On Our Radar: August 2021

Hailing from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, Meg Ward is turning heads with her club-ready stompers. From 2020’s “Melbourne Street” to this year’s thumping ear-worm of the summer “Make U Mine,” Ward’s releases have put Meg on the map, and see her experimenting with her vocal, over basslines that are too hot to handle. She made a name for herself in Newcastle while at university, and soon was sharing lineups with Skream and Patrick Topping, who has been a big early supporter. With upcoming sets at Warehouse Project and Digital this summer, and releases on Clipp.Art and NeedWant, Meg’s trajectory is clear, all while completing a Masters in Psychology. Go on Meg!

Manami is a DJ, producer and pianist born in Tokyo, raised in the UK, now based in Bristol. Her productions shine with a glistening Italo disco vibe that caught the attention of CC:DISCO, who featured Manami’s track “A Dreamer’s Dream” in her First Light (Volume II) compilation earlier this year. Drawn to the endless possibilities in electronic music, Manami learnt to DJ while at university, cutting her teeth at student house parties before landing gigs at Motion Bristol and Burning Man Festival. She was also due to support BICEP on tour prior to Covid. Having kept her head down making music during lockdown, her ascension now begins.

South East London’s Kiimi is the fresh-faced new signing to Scuba’s Hotflush label. Their debut release ‘Breaking My Mind’ is a low techno chugger with a growling bassline and haunting vocal that’s designed for the dancefloor. Kiimi draws influence from James Blake, Burial and Four Tet, which resonates in their productions. They also run a network called Hunni Sound that champions women, trans and non-binary electronic artists and has a home on Balamii radio. While clubs around the world closed, Kiimi discovered their true self and found solace in dance music, with the first chapter looking very promising.

Mandidextrous is an electrifying multi-genre artist re-working drum & bass with their raucous, kinetic energy. The Bristol-based heavyweight comes from a background of pioneering jungletek, raggatek and speedbass sounds. They are credited for writing the closing ceremony tracks for Boomtown 2019, and referred in the Bristol scene as a rave legend, now breaking into the mainstream. Mandi is also a member of EQ50, which is a collective striving for gender equality and trans rights in the male-dominated world of drum’n’bass. Their track “Express Yourself” is due to drop on Ram Records’ Program imprint later this year.

I’m a huge fan of KG’s versatility as a producer – over the years, she’s been rising the ranks with her afro-inspired dance music that blends UK funky, gqom, R&B and club sounds. Her Sensei II EP sees her team up with our cover star Toya Delazy on ‘Nzinga’ as well as Mista Silva, Aymos and Taliwhoah. KG’s also released on Hyperdub, Future Bounce and Goon Club Allstars and has just launched her radio show at Capital Dance. Safe to say she’s having a moment, and I’m HERE for it!

Taahliah is a Glasgow-based producer who’s blurring the boundaries between pop, trance, and club music. Her experimentalism and free-flowing nature make her so compelling. She released her debut EP, Angelica, on untitled (recs) earlier this year, and it weaves between themes of trans identity, the highs and lows of love, and her working-class background, explored vehemently in the explosive bubble gum vogue track “Bourgeoisie.” TAAHLIAH made history as the first black trans artist to be nominated at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards, and is representing a new generation of genre-transcending music makers creating music for the underdog.