While we work on our year-end highlights, we wanted to hear directly from artists about how 2025 has been for them and what they’re looking forward to in 2026.
Discover their answers in our Questionnaire, alongside their Best of 2025 tracks, albums, and mixes. Following Carlos Nimmens, Fernando Lagreca, Beico, Brunetto, and AFFKT, the next artist is apaull with many more to come. Stay tuned.
Best of 2025 – Artist Questionnaire by apaull
– What’s one thing you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
The path of an artist can feel lonely at times, and you wonder, “am I making any headway?”. The key thing I learned is to celebrate every success, no matter how minor it may seem. Somebody mentioning you and your art is proof of headway.
-How has your creative process evolved over the past year?
My creative process is evolving as is my sound. I have further unrestrained myself from worrying about genres and just let the music come out. I have also determined that while I like DJing and playing out live, I prefer the latter.
-Who or what inspired your work the most in 2025?
What continues to inspire me are people who create art for the sake of creating art. They have the determination, discipline and drive required to practice and hone their craft. The people behind this are quite real. While no guarantor of financial success, it is authenticity that drives people to create their best art. An incomplete list of names that come to mind for 2025, include Berlin’s Signal Deluxe and KEYI Magazine, Amsterdam’s Dave Clarke and Brighton UK’s Ross Harper.
-What’s something you accomplished this year that the “you from last year” wouldn’t believe?
I completed a two-week UK tour playing live in ancient churches and clubs along with Brighton’s Ross Harper. Pulling the live sets together was a gargantuan task but ultimately very rewarding. The tour is detailed here.
-Is there something you hoped to accomplish in 2025 but didn’t, and are now aiming for in 2026?
I released two albums, completed a two-week live UK tour and was nominated for music awards in my City. It was a good year, for sure.
At the beginning of each year, I create a short music plan that includes various goals. Goals include things such as number of streams (1 million per year), being nominated for awards and the number of performances I give in a year. Some goals I achieve but others are still works in progress and will get moved to 2026.
My overarching goals are to produce the best quality music possible and then find the right audience.
– What’s one goal -big or small – you’re setting for yourself as an artist in 2026?
My big goal is to successfully release my 10 track Gunfactor album. A second goal is to develop a profile that gets me invited to play live at various venues.
– What are you most excited to explore creatively in 2026?
Of all the things as part of my music project, writing new songs is what brings me the most joy. I’m excited to keep writing new tracks and to see where my creativity takes me.
– Is there a new medium, project, or direction you’re planning to dive into next year?
I’ll be working on two things. The first one will be my fourth album, the follow up to 2026’s Gunfactor. The second will be to create formidable (and entertaining) live sets of apaull music.
Your Message for Fans & Music Lovers
Quite simply, Thank-you!!! I strive hard to create high-quality art and then find an audience who likes it. I’m grateful for each member of my audience.
apaull: Top 10 Tracks of 2025
The tracks selected veer back and forth mostly between techno and indie dance (with dabs of ambient), and I think reflect my own progression as an artist and how I would like my music to sound.
Carbon, Lil Umali: “Time of the Night Original Mix”
Dina Summer: “Halkidiki (Joyce Muniz Remix)”
Patrice Baumel: “Birth Original Mix”
The Orb, David Gilmour: “Flat Side: Seamlessly Martian Spheres of Reflection Mix: Movement 4 Original Mix”
Alkaline Mist: “Switch (Original Mix)”
Marc Romboy: “Psilocybin Original Mix”
apaull: “LCD (Christian Smith Remix)”
Lampe: “Morning Glory – (Original Mix)”
Miss Kittin, ANNA: “Forever Ravers Edit”
Captain Mustache: “Dancing Like Muffins (Original Mix)”
apaull: Top 5 Albums of 2025
“These albums span time, showing the strength and staying power of foundational artistry such as Jeff Mills-Live at the Liquid Room, and pointing forward, showing the strength of now and what is to come.”
Jeff Mills-Live at the Liquid Room re-issue
Collabs 3000- 2025 EP
Charlotte DeWitte- Charlotte DeWitte
Burn it Up: The Rise of British Dance Music 1986-1991
Loess-Battens
About apaull (BIO)
apaull is a Dutch-Canadian electronic music producer, DJ and live performer. In 2025, he released his second album Homogeny and the Homogeny Remixes album, completed a two-week eight city UK live tour as well as performing at various clubs and festivals. In 2026 he will release his Gunfactor album.
photo credit by Dave Clarke
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https://www.instagram.com/apaull_music/
https://www.facebook.com/apaullmusic/
https://apaull.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/apaull_music
