Eight Emerging Artists On Our Radar: October 2024
Welcome back to On Our Radar, Beatportal’s monthly roundup of the DJs and producers we can’t get enough of.
AISHA
Glasgow-born and Berlin-based AISHA has become a mainstay in Europe’s underground thanks to her heavyweight productions and energy-soaked sets, and now she’s unveiling her pummelling third solo EP First Kiss via Teletech Records. The EP delivers four ferocious, fast-paced, psytrance-infused techno productions guaranteed to keep clubbers on the dance floor deep into the night. First Kiss is AISHA’s first EP release of the year and channels her relentless energy, merging pounding techno rhythms with sharp, psychedelic twists. AISHA holds down residencies at RSO and Sub Club, and regularly plays techno's biggest cultural events including Teletech and Verknipt. A talented producer, she’s released on Taapion, Maison Close, Dusk Records and Teletech to name a few, and won Best Electronic at 2021’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards.
Banksia
San Francisco-based Banksia is officially unstoppable. This year he’s shared stages with Ewan McVicar, Bicep, DJ Seinfeld, Overmono, Moodymann and Peggy Gou, and he’s supporting Mount Kimbie on the US leg of their world tour. To top it all, he’s just released his Clay EP with two low-tempo records on his Ordinary Pleasures imprint, leaning into his Indian heritage with a vocal sample from composer and sitarist Ravi Shankar, the founder of the National Orchestra of India. The EP is centred around a recent heartbreak, with the production process incorporating traditional Hindu practices of meditation and prayer to restore calm and lower stress. The result steers away from his previous club-orientated label releases which banked support from Mixmag, Inverted Audio, DMY, RinseFM, Balamii and Beats In Space, instead championing ambient elements, showcasing the introspective and personal side of his artistry.
BLUMITSU
London-based duo BLUMITSU have achieved a huge amount in a short time. Their weekly Rinse residency has progressed the global sound of electro and techno, while their RA mix of the day won them a place in the hearts of electronic music fans worldwide, with some describing their following as cult-like. Their ethos is based around ideals of duality; seeming opposites that are in fact two extremes of the same thing. Their DJ sets and productions are best described as a sonic journey that champions forward-thinking beats inspired by themes of space, technology, and science. They’ve played stand out sets at fabric, Warehouse Project, Boiler Room, collaborated with Sports Banger, and just released a guest mix for BBC Radio 1 full of unreleased tracks. Their latest single, “Hypocritz,” has become the blueprint for the future of techno-infused electro, and with more music set for release before the year is out, expect nothing less than world domination from this pair.
Jurango
Nate Reece (aka Jurango) has mastered the intersection of pop, indie dance and house. Since his first release in 2020, he’s worked with some of electronic music’s most respected labels, including Livity Sound, re:lax, and Rhythm Section, and played milestone sets at Field Maneuvers, Freerotation, Glastonbury, Human Club/Razzmatazz, THEØFFICE, Open Ground, Tresor and many more. Jurango's recent EPs Isle of Crass (re:lax) and An Amorphous Mass (Livity Sound) have amassed widespread support from influential figures like Laksa, re:ni, Tom Ravenscroft, Florentino, Oblig, Darwin and MJK, and won features in DJMag, The Quietus and Bandcamp Daily. His production style is a combination of grooving club sounds and colourful electronica, and his versatility is showcased in his podcasts and mixes for Bleep, Boiler Room, Crack Magazine NTS Radio, Rinse FM and many more outlets.
Scarlett O'Malley
This month Scarlett O’Malley released her third EP via her own Club Cowgirl imprint. The three-track project titled Clean Up Cowgirl sources inspiration from Latin tech house, hip-house and Detroit techno all wrapped up in her infectiously bold club energy. The release has won support from Moxie, Shanti Celeste, Matisa and Avalon Emerson, and Jaguar and Sarah Story featured it on their respective Radio 1 shows. Scarlett O'Malley is a DJ, presenter and documentary maker from London. She shares her bold, energetic and groovy club sounds on her Rinse FM residency, runs her Club Cowgirl event series and label, and has hosted takeovers at Lost Village, Glastonbury, Risen, Queen’s Yard Summer Party and We Out Here. Her latest EP is a homage to her diverse musical taste, choc-full of conga drum-lines, hip-house grooves and vocal samples from ‘90s dancehall star Patra.
VXSION
This October, rising Brazilian talent VXSION releases his official remix of The Temper Trap’s classic "Sweet Disposition,” the edit you didn’t know you needed. It comes hot on the heels of his recent single “Amana” which topped Beatport’s Afro House charts this spring and won the young artist a whole lot more fans. VXSION is known for his deep, organic grooves, impactful melodies and driving rhythms, which he’s applied to The Temper Trap’s hit single. This soulful rendition breathes new life into the original and is timed to mark the Temper Trap’s 15th Anniversary album, slated for release late-October. Born in Brazil, VXSION grew up surrounded by music, and received his first piece of production gear at age 12 shortly after his family moved to the US. He spent years honing his skills before bursting onto the global circuit in 2023 when Keinemusik got their hands on “Sweet Disposition” and wouldn’t stop playing it during their sets. And now you can get your hands on it, too.
X & IVY
X & Ivy continues their crusade of damaging dance floors with their upcoming release “Outro,” a nostalgic house groover that acts as throwback to the days when house and garage blended seamlessly and crop tops and glow sticks reigned supreme. Out via Big Trouble Presents: Into The Bass Bins, “Outro” builds on the momentum of their previous bangers, which won over Jamie Jones, Interplanetary Criminal, Job Jobse, Martyn Bootyspoon and Make A Dance, and their contagious, 4:4 house tracks have earned play outs on Radio 1 and Capital Dance. Hailing from Australia, soon they’ll release their highly anticipated collaboration “Keep Me” with UKG legend and Daft Punk collaborator, Todd Edwards, a track that masterfully blends X & Ivy’s signature house flair with Todd Edwards’ iconic garage rhythms and soulful vocal manipulation.
Wilfy D
Since 2020, Bristol’s Wilfy D has been making waves with his distinctive blend of R&B gems with a fresh UK twist. With releases on Club Djembe, Shall Not Fade, Nervous Records, Dansu Discs and collaborations with Tim Reaper, K-LONE and t e s t p r e s s, he has been refining his style, focusing on UKG and Bassline. His recent single “IDKW" is no exception, a mellow, 4:4 house track with an R&B vocal, released on Hold A Corner Records just in time for summer. He’s become a cultural mainstay in Bristol, playing his diverse selections alongside Capo Lee, DJ Polo and DJ Stolen, and has a sold-out show at the end of October on a stacked line up at The Cause in London that includes Sarah Story, Kaya, Oneman and dozens more.
