On Our Radar: June 2021
Welcome back to On Our Radar, Beatportal’s monthly roundup of the DJs and producers we can’t get enough of.
PAIGE JULIA
Emerging from New Zealand’s underground, Paige Julia’s ominous D&B productions are redefining the sound of the South Pacific. Her Dreams EP on Unchained Recordings is full of left-field breaks, jungle, techno and bass so warbly it makes your insides vibrate. Paige’s personality’s as powerful as her baselines, shining through every track she makes. She describes her debut album Morphling, released March 2021, as “a reflection of all of my musical influences and an exploration into the layers of personality that make up a human organism: the known, the unknown and the hidden.” Paige Julia’s already transcended the shores of her remote island home, hurtling her frenetic edits at labels like Samsara Beats (US), MalLabel Music (US), Forest Biz (UK), and Uncomfortable Beats (AU).
LONGSTOCKING
Longstocking’s been staring down the right end of Beatport’s deep house and minimal charts for well over a year now. Her feel-good productions act as both an escape and release, with many of their tracks produced in lockdown with the future of clubbing in mind. Longstocking’s debut release “Pleasure Fodder” on Late Night Munchies is as bright and playful as Longstocking’s wardrobe, while her album, Troupe, released late March 2021, is a bouncy, bassy, kaleidoscopic insight into the artist’s psyche. Operating out of Seattle, you can catch Longstocking at MonkeyLoft, Kremwerk and Q Nightclub amongst others. Longstocking’s latest EP Poser is a tech house extravaganza, a celebration of those dizzy, bright, big nights out. It’s out now on HE.SHE.THEY.
JADEN THOMPSON
Jaden Thompson lives and breathes UK House. Born in Swindon, the young producer became a resident at Fabric at just 20 years old, playing alongside Seth Troxler and Annie Mac before some of us had opened a bank account. His residency was cut short by COVID, but that didn’t stop his star from rising — his remix of Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” won him a few hundred thousand fans while his track “Closer”, released in March 2020, was co-signed by Radio 1’s national youth station. After spending the year perfecting his production skills, he’s returning to his Fabric residency this summer. Jayden’s juicy house bangers have been snapped up by Emerald City Music and Cuttin Headz with more coming soon on Kitsuné Musique. His track “To The Light” featured on Defected Most Rated 2021 compilation.
GINA BREEZE
Gina Breeze is all about house, tech and experimental electronica. The Manchester-based artist cites her home city as her key source of inspiration — she’s forever mining its creativity and culture and then pumping it into her productions. Her career kicked off with residencies at SpeedQueen in Leeds and HomoElectric in Manchester. She began producing in 2015, and has spent the last six years exploring new sonic avenues and ideas with releases on Me Me Me, VIVA Music and Defected. Her latest remix of “K-Band feat. Shawni” on Inside Out Records is a dark, twisted techno-tinged psychedelic production that demonstrates the width and breadth of her abilities. Gina Breeze has a full calendar of festivals this summer and can’t wait to tear up the d-floor with you.
CHARLY SCHALLER
Munich-born Charly Schaller fell under Berlin’s techno spell in her late teens and hasn’t shaken it since. In fact she’s spent the last 10 year spreading that magic, playing and producing a smorgasbord of genres, many of which she came across while studying at Cambridge. The result: UK spontaneity with German precision. When she moved to Berlin she quickly became a regular at ://aboutblank and Griessmuehle, and she recently co-founded Cadillac Escalate, a rave collective that promotes up and coming talent in Germany and across Europe. Charly’s a regular at Hör Berlin and her tracks have been released on Alan Fitzpatrick’s We Are The Brave and LAP. Her recent debut release on HE.SHE.THEY. is an unforgettable dark techno track called “Queen of the Night” featuring Brazilian vocalist Dani Delion.
STONES TARO
Stones Taro‘s breathtaking talent is turning the scene of his home city, Kyoto, into one of the most exciting and refreshing on the planet. Since 2014 the young producer has unleashed a tsunami of unbelievable tunes, taking elements of R&B, Jungle, UKG and breakbeat to Japan’s dance floors and beyond. He’s released on YAM Records, Scuffed Recordings, and Third Place, as well as his own record labels NC4K (check their incredible graphics and artwork) and Lo-Max. This summer he’ll release a four-track EP on Cheeky Music Group, a bass-heavy, screw faced ode to the genre that inspired it. “Hours” on Ell Murphy’s Time Is Now Records EP is Stones Taro’s most recent release — but be warned, experts say it’s a highly infectious UK variant.
Alice Austin is a freelance writer from London, based in Berlin. She writes for Mixmag, Beatportal, Huck, Dummy, Electronic Beats, and more. She likes to explore politics and youth culture through the lens of music, a vocation that has led her round the world. She can be reached and/or followed via Twitter and Instagram.