Welcome back to On Our Radar, Beatportal’s monthly roundup of the DJs and producers we can’t get enough of.
Check out the On Our Radar Beatport Chart to find tracks from the artists below, along with additional tunes that have caught our attention this month.
KATE STEIN
“Zero fucks” is Kate Stein’s mission statement. The Australian-born producer hopes her psychedelic acid house productions make you forget who you are or what you look like — and dance straight from the soul. Based between LA and New York, Kate takes inspiration from post-punk, dark disco and city soundscapes to create dreamy, intangible tunes. Her latest EP Mystic Saddle Ranch on Playground Records, featuring remixes from Autarkic and Balam, showcases her storytelling abilities with hypnotic rhythms and mesmerising melodies. You’ll find Kate playing New York’s dank underground venues, Berlin’s sprawling clubs, on the airwaves at thelotradio.com and on the global festival circuit alongside heavyweights such as Diplo, Bonobo and Monolink.
Photo by: Karla Del Orbe
AYESHA
Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Ayesha’s new four-track EP on Scuffed Recordings has a similar effect as a defibrillator. Potential Energy is a 20-minute homage to percussive techno, bass and breaks, energising enough to replace your morning coffee. Raised in India, Ayesha is part of an exciting new wave of South Asian producers taking over the airwaves, mixing fast and heavy breaks with polyrhythmic grooves that speak to the body before the mind. Ayesha’s Potential Energy EP bears all the hallmarks of her previous releases and collaborations with Fever AM, Kindergarten Records, Control Freak, and Daytimers and acts as both a celebration and a release as clubs re-open and we can finally unleash 18 months of pent up horsepower.
MUZI
South Africa’s Muzi is spearheading the Afrobeat and Afrohouse movement and having a shit ton of fun while doing so. The producer blends SA’s historic house music with the Zulu sounds of his childhood to create tunes to get lost in. He’s already won the hearts and ears of Kaytranada, Stormzy, Damon Albarn, but his INTERBLAKTIC LP, released October 1st on WE.THE.BUNDU, will cement his name on the global stage. Muzi went from bedroom producer to world traveler, absorbing dance music culture in Berlin and Paris before following his heart home to create an introspective album dealing with personal loss, Afrofuturism, and escapist fantasy. With one foot in Zulu culture and the other firmly on the dance floor, get ready to be sucked into Muzi’s world.
TOMU DJ
Tomu DJ‘s emotion-driven, slow electronica tracks are at once simple and intricate, and her debut album Feminista, released on Side Chick Records, plays with nostalgia, memory, dreams and space. It was written in the wake of a bad accident, where Tomu’s car flipped three times. And although she walked away with minor physical injuries, she was left with psychological ones. The album was a huge part of Tomu’s recovery, helping her regain her sense of self and recalibrate her world. “What’s Next,” the final track on the album and a Beatport chart-topper, combines child-like synths with melancholic harmonies to present a loss of innocence alongside hope for the future. Her most recent collaborative EP with Kimdollers, Luv & Vibes, brings a similar pensive sound to the forefront, this time backed up by feelings of gratification and experimental joy.
Photo by: Carly Bernstein
MONSIEUR FRAZIER
After years spent throwing sold-out shows and running his label/event brand/collective Understated, LA-based DJ and producer Monsieur Frazier released his eponymous breaks, garage, and minimal EP on September 1st via his own imprint. Monsieur Frazier EP includes the UKG banger “Keep You Close,” written with fellow Understated producer and audio engineer Nick Garcia. The debut EP has been a long time coming — Monsieur spent years building a global fanbase from performances at Coachella, Splash House, and his yearlong residency at Sound Nightclub. Michael Frazier is the son of a two-time Olympian and a former DJ — so breaking boundaries runs in the family. Monsieur Frazier’s supported Paul Oakenfold, ZHU, Walker & Royce, Kevin Saunderson, Cut Snake, and The Magician — but there’s no doubt this EP will place him firmly in the headline slot.
BEN HAUKE
On October 12th, Ben Hauke released his latest EP NOBOL on WOOP records. The South Londoner is still riding high off the success of his last EP on the same label; his single “Ain’t Bad” reached number one on Apple Music’s Breakbeat Chart and “Get Fit” was played by Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6 Music. Ben’s productions combine house, breaks, and techno to create lean, minimal tracks that are dance floor magnets. “NoBol” is no exception, with OK Williams spinning the title track in her Fabric mix, which triggered a torrent of ID requests from artists including Moxie and Bruce. Ben says he made these tracks in the first few months of 2021, when London was cold and quiet and the future uncertain. “I was looking forward to a change of pace in the upcoming summer,” he says.