Eight Emerging Artists On Our Radar: November 2024
Welcome back to On Our Radar, Beatportal’s monthly roundup of the DJs and producers we can’t get enough of.
DC Salas
This November, DC Salas releases his debut LP To The Places I Call(ed) Home via R.A.N.D Muzik x Echocentric Records. It’s a deeply personal project that pays homage to his father's birthplace, Peru, and explores themes of memory, grief and the transience of home. The 10-track album features collaborations with Curses and emerging Moroccan artist Zaatar, with a sound palette that spans house, progressive, new beat, acid and trance. The Higher Hopes Records head and Fuse Brussels and Kiosk Radio resident has slowly built a reputation as a forward-thinking and diverse selector and producer, with the album following his 2023 Pressure EP, which was included in Bandcamp and DJ Mag’s best monthly music round-ups. The album’s already making serious waves, with early DJ support from Raresh, Hammer, Massimiliano Pagliara, Cromby, D Tiffany and more.
Bárbara Boeing
Brazilian DJ, producer, and all-round music obsessive Barbara Boeing has been in the game since she was 23 years old, when she joined four friends to form a band which later became the Alter Disco collective. The crew began throwing free parties in their home town Curitiba, which championed freedom of expression, challenged social paradigms and focussed on sound quality. Now based in Milan, Bárbara has become known for her compelling and effervescent DJ sets and unique approach to production. Her latest release comes in the form of her Memoir EP on Toy Tonics with collaborations from Sam Ruffillo and Stump Valley. She recently launched her own party, Convida, inviting artists she admires to play alongside her in different cities around the world. "I just love to bring my music to people," she says. "Showing people music is the thing that makes me the most happy.”
yourboykiran
Musically speaking, there’s not much yourboykiran can’t do. He’s an A&R, DJ, producer, presenter and curator, and last month he teamed up with Jamz Supernovas’ Future Bounce label to release his Out Of Control EP. Over four tracks, the EP showcases the artist's diverse club music influences. Using subtle vocal chops, sharp percussion and snappy snares, he’s produced a hybrid extravaganza made up of Baile Funk, Jersey Club, UK Funky, dubstep, and so much more. Based in London, yourboykiran’s vibrant productions have featured on BBC Radio 1, Radio 6 and 1Xtra, NTS, Rinse FM and more, and his Pound Shop Edit series with fellow producer Darama has won over hearts, minds and ears for its playful energy that celebrates the duo’s south Asian heritage.
Brain De Palma
2024 has been a big year for Brain De Palma, topped off by the recent release of his album Rhythmption on Peggy Gou's Gudu Records. The house record uses sonic soundscapes from the African diaspora, featuring Mozambican artist Victor Kwality on “U Ya Kwini” and South African artist Sfiso Atomza on “Thandolwami.” Currently based in Berlin, Brain de Palma was born in the Soviet Union, and grew up with little access to contemporary music. He listened to music through tapes his uncle smuggled from West Germany and moved to Italy age 12, where he snuck into clubs and discos, igniting his passion for the underground. Now he’s released on revered labels including Rush Hour, Dekmantel, and Gudu Records, and played some of the most famous festival stages in the world. With this album, Brain De Palma explores new sonic terrain rooted in diversity, inclusivity and a celebration of global culture.
HOTPRETTY
Abigail Grohmann and Zooey Glass were collaborating long before they launched their HOTPRETTY project just over a year ago. The Chicago-born duo threw club nights and DIY parties together for years, helping shape the sound of Chicago’s underground and developing their own unique style at the same time. So it’s no wonder the HOTPRETTY project took off immediately. Their first releases came out on Semi Delicious, Vassnova and Neptune Discs and they just released their second EP Lover Girl on Ulla Records. HOTPRETTY make dance music that takes inspiration from the past while looking to the future and Lover Girl is no exception. Over three tracks the duo combines the energy of indie disco, the playfulness of trance and the nostalgia of acid house. Navigating such a wide range of genres isn’t easy - but these two make it seem like it is.
Isabelle Beaucamp
There's not much German techno producer and label boss Isabelle Beaucamp doesn't do. She’s an artist, a lawyer and entrepreneur who runs a fashion brand, record label and full-time DJ career simultaneously, and her latest release “Zersplittert” for Rave the Planet showcases her commitment to techno in all its forms. The artist has taken the techno world captive with her exhilarating DJ sets, creative mixes and distinctive production style. She’s destroyed dance floors the world over, from Paris to Delhi to Cologne, and her music label Bazar Sauvage Records has cemented her name as a visionary. Her fashion brand Bazar Sauvage Couture had a showroom at Paris Fashion week this year, and with two residencies at Odonien in Cologne and KitKat in Berlin, more people are falling under her spell on a weekly basis.
Pedro Borlado
This November, Spanish-born, US-based DJ and producer Pedro Borlado releases his debut EP First Light via Chris Stussy’s new scholarship initiative for his Up the Stuss imprint. Born in Madrid but now based in the US, Pedro Borlado is an avid digger who embraces wide-reaching influences and multiple genres within his sets. His first studio project is a reflection of that, with four tracks that span minimal, deep tech and deep house. The young artist artfully combines stripped-back grooves with rich textures, with the title track “First Light” delivering an irresistible baseline designed for listeners to lose themselves in. It’s a stand-out debut from a young artist whose sound spans well beyond his years, and there’s no doubt there’s a whole lot more to come.
Skellytn
Skellytn is one of North America’s most forward-thinking drum & bass producers. Following the release of her debut album on Reid Speed’s Play Me Records, her influence within the scene has skyrocketed. With upcoming headline performances at Apocalypse Zombieland Festival and the recent release of her highly anticipated sci-fi-themed Cyberspace EP on Subtronics’ Cyclops Recordings, Skellytn is one of a handful of women championing Neurofunk, a particularly unhinged D&B subgenre that’s been making global waves over the last few years. A graduate of Los Angeles production school Icon Collective, Skellytn cities LA’s underground and artists like Skrillex and Noisia as her biggest inspirations. She’s released on Space Yacht, Emengy, and Drama Club and played alongside Alix Perez, Shades, and Ghastly. Now, Skellytn is set to take the UK and Europe by storm with her frenzied Neurofunk selections and unique cyber-bass concept.
