Happy New Year! And welcome back UKF readers!
We couldn’t be more excited for what 2024 has in store for bass music, everything is sounding so good right now. With that being said here are our regular contributors ‘ones to watch’ for 2024.
OKO
Laurie Charlesworth
Primary school teacher by day, badass DJ by night, OKO is ready to smash 2024 out the park, and I am super excited about it! So far we’ve seen her get signed to Kool, host her on show on the station, absolutely rinse it at Worried About Henry and DnB Allstars events, feature on the Radio 1 Drum & Bass show with Charlie Tee and so much more. Her DJ sets are completely unapologetic, packed to the brim with relentless energy AND I know she has a load of wicked releases incoming this year too, following on nicely from her debut track ‘Acid’ which came out end of 2023. She is by all means one to watch for this year, and probably the years that follow too.
Levity
Logan Sasser
When John Hauldren and PJ Carberry, two of three members that form the Levity trio (Josh Tarum is the third member), walked into Electric Forest’s magical festival grounds in 2023, they had no idea that their life was about to change forever. But, when a performance a the Honeycomb stage was canceled last minute, Hauldren got the call: Levity was invited to fill the slot. That day, superstars were born.
Their performance, which amassed millions of views on TikTok and Instagram, introduced a dynamic, high-octane stage presence to festival-goers and ravers across the country, and the industry took careful notice. Six months have passed since that fateful day, and Levity is now a household name, thanks in part to the massive success of “Flip It,” released on Deadbeats in October, and two incredible remixes of iconic indie-rock tunes “Breezeblocks” originally by alt-j, and Cage The Elephant’s “Come a Little Closer.”
Before Electric Forest 2023, Levity was a relatively unknown Chicago-based trio whose sound consisted entirely of glimmering dance-pop and nostalgic dubstep aesthetics. These days, they’re celebrating millions of streams every month, covering Spotify’s “Bass Arcade” editorial playlist, and working in tandem with their new team at 2plus2 Management and Wasserman to promote their multi-genre dance music to the masses.
In 2024, it’ll be nearly impossible to find a lineup without Levity. They’ve already announced performances at festivals like Ultra, Ubbi Dubbi, and ULTRA, and shows with Liquid Stranger, INZO, Ganja White Night, ISOXO, and DIESEL. Surely, there are many more announcements to come.
Skeptic
Anthony Mulholland
With an already crazy 2023 under his belt, this producer from High Wycombe is certain to have an even better 2024. Now based in Southampton where he studies music production, Skeptic’s bookings at the back end of this year, and early next year, have surged – already making him one of the most in demand DJs in the UK garage and breakbeat community. With consistent support on a plethora of his dubs and tracks including ‘Join Hands’ and ‘Whine Up’, from the likes of Sammy Virji, Interplanetary Criminal, Girls Don’t Sync, Jaguar Worldwide, and Dr. Dubplate, it is clear to see that his production is highly regarded within the wider scene. Many Skeptic dubs are free to download on Soundcloud as a result of his consistent uploading on the platform, providing many with high quality tunes that are essential on any selectors usb. Notable appearances this year have included his Keep Hush set at Loves Saves The Day, the summer Rinse.FM stream, going back to back with Silva Bumpa at Interplanetary Criminal’s London leg of his UK tour, and coming up next is a massive Boiler Room set which includes Skream, Benga, and Ahadadream. Backed by 23 Degrees and ec2a, two platforms that have done so much for UK garage, breakbeat, and jungle culture, we can expect to see more great productions from this multi-talented producer.
VISLA
Sagar Deshmukh
It will be a year since VISLA made his debut on Critical Music for its Binary series, but it feels like he’s been around for a number of years. VISLA’s first release alone gave us a glimpse into his artistic realm and subsequent offerings this year have only served to attest his intricate take on drum & bass music. With the dancefloor at the heart of his creations, VISLA has presented a sound palette that ranges from weighty numbers like ‘Flashbang’ and ‘Decoy’ to headsplitters like his remix for YAANO and Wingz’s ‘Pattern’, ‘RAKKA’ and ‘Morpheus’ – the best part? everything’s delivered with a futuristic touch. This ability of his has led to VISLA landing releases on Phace & Misanthrop’s NËU Music, Deadbeats, Overview Music before closing the year with the belting ‘RAKKA’ EP on Critical Music. VISLA heads into the new year fully geared up to showcase the next phase of his sonic evolution, and if 2023 is to be considered as a sneak peek, then we are sure to have VISLA in the conversations for the most important bass music released in 2024 as well.
