Welcome back to On Our Radar, Beatportal’s monthly roundup of the DJs and producers we can’t get enough of. This time, we highlight six emerging women artists from around the world that are blazing new trails in dance music.
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 and beyond!
ANNA KOST
Earlier this year, emerging star Anna Kost released her See Life Better EP on Hotflush. The Berlin-based producer has built a steady name for herself with releases on Suburban Avenue, EarToGround Records, Soma Records and Hotflush sister label Who Whom, but this killer EP confirms her as one of the techno scene’s most exciting new talents. It’s sharp, deft, rhythmic and combines the rough cut of UK techno with the precision of Germany’s underground. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Kost’s recent set on HÖR Berlin was made entirely with her own material, showcasing her versatile production catalogue and talent as a DJ/producer. So check out “Dub89” right this second – a UK-tinged techno roller with heavy percussion and ethereal vocals. There’s no doubt this young artist has a big future ahead.
SENSU
Swiss live artist, DJ and producer Sensu flies far beyond the boundaries of electronic music. The multi-faceted artist has an unflinching approach to soundscapes and genres, refusing to conform to one creative expression. She began her production journey in 2017 with her track “Far Away” on Quartz Records, and her music soon got picked up by Universal. In 2020 she released her track “Outspoken” alongside British rapper LYAM, and that same year won the Best Talent 2020 Swiss Music Award. Her debut EP Numéro LDN was one of Mixmag’s Best EPs of 2022, and her recent single “Fuse” from her upcoming EP AM___PM follows beautifully in its wake. Sensu says, “AM___PM is the space between the fears with which we wake and those pressures that remain last thing at night.”
Photo by: Jamie Hopper
ZAIDA ZANE
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, rising talent Zaida Zane‘s music is inspired by the diasporic underground, and her productions and DJ sets encapsulate romance, rhythm and defiant hope. Her DJ sets turn dance floors into riots, and her two-year residency at Club Morph in Atlanta is testament to that. In 2021 Mixmag hailed her mix as one of the best of the year, and she’s a regular on Reprezent Radio and South London’s Night Slugs imprint and party. She’s only just embarked on her producer journey but that hasn’t stopped her making big waves. Her debut track, a remix of Bok Bok’s “Ouais” came out in July 2022 on Night Slugs, and her debut EP Boy Eyes is out on the same label this month. It’s a three-track project that sits on the house spectrum but spans multiple genres. It’s unique, vibrant, quirky and as unforgettable as the artist herself. Zaida Zane’s Boy Eyes EP is officially released on March 23rd, and you can purchase it here.
LUXE
Classically trained DJ and producer LUXE’s latest EP Mineral & Moss — which will drop via Planet Euphorique on March 31st — will cement this artist as one of the newest faces of rave. Based in London, she’s released on Femme Culture