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.
ACUTEK
Hailing from the Scottish highlands, Acutek’s been on a non-stop upward trajectory since he started DJing and producing over ten years ago. Inspired by Slam, Petrichor, Frai.zer and Pan-Pot, he’s become an ambassador for Scottish nightlife while progressing the sound of global techno with his atmospheric storytelling and gritty grooves. This month he releases his Losing Grip EP, the 4th release on Acutek’s Flick imprint. The 4-track project includes a Reset Robot remix of the title track, followed by Wait A Minute, a loopy slow-burner that bursts with energy, and Doctors Note, a hypnotic techno track complete with droning vocals and ceaseless rhythms. Every Flick release so far has hit number one on Beatport’s Raw/Deep/Hypnotic Techno charts, and with early support from DVS1, Charlotte De Witte, ANNA, Ben Sims & Luke Slater, it seems this release will be no different.
AMAL NEMER
On September 8th, up-and-coming Lebanese DJ/producer Amal Nemer releases her Eraser EP on Farris Wheel Recordings. The EP showcases the producer’s ability to build narratives through captivating soundscapes, with music that spans house, tech house and techno. The EP was inspired by a particularly transcendent Solomon set, which led to three straight days holed up in her studio and the birth of this EP. Raised in Venezuela and now living in Miami, Nemer has built a growing catalogue of music, releasing on labels like Glasgow Underground, Nervous Records, Cafe De Anatolia, Natura Viva, Happy Techno Music and Space Invaders amongst others. And her DJ sets are just as compelling – Miami has fallen in love with her combination of afro, tech, melodic house and techno – and with her own real estate and clothing business and a Miss Venezuela title, there’s not much this artist can’t do.
MAKÈZ
This summer, Amsterdam-based duo Makèz teamed up with Life on Planets to create what many say is the house track of the summer. “Downstream” is a rolling, jazz-leaning house extravaganza that compels crowds of thousands to sing along to its contagious opening line “Mama spend some time with me.” The release comes after a busy few years for Makèz, who have been making waves within the Dutch club scene for a while now. After they released their debut EP Different Planets in 2019, they quickly went international, and have since released on local label Heist Recordings as well as Let’s Play House, Sonic Soil and NO ART. Seth Troxler, Groove Armada, Chez Damier, and Dam Swindle count themselves as fans, with “Downstream” named Essential New Tune on BBC Radio 1 with Pete Tong, so do millions of others.
BAE BLADE
This month, HÖR regular and Rinse resident Bae Blade releases her debut EP Mixed Feelings on Partiboi69’s Mutual Pleasure. The 4-track project showcases the Dortmund DJ’s unique production style, with a mixture of hard-edged and relentless techno, breakbeat and trance. The Bae Blade project took off during lockdown when the artist uploaded a mix that went lowkey viral, securing her a debut set at HÖR. The project has grown exponentially from there, with a Rinse residency kicking off in February 2023 and a slew of international gigs. “The four tracks on this EP are so different from each other,” she says. “From 4 to the floor beat, to electro to that 808 hip-hop beat, the rapping… I don’t want to be confined to one genre. As humans we do different things, we have different sides to us. That’s what I want to show in my music.”
ZORENLO
In August, Colombian-American producer, DJ and promoter, zorenLo, released his debut project as a recording artist: PERREO inTECHNO. The album explores the intersection of reggaeton and techno, while maintaining the sound he’s cultivated over the past decade as a staple in Brooklyn’s underground scene. Known for his multifaceted musical output, his party series Rollup and his residency at Bossa Nova Civic Club, the album champions a new side of zorenLo’s artistry, gliding through genres including guaracha, champeta and Spanish hip-hop. The album follows a booming few years for the artist, with releases on Sorry Records, Loveless Records, Circular Jaw, One Eight Hundred and more, and DJ sets at Knockdown Center, Mood Ring, Elsewhere, Jupiter Disco Paragon, Video Club and Calle 9.
BLANKA BARBARA
Musically speaking, there isn’t much Blanka Barbara can’t do. The London-based, Poland-born artist is a producer, live act, DJ and live-streamer, as well as a classically trained pianist and composer. Since 2020 her name’s been across hundreds of releases, mostly within the melodic techno and progressive house sphere, on labels including Lane 8’s This Never Happened and John 00 Fleming’s JOOF Recordings. Her 2021 track “Lost in Digital Fog” held the top spot in Beatport’s Progressive House charts for over 3 weeks, and her music is supported by leading names in the industry, including Hernan Cattaneo, Cosmic Gate, DJ Ruby, Basil O’Glue and Marsh. Her recent release “Fractured Heart” is a raw, textured trance track that meticulously weaves elements of techno with classical composition to create a narrative-led musical voyage.
Learn more about our previous On Our Radar artists from this year:
July 2023: Hilit Kolet, Justus, Saffron Stone, [IVY], SOMMA, and Toumba.
June 2023: Introspekt, Baalti, Rakans, BIIANCO, Supreems, JSPORT
May 2023: Tigerhead, Le Motel, Packed Rich, In2Stellar, Paurro, Yubik
April 2023: Azzecca, GHSTGHSTGHST, Tony Y Not, E-Unity, Willo, &friends
March 2023: Anna Kost, Sensu, Zaida Zane, Luxe, Mha Iri, Pretty Girl
February 2023: Black Forces, RaeCola, Salome Le Chat, Close Counters, Angel D’Lite, Lawrence Hart
January 2023: Drumskull, Dasco, Calussa, Jenn Getz & Alfie, Eli Fola, Uncle Knows
