it has a little bit of the nice-weather club season style tracks, a few that are darker and more ready for winter-partying nights, and many were a clear indication that the artists were saving their best work for this month to drop and release just in time for ADE which happened at the end of Octboer.
So follow the playlist below for a one-stop shop of all the best progressive house to be released this year before diving into the full charts.
Jaap Ligthart, Greg Ochman, Abel – Ashram Sunset
Jaap Ligthart is one of the fastest-rising names in the Netherlands for his soft touch on the decks and melodies that sit with you long after you listen to them, and this latest record, made alongside Greg Ochman and Abel, is a true testament to something greater than the sum of its parts.
All producers bring their unique flair touch to this arp-driven progressive house tune that is alive with detail and nuance, from the vocal shots to the counter melodies and everything in between, I’ve had this track on repeat ever since it dropped towards the end of Octboer.
Huminal – Mountainside (Hicky & Kalo Remix)
I had the opportunity to hang out and meet Huminal at ADE last year, and ever since, I have kept tabs on his releases and career updates. This track, remixed by Hicky & Kalo, was quickly a highlight of the month. It takes a lot these days to make an arp-driven progressive track with a rolling bass line stand out, but this track easily makes its mark in a cluttered and saturated scene.
For me, the bit crushed synth lines that pockmark choice moments in the track elevate it just that extra level of intensity in an unconventional way. Couple that with some masterfully crafted builds and drop sections that really drive the core ideas of this track home, and you’ve got a recipe for success, and I give you massive props.
Hannes Bieger, Walead – Hawa
Hannes is a maestro on the decks, in his live setup, and the studio, and outside of that, he needs little introduction. His latest track, released on his own elektrons label, continues this momentum. Further, it solidifies his new imprint as a heavy-hitter in the progressive and melodic techno scenes.
The breakdown is where this track shines, with Walead’s atmospheric vocals shining through over Hannes’ signature analog sound design that swells and builds the tension behind it to create a perfect union of human and synthetic machine (Hannes is a machine too in his own right, but in a different way!).
Sultan + Shepard – Hypercycle
It would be hard to have a list like this drop in the same month as a new S + S track drop and not include it. They are some of the biggest and brightest names in progressive house, and their track Hypercycle is a textbook example of why they’ve earned all their titles, accolades, and success. If the Huminal track above sets the bar for what is a killer arp-driven progressive track these days, S + S do backflips over it and stick the landing to thunderous applause.
Sander Rosenbrand – Vortices
Sander Rosenbrand only just came on my radar this month, the first on this list to do so, and my goodness I’m stoked about this find. This track has everything I love about dark, driving, and progressive strobe light. It’s got a delicate arp melody that plays on top of a thundering groove set against a backdrop of incredibly detailed atmospheres and textures.
It’s one of those deceptively sneaky bangers that you almost forget you’re listening too, just cause it draws you into its momentum, before smacking you in the face with its final drop and remindering you who the F you’re listening to. I feel like this track would be at its best on a system played for 10,000 people, but until then, I’ll have to crank up my studio to full blast and sink into Vortices.
Quivver – Infinity
Quivver is an OG in the progressive house world and with a career spanning as long as he has, it’s always worth studying whatever he’s releasing on a little bit deeper of a level. Infinity is a groovy, dark and clubby progressive track with incredibly punchy drums and minimal use of atmospheres that offer just enough detail to keep the groove alive without overpowering it.
Usually I think spoken word samples in songs like this are a bit overplayed at this point, but the French vocals add just enough uniqueness and flavor to make it really pop and sound really sick.
Philosopher, Just Gabe – A Distant Dream
Philosopher and Just Gabe are two new faces on my radar this month and their track, A Distant Dream, is a really atmospheric and dreamy progressive roller. The sub bass can shake even the deepest of basement speakers and the wavey, cascading synth chords really creates an all-encompassing world that’s incredibly easy to get lost in and sink into.
