Yes, when many people think of electronic dance music, their minds wander to the most obnoxious, loud party music imaginable. While that can be fun, that's not all there is! One of the most exciting aspects of modern dance music is the incredibly young pool of talent producing tomorrow's biggest hits.
Here are some new(ish) names, trailblazers if you will, who bring energy but also musicality and touch to the scene. They're not the most widely known, but they're all worth a look.
1. Troyboi
Based out of London, Troyboi’s style is a breath of fresh air in dance music. Able to maintain an uncanny uniqueness so rare in dance music, Troyboi’s bass-heavy, glitched-out tunes are as much apt party-starters as they are masterpieces of creative and innovative production. His taste for the unusual, whether through the samples he chooses or the sounds he creates, and his ability to synthesize countless oddities into a cohesive piece of music is what sets Troyboi apart from the crowd. Look out in coming months for a massive collaboration with Diplo, and in the meantime, get acquainted with the wonderful weirdness that is Troyboi’s music here.
2. Daktyl
Daktyl’s music brings you into a world you didn’t know existed and makes you forget what you left behind. It’s atmospheric, calming, uplifting, and melancholy all at once. His percussion is silky and sublime, his arrangements beautiful, and his bass heavy and full. Add this to his versatility as an instrumentalist, and the result is truly great. Make sure to check out his latest album, "Cyclical," as well as the multiple remixes he’s put up on his Soundcloud. Be prepared.
3. Sophie
Sophie is not for the faint of heart. Part of the somewhat controversial and divisive new PC Music wave, Sophie produces an unapologetically sugar-coated, candy land, ul tra-pop sound (see the song "Bipp") that is not for everyone, but is the product of some of the more interesting production going on at the moment. Sophie’s songs are fully synthesized, meaning no samples–drums or otherwise–are used. From a technical perspective, this feat is quite impressive. Give Sophie a look. It might not be for you. But you would be remiss for not at least trying. Who knows, you might love it.
4. Sam Gellaitry
Sam Gellaitry is one of the hottest young talents around right now. Though he's not even 20 yet, he’s already released his EP, "Short Stories," on Soulection. His sound is groovy and fun, yet simultaneously mature and reserved. His use of percussion is second to none, and he ties together colorful basses and samples to create some truly great songs.
5. Pham
Hailing from Norway, Pham is another special young talent. His songs tend to have a bit of a melancholy, even mystical feel to them, but he tempers this with lively percussion and drums to keep a high energy level throughout. There’s a certain rawness to Pham’s tracks. They’re bassy and edgy, and he always finds ways to maintain a freshness and uniqueness even when producing genres where songs tend to blend together. Check out his latest release, "Holdin On," on Thissongissick.
6. Mr. Carmack
When you look up “dope” in the dictionary, the page doesn’t exist, because Mr. Carmack’s mixtape incinerated it. OkAY, that’s a bit of an overstatement, but in all seriousness, this guy’s stuff is raw. Often, his songs will take a simple sample, maybe a single phrase, and turn it into an absolute banger. But these aren’t the screechy, cookie-cutter, festival-trap type of bangers; Carmack’s songs are grimy. There is an aspect of imperfection to Carmack’s style, but this almost makes them more fun to listen to. So much of electronic music is overly quantized, almost too perfect, so a departure from this makes the music seem all the more human. Check out his Soundcloud for a small selection of his tunes and look for most the rest on Bandcamp where you can get them for free.
7. Mura Masa
Mura Masa is another young gun. His music is incredibly versatile. He has the ability to produce some really heavy banger material (see his remix of Aryay’s “The Lawnmower”) and also showcase his tasteful use of restraint and touch (check out his latest EP, “Someday Somewhere”). Mura Masa manages to fit a good deal of emotion into his tracks while still keeping them light, airy, and fun. He gives a refreshing take on future bass and trap music, and is certainly a name to watch for the future.
