Eight Emerging Artists On Our Radar: May 2024

On Thursday (May 16th), THELMA released her debut EP What We Live For via Steel City Dance Discs. Hailing from Lausanne, Switzerland, the artist first got her start by entrenching herself in her city's home-grown underground scene before eventually making her way to London, where she currently resides. With an acute knack for crafting high-octane breaks and Detroit-influenced strains of techno and electro, THELMA's striking performance chops have landed her coveted gigs all throughout the UK (including Creamfields and Terminal V Festival), as well as in Italy, France, Ireland, and Australia. Her new four-track EP for Steel City Dance Discs is a sonic harbinger of an artist prepared to take the scene by storm. Teeming with attitude, sweat, and merciless energy, THELMA's debut EP reminds us of what so many of us live for... those magical moments on the dance floor.

Deep house duo RUZE just released their latest Journey LP on PIV Records, a 9-track project full of rolling grooves, minimal beats and feel-good rhythms. The pair exploded onto the global house circuit following their 2021 Chapters EP on PIV, followed by their 2022 Hardwire EP on Pitch Records. The pair has a knack for creating music that feels equally at home deep in the dance floor or on an Ibizan terrace. RUZE has played Tomorrowland, Pacha Barcelona, Womb Tokyo, Fabric London and more, and their latest LP is a beautiful showcase of the dynamism of their production style. Now, they’re the best-selling artists in Beatport’s Minimal Deep Tech genre, and their LP was the number-one release just five days after it dropped.

This month London-based, Tokyo-born DJ/producer Manami released Dreaming Still — the debut EP on her new label VMR (Virtual Myth Recording). Leading with two heavy-hitting singles “Dreaming Still” and “Sekai,” the EP showcases the depth and breadth of the artist’s inspiration and style, ranging from atmospheric ambient to electronica to garage to drum ’n’ bass. Manami’s rise has been astronomical thanks to stellar performances at Glastonbury, fabric, Strange Brew, Berlin Atonal, Field Maneuvers, Love International and more. She's supported BICEP, Orbital and Peggy Gou on tour, all while carving out a unique club-ready sound. With her new label, Manami plans to share her cutting-edge combination of breaks, hardcore, progressive house and electro with global dance floors.

Hailing from Germany’s original techno capital Frankfurt am Main, DJ and producer Ludwig AF explores every corner of house techno with his versatile, introspective productions. In April, he released his Halo EP on Spectral Sound — five tracks of melodic techno, breakbeat and playful electronica. Recently named resident of legendary nightclub Robert Johnson in Offenbach, Ludwig is committed to progressing the sound of the underground through explorative productions and music that connects bodies and minds. His career took off with the release of his debut album Air on his own label Exo Recordings International, which led to a series of high-profile collaborations, mixes and releases with Cafe del Mar Ibiza, Kiosk Radio, HÖR Berlin, Groove Magazine, Sound Gallery and a recent remix for Depeche Mode. With DJ sets that explore a vast array of genres, Ludwig is making unique contributions to global club culture.

Having collaborated with house heavyweights Grandmaster Flash, Princess Nokia, Akala and Madlib, NikNak has become an unstoppable force. In recent years she’s won support from Gilles Peterson, DJ Mag, Clash, Mixmag, The Wire, Resident Advisor, Electronic Sound, released a critically-acclaimed debut album, and graced the stages of Berghain, Glastonbury, Fabric, We Out Here, Outlook and more. Next on the agenda is her album Ireti, is a bold statement of artistic vision that combines storytelling with genre-blending soundscapes. The album is inspired by afrofuturism, the intersection of humanity and technology, as well as iconic films and video games like Blade Runner and Cyberpunk 2077. Featuring collaborations with Agaama, Cassie Kinoshi, Chisara Agor, Grifton Forbes-Amos and SlowPitchSound, this project is NikNak’s most ambitious and explorative to date.

On May 24th, London DJ/producer duo Kassian will release their second EP Supercontinent on !K7. Also known as Warren Cummings and Joe Danvers, the pair’s music encompasses techno, bass, electronica and house, and their DJ sets are just as explorative. The friends teamed up in 2019 thanks to a shared love of jazz, soul, broken beat and hip hop, and since then have released on labels such as Heist, Phonica Records and Shall Not Fade, all while running their own imprint Faux Poly. Following their 2023 Phase Two EP, Kassian’s latest project pays homage to genres ranging from South African Amapiano to South American Baile Funk. With a knack for re-examining and re-purposing dancefloor material, this EP intertwines 4:4 rhythms with acid basslines, transcendant breakbeat and vocal samples in Zulu and Brazilian Portuguese.

Finnish artist LUMI is about to join the HE.SHE.THEY family with her latest release Who Am I, a three-track EP that centers indie dance, melodic house and laid-back techno. The Seattle-based DJ and producer’s artistic vision expands well beyond music, with accompanying visuals that draw inspiration from the world of high-fashion and her Scandi heritage. She cuts a formidable figure behind the booth, with recent performances alongside influential names like Pan-Pot, Marie Vaunt, Korolova, Tiga, Teenage Mutants, and Will Clarke. Her background in choir and piano translates directly to her productions, which regularly feature her own ethereal vocals. With HE.SHE.THEY, LUMI’s found the perfect home for her latest artistic endeavour, because it’s vibrant, playful and refuses to conform.

Fast-rising Mexican-born DJ/producer KinAhau just unveiled his most ambitious project to date: Triple T, a thirty-track collection of records that spans a myriad of genres, styles, and influences — set to drop on May 30th. The project showcases the 20-year-old’s musical journey so far, having stepped into the global spotlight with his 2022 breakthrough single “Turned Turk” on Solid Grooves. The release of “Different Side” alongside Audio Bullys and Michael Bibi soon followed, becoming one of 2023’s biggest records, and KinAhau’s rapid ascent is heavily intertwined with the mentorship of Solid Grooves’ founder Bibi. Now, he’s taking his career up a level with a deeply personal journey that represents his past, present and future sound, delivering signature productions alongside left-field curveballs.