Been digging into these guys’ discographies a little more over the last month since this track was released on Oct 11th, and this track is far from an anomaly. It seems like almost all that both producers have released over the last couple years has been pure gold and I can’t recommend this track, and all their releases, enough.
DJ Zombi, Guy Maayan – Artificial Vibez (Weird Sounding Dude Remix)
Ive been following Zombi and WSD’s music through David Hohme’s Where The Heart is Records for years now, as they seem to be putting out an incredible amount of very high-quality releases and seemingly every week at least one, if not both, are in my release inbox with a banger.
So when I saw both of their names on a track, WSD on remix duties for Zombi’s latest single, which was made in collaboration with Guy Maayan, it was an instant download and support. This is a rolling and grooving progressive track that really tells a journey from start to finish in a way that only these producers can and it simply begs to be on repeat.
Paul (AR) – Peonies & Freesias
Paul (AR) seems to work his way into this list almost every month. He has a very delicate touch to his productions, compared to most of the other bangers I’ve included on this list, but it’s this style of production that makes his music do rich, deep, and nuanced and rewards you for listening to a single record many times over just to pick up those little moments that you missed initially.
Kabi (AR) – Slider
We’re moving back to the more aggressive side of progressive house now with Kabi’s track Slider. Birght shakers and hats create a club-friendly vibe while the melodies and sythns are deep and dreamy enough to create a very interesting sonic aesthetic. There are a few choice moments of break beat style percussions which highlight some of the more impactful moments of the record as well, breaking up the monotony of it’s thunderous kick and dialing in on that journey that makes music in this style so infectious in the first place.
Hats off to Kabi (AR)! This track is a certified hit in my book.
Belms, Ritchie Haydn – Second City (Forty Cats Remix)
I’ve followed Forty Cat’s music for years and have always tried to work her music into my sets whenever I can because it always strikes the balance of aggressive and club friendly while still being softer and nuanced enough to be something to critically listen to in the studio for inspiration and production tips overall. She’s back on 3rd Avenue this month with a remix for Belms and Ritchie Haydn and this track is everything I’ve come to respect about her style and vibe. Masterfully crated productions and really good drum programming/mixing in this track and I’ve rinsed it a couple times in my home setup since it was released on the 21st.
BROWN – It Was All A Dream (VegaZ SL Remix)
This is one of those classic otherworldly prog tracks that slowly works its way up from being a simply groove to being a completel and absolute torrent of sounds. Rolling percussions, strange and alien-like delayed synths and an omnisous pad that runs throughout the entirety of the song is a recipe for success in this style of progressive music and VegaZ SL knocked it out of the park with this remix.
Marsh, Volen Sentir – Ascension
These guys are the GOATs at this point and anything they touch turns to certified platinum by my standards and metrics. To be honest, there isn’t much else to say on top of this other than this track is easily one of the best records to drop this month across all genres.
And this kick drum is insanely punchy… I need more kicks like this in my own library.
Luke Santos – I Am Human (Kasper Koman & Alex O’Rion Remix)
This is another dark and dirty groovy, even by Alex O’Rion’s standards but when you team up with Kasper Koman I guess that’s to be expected. The dissonant pads nad textures and that extra new level of eary momentum to this track as well and they took what was a banging original mix by Luke Santos and flipped it into an even dreamier, albeit frightfully dreamier, banger that checks every box I’ve ever had on things that I love with this sound.
The moment the wobbly synth comes in at 2:40 is legit pure sonic gold, genius, and everything inbetweem.
Rauschhaus, The Wash – Trainwreck (Supacooks Remix)
Mango Alley is one of the best platforms for true, club-ready progressive house these days and their ADe sampler is always something that I really look forward to sinking my ears into.
When I started curating this list, out of the 50 songs or so that I was parsing down to the 15 that you see here, about 8 of them were right off this sampler and it took a lot of delibration for me to lock in on Supacooks’s remix as being the best of the best.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
