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, apaull, the next artist is Afterlife, with more to come. Stay tuned.
Best of 2025 – Artist Questionnaire for Afterlife
– What’s one thing you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
That I am no longer regarded as genre-specific, and that’s a relief. I had been associated for way too long with the Ibiza scene due to Jose Padilla making the music I made back around 2000 popular worldwide with the Cafe del Mar series, for which I am obviously grateful but I haven’t been to Ibiza since 2003, as the whole scene was getting too commercial and big money was taking over from freedom of expression.
Yet the Ibiza tag stuck for a long time after that.
-How has your creative process evolved over the past year?
I have spent time writing music out of the studio thanks to the Teenage Engineering OPXY, which is a mini portable music workstation that gives me the freedom to get my ideas down anywhere I feel like being. It’s so tiny yet perfectly formed. I always found a laptop just drained me of inspiration and was too slow in comparison to my studio pc so I gave that idea up very quickly years ago. The OPXY is really fast, runs on linux and has a very high signal-to-noise ratio, so it outputs very high-quality audio, which is important to me. I have written tracks in bed, on a beach, in a forest, even in a rainstorm. It’s very liberating; every location provides its own inspiration. I quickly discovered I cannot work in busy locations like airports, coffee bars etc, complete waste of time for me, too much static noise.
-Who or what inspired your work the most in 2025?
Ulla (Ulla Straus). She breaks all current musical conventions but in a very musical way, like she’s just arrived from another planet, listened to no music on earth, and just put a studio together and started creating music that pleases her. This, of course, is what true art is all about, rather than trying to fit into any specific genre, which is so restrictive and ultimately boring. I must also mention Tomorrow Comes The Harvest. I’m a bit late to this party, but what a band! Watch the magic flow between them at this gig, here .
-What’s something you accomplished this year that the “you from last year” wouldn’t believe?
Evolving musically more than I expected! I learned a lot from the Tao Te Ching whilst making the album Hidden Deep. This was a collaboration with Moonseed (Yushi Li) who lives in the countryside near Beijing, and she taught me a lot about the principle of Wu Wei and effortless action, which we put into practice whilst making that album throughout 2024, and I have continued along that path ever since. I have found it to be so liberating musically that I quickly produced my new album, Standing At The Foot Of The Mountain, which could easily be my best solo work to date. It was definitely the most enjoyable process, and I think part of that was being able to write outside of the studio.
-Is there something you hoped to accomplish in 2025 but didn’t, and are now aiming for in 2026?
Yes, I would really like to get involved in making a soundtrack for an interesting film that had something new to say about how we can evolve as a species by raising our collective consciousness and ending the madness.
– What’s one goal -big or small – you’re setting for yourself as an artist in 2026?
Moving forward in spirit, having fun, exploring new musical concepts
– What are you most excited to explore creatively in 2026?
Finding new ways to describe rhythmic patterns whilst avoiding clichés
– Is there a new medium, project, or direction you’re planning to dive into next year?
Direction-wise, all of the above. I’m also talking with new interesting artists about remixing their future releases for 2026, so stay tuned.
Your Message for Fans & Music Lovers
Share a few words directly to those who follow and support your work.
Music is my therapy. I’m really happy that it’s yours too, so to everyone who supports me, I send love and gratitude eternally.
Every month, I put a Subatomic show together that goes out on Skylab Radio on the last Wednesday of each month at 22:00 hrs GMT that features new inspiring releases you might like to check out – links: https://www.skylabradio.com/mixcloud and
https://www.mixcloud.com/afterlife/
Afterlife Top 20 – Best of 2025 Tracks Mix
Track List:
1. Afterlife – Standing at the Foot of the Mountain
2. Tomorrow Comes the Harvest – The Happening (Radio Edit)
3. Crayon – Strange People (feat. Rhye)
4. Steevio – Moxie
5. Ulla – Good Morning
6. Abe Duque (feat. Abrahama Carlos & apaull) – Billionaire Bitch
7. James Bright – Symphony in an Empty Room
8. Charles Webster, Emamkay & Bokang Rematlapaneng – Rain
9. Balaphonics – Sunflowers in Dub (Deep Summer Mix)
10. AFTERLIFE & MOONSEED”>Afterlife & Moonseed – Xuan Pin
11. Soko Leoko – Half a Ton Down
12. Mataharii Sons – Helping Hand
13. S-Pazz – Ce Matin
14. Francis Bebey – Le Grand Soleil de Dieu (Psychemagik Mix)
15. Biosphere – The Way of Time (On and On)
16. Dark Leaves – Grantchester Meadows
17. Dark Fidelity HiFi – Fractured Pursuits
18. The South Hill Experiment – Water Water
19. Web Web – Bird’s Lament
20. Human Objects – Dig Your Grave
Top 5 Albums of 2025 by Afterlife
1. Crayon – Home Safe – debut album showing wild tendencies of genius.
2. Ulla – Another Girl – quote from a fan: “They may be just crumbs, but they sure taste heavenly. “
3. Afterlife – Standing At The Foot Of The Mountain
4. Seth Thorn – A Curious Doubling Of Terms
5. Afterlife & Moonseed – Hidden Deep
About Afterlife (BIO)
Steve Miller, better known by his stage name Afterlife, is a renowned British producer and remixer with over two decades of experience in the electronic music industry.
Miller’s breakthrough came in 1995 with the release of his debut album “Simplicity Two Thousand,” which quickly gained critical acclaim for its innovative blend of downtempo, trip-hop, and ambient sounds. The album’s success paved the way for Miller to establish himself as a prominent figure in the burgeoning electronic music scene.
In 1996, Miller founded his own record label, Subatomic UK, through which he released a string of successful singles and albums, including “Speck of Gold” and “The White Island.” His tracks have also been featured on numerous compilations, including Café del Mar and Ministry of Sound.
Miller’s signature style is characterized by his ability to blend diverse genres, seamlessly weaving together elements of ambient, chillout, and deep house into a cohesive and immersive soundscape. His music has been described as both soothing and emotive, transporting listeners to otherworldly realms with its dreamy, ethereal textures and hypnotic rhythms.
Aside from his work as a DJ and producer, Miller is also a sought-after remixer, having worked on tracks for a wide range of artists including Lana Del Rey, Howie B, Jose Padilla, Jakatta, Eric Prydz, Tears For Fears, Sinead O’Connor and Coldcut. His remix of Roger Sanchez’s “Another Chance” is widely regarded as a classic in the downtempo genre.
With a career spanning over two decades, Steve Miller continues to push the boundaries of electronic music, crafting evocative and immersive soundscapes that have earned him a dedicated following of fans worldwide. His contributions to the genre have earned him a place among the most influential and respected figures in contemporary electronic music.
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https://www.instagram.com/afterlifeofficialartistpage/
https://afterlifemusic.co.uk/
https://bsky.app/profile/afterlifeofficial.bsky.social
https://www.facebook.com/theafterlifelounge/
