On Our Radar: March 2020

GIGSTA

Known for locking down impeccable sets and bringing profoundly dynamic rhythms to the dance floor, Gigsta is a dance music expert, plain and simple. Raised in France, she eventually made her way to Berlin, where she began a research project about early press on electronic music. In addition to having worked as a journalist for the website Trax, Vermoesen’s comprehensive understanding of the dance music scene is truly astonishing. After years of translating that immense knowledge into technical skill, she’s gone on to share the stage with healed acts like Batu, Joy Orbison, Joyce Muniz, Ben UFO, Call Super, and many more at gigs all over Europe. She’s an absolute force behind the decks who always comes strapped with an arsenal of tracks that are bound to leave your awestruck.

SAINT THOMAS LEDOUX

Hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, Saint Thomas LeDoux is one of the core members of the city’s TEKNOX crew — a collection of twisted club experimentalists that consists of other noteworthy up-and-comers Nikki Nair, dialectic sines, and Alex Falk. Drawing a distinct energy from their small, underground community, TEKNOX’s bent and dense compositions of house, techno and beyond are making noise that isn’t going unnoticed. LeDoux’s Chain Letter EP on Jacktone Records is the latest example, and shows his propensity to translate elements of everyday life into startling and memorable slammers. Bringing a new concoction of southern heat to the dance floor, LeDoux and his buddies are spearheading an underground movement in Knoxville that we plan on keeping a close eye on.

TOMÁS URQUIETA

With his penchant for chaotic hardcore and punk music, Chilean artist Tomás Urquieta has zeroed in on an abstract and riot-infused techno, which is not for the faint of heart. Based in Mexico City, Urquieta has is showing the Central American metropolis’ underground community that he isn’t afraid of experimentation. The industrial clash of his gritty sonic output is gearing up to baffle the techno scene even further with the arrival of Urquieta’s Sintesis de Friccion EP — set to drop on March 30 via the Columbian imprint, Insurgentes.

JOSEPH ASHWORTH

With releases on highly-regarded labels like Anjunadeep, Dirtybird, Life & Death, Pets Recordings, and more, UK artist Joseph Ashworth has been swooning various corners of the house music scene since 2017. His trim and vivid productions continue to receive support from heavy-hitters like DJ Tennis, Lee Burridge, Kölsch, and many more. At the same time, his DJ sets consistently wow crowds all over Europe and North America, and his latest EP, Breathe, on Moscoman’s Disco Halal imprint, sees the DJ and producer pushing himself into fresh and stimulating territory.

MESMÉ

Over the past three years, Singapore native Mesmé has established herself as one of the Los Angeles underground’s most called-upon DJs. As the LA dance music scene continues to flourish at an astonishing rate, the Into The Woods resident has supported acts like Etapp Kyle, Hodge, Ellen Allien, Nastia, FJAAK, Four Tet, Laurel Halo, and Lena Willikens. With an endless supply of house gems, unruly electro, scolding breaks, and stripped-back techno, Mesmé is proving she can stand her ground with the best of the best (and sometimes even outshine them).

Cameron Holbrook is a staff writer for Beatportal. Find him on Twitter.