Mixtress
Anthony Mulholland
After what was very much a breakthrough year in 2022, the London-based jungle and hardcore DJ has had a very successful 2023 boasting some of the most high energy sets around. From old to new school sounds, Mixtress has undoubtedly helped this new wave of jungle hysteria reach the heights it has to a new audience. Having linked up with Pete Cannon to produce one of the songs of the year in ‘Blinded by the Lights 23’ it’s safe to say this year has brought this producer, raised in Amsterdam, to everyone’s attention. As such, showing great skill and dynamism with this particular number has got us very excited to see what is in her production armoury further down the line. Being part of Team Woibey, a group of 4 super-talented female selectors, it’s always a chance for Mixtress to enter the world of multi-genre and showcase a musical understanding that makes us anticipate great things for this group as well. With a Rinse.FM residency under her belt courtesy of Team Woibey, as well as her own Kool FM slot, we can be sure to expect a consistent showcase of her talents throughout 2024.
Zar
Sam Yates
With a string of releases across Liquid V, Fokuz, The Chakira Project, and most-recently Five Alley – Zar had himself a very fine year in 2023, making plenty of noise and catching the ears of liquid funk aficionados. Residing in Manchester, he’s establishing himself as part of the rising tide of soulful northern producers, alongside artists like Note and Channell – pushing musical, jazzy beats that inspire real emotion for the listener. It’s a style that’s built to last. Zar doesn’t delve into what’s trending, instead favouring classic source material and production techniques in combination with a gifted brain that just knows what ‘good’ sounds like.
Zar’s 2024 is shaping up to make an even bigger splash. There all-sorts in the pipeline: a full EP on Five Alley early next year, more with The Chakira Project, collaborations with DRS, T.R.A.C, Verbz, and EVABEE, and several more exciting projects that cannot be mentioned just yet. Perhaps most intriguing of all, he assures us something big is coming on Space Cadet…
If you’ve ever had the chance to chat with Zar – real name Pierluigi Zardetto – you’ll know he’s a passionate, but exceptionally warm and nice personality. Combine this attitude with the existing and future portfolio of work, and it’s clear he’s poised to become a household name in our scene.
Tape B
Logan Sasser
No matter where you are or what you’re doing, when you hear the cinematic intro to Tape B’s “Yo Tape B,” you better run toward that sound as fast as you can because Tape B is about to blow the roof off. If you need proof, watch his “Mutiny Shareholders Meeting” set on YouTube. You’ll thank me later.
Tape B’s definitive sound comes in two distinct parts: bass-heavy dubstep remixes of iconic hip-hop tracks like Mac Miller’s “Clubhouse” and A$AP Rocky’s “Goldie,” and his new-school take on classic dubstep sounds that dominated the early 2010s. There’s a reason Tape B is such a hot commodity: His style is elusively original, but pleasantly familiar.
Tape B’s music is a bridge to EDM’s golden age, upgraded with a modern flair and a not-so-subtle nod to hip-hop culture and aesthetics. He’s clearly someone who respects the cultures that paved the way for artists like Tape B to thrive today, and in turn, those cultures respect him. This symbiotic relationship is why Tape B is one of the most exciting producers in bass music today.
2023 was Tape B’s biggest year yet, evident by massive releases with Deadbeats, hot-topic festival appearances at Electric Forest and Lost Lands, and support slots for Subtronics, Zeds Dead, and countless others. Phase two of his headlining “Old School x New School” tour kicks off in January, and we’re hoping 2024 brings a proper Tape B album to the forefront of the culture.
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