Best of 2025 (so far): The WDET midyear playlist

This summer has been hot — perfect for enjoying a cool beverage and an even cooler playlist. To mark the halfway point of 2025, we asked our award-winning DJs to share their top five tracks of the year so far so we could create the ultimate summer soundtrack.

Below is a well-balanced mix of genres, energies and artists.

Listen to the full playlist:

Ann Delisi, Ann Delisi’s Essential Music

• “Everything’s Beautiful” — Hiatus Kaiyote
• “I Don’t” — Madison McFerrin
• “Flower Moon (feat. Aaron Frazer)” — Durand Jones & The Indications
• “Lotta Love” — Lamont Landers
• “Stealing A Kiss” — The War And Treaty

Chris Campbell, The Progressive Underground

• “20/20” — Ideeyah, Meftah
• “Your first time” — Erogenous
• “Lovers’ Holiday” — Durand Jones & The Indications
• “Sweet Danger” — Obongjayar
• “LIFE IS A RHYTHM (feat. Cazeaux O.S.L.O)” — Alexander Flood

Jeff Milo, MI Local

• “Jessie” — Danny VanZandt
• “Fearless and the Pure” — Elisabeth Pixley-Fink
• “UR WORLD” — LOCAL ORGANIC
• “Power” — Neu Blume
• “The Bloodletting” — PHABIES

Jon Moshier, Modern Music

• “Alcohol” — TVOD
• “Emilina” — Bloodshot Bill
• “She’s Too Cool for You” — Audio Book Club
• “Evil People” — MIEN
• “Transmuted Matter” — Stereolab

Liz Warner, Alternate Take

• “Ibiza” — Butcher Brown
• “The Missing Piece” — Max Cooper
• “Babystar” — Herbert & Momoko
• “BROKEN” — Ela Minus
• “Gadabout Season” — Brandee Younger

Mike Latulippe, The Detroit Move

Note: Due to the retrospective nature of this show, these five songs were released before 2025.

• “Possum Belly Overalls (feat. Noble ‘Thin Man’ Watts and His Rhythm Sparks)” — June Bateman
• “I Don’t Like You That Much” — Royal Jokers
• “Dance What You Wanna” — George E. Lee
• “Way Out” — Keetie & The Kats
• “I Can’t Do The Ska” — The Zodiacs

Rob Reinhart, Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music

• “I’ll Be OK” — Michigander
• “Walk This Road (feat. Mavis Staples)” — The Doobie Brothers
• “Love Is On Fire” — The War And Treaty
• “Lady Liberty” — Galactic & Irma Thomas
• “After I’m Dead” — Ryan Allen And His Extra Arms

Ryan Patrick Hooper, In The Groove

• “R B J” — LL Burns
• “Dumb Feeling” — Mei Semones
• “Elderberry Wine” — Wednesday
• “Melodie Is A Wound” — Stereolab
• “You got time and I got money” — Smerz