Anyone who has remotely been clued in to electronic music within the last 7 years or so has heard the name Kissy Sell Out. Whether wowing spectators with his rapid fire, four-deck mixing, producing varied styles of dance music and remixes for acts like Gwen Stefani and Mark Ronson or breaking cutting edge sounds on his popular “Kissy Klub” show on BBC Radio 1, Kissy Sell Out remains one of the most charismatic and in demand DJs/producers in electronica.
Named after the Edo State capitol in Nigeria, and consisting of vocalist Joshua Idehen, saxophone/synth player Tom Leaper and drummer Theo Buckingham, Benin City's multifariousness extends to each member’s individual contribution to the music scene around London. Idehen has been a fixture on the UK spoken word circuit since the mid-2000s, creating the group A Poem Inbetween People, as well as the popular poetry night and brand Poejazzi. He has recorded with producer LV, not to mention his work has been published in an anthology collection with the legendary Linton Kwesi Johnson. Teacher and performer Theo Buckingham has played with different acts including Groove Warriors and IOTA Group. Having studied at the Belfast School of Music and the prestigious Brit School, the drummer is also endorsed by the Sonor Drums. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Tom Leaper has planted his seeds in the London jazz scene, as well as worked with various Hip-Hop artists in the city. The musician’s forté also includes flute and samples. All three continue to remain active - working on multiple music projects throughout England.
Luca Bacchetti isn’t concerned with “titles”. What matters most is the artistic merit and the final execution of what was created. In other words, is it a great work of art? It is that creative love that keeps this producer and DJ continually touring the world and releasing intricate electronic music that captures crowds throughout.
Barcelona may boast warm weather, a champion Spanish football club and a non-stop party atmosphere, however, the city is also home to one of the bands who are responsible for creating some of the sexiest 4x4 driven based music in the country. Lasers have been pumping out some of the most sophisticated house and disco with sheer class.
Music is a vessel allowing the artist to channel limitless creative energy through sound. The best musicians are able to erase all boundaries and explore depths not only through instrumentation but verbally. Understanding the power of wordplay with a complimenting musical backdrop behind each song is what Bronze Medallists does overtly well. Comprised of Oliver Price, Oliver Sheppard, Ben Ferrari, Luke Roberts and Valerie Balligand, the East London based band’s organic approach to their craft reflects through highly visual and poetic lyrics married with frankly, musically whatever the group feels will fit the vibrations of the track.
A true musician will aim at making a recording that qualifies as a timeless work of art and in the process, touches our hearts and soul. Artist, producer and Wah Wah 45 label head Adam Scrimshire humbly took that position by drawing from his eclectic canvas of musical inspirations, successfully bridging them into carefully woven pieces that escaped the suicidal title of “fusion” and instead flaunted that of “finely executed sounds”.
People know the work of Danny Berman through two possible avenues. One route would be under the moniker Hot Coins, the producer whose notorious soul and disco reworks gained large support during the early 2000's and later during the whole disco re-edit explosion. The other possible entry point is under his Red Rack’em name in which he’s delivered Hip-Hop inspired beats, electronica and house music as well as introducing the world to his ‘Smuggler’s Inn’ platform.
Looking at the musical history of DJ and producer Michelle Owen, what you will find is someone who began playing guitar as a youth and was already doing sound engineering before even graduating high school. Growing up listening to grunge and Hip-Hop, in the late nineties Owen was captured by the sound of electronica after going to see Danny Tenaglia play live. She soon after learned how to DJ and eventually became one of the key players in the scene in her hometown of Sydney, Australia, playing some of the city's top venues and hosting a show on Rhythm FM, now Kiss FM. In 2007 She spent a summer in the party capital of the world, Ibiza honing her skills as a producer. After spending time in London, she eventually relocated to Berlin where she currently resides.
Armed with charisma, dedication and sounds to rock the big room, DJ and producer Marien Baker is the latest artist to explode onto the electronic music scene. Creating dance floor driven music using the elements of house, techno and electro, the sexy Spanish bombshell and EMI recording artist has played in some of the most respected venues around the globe including Space in Ibiza and London’s Ministry of Sound, just to name a few.
Heading over to the city of Le Mans, producer Fobator along with the Get Monet collective have also chosen to simply "do what they want to do" by creating spaced out house, bass and synth heavy rhythms that are more for moving people on the dancefloor instead of screw facing. In fact, Fobator has gone as far as remixing tracks by artists like Drake and Rihanna, putting them on a multi-step, piano driven house-ish bounce tune. Even France's infamous rapper Booba has been reworked over a more ethereal yet up rocking beat. His releases include "Feel Good" on Top Billin Records as well as "Minotaurus" and his recent "Don't Stop" EP on the Paris based label Conquistadores. With a his new record "Emmotion" dropping on the Pointé Records, Fobator's music is aimed at making you free your mind and allowing your body to follow the process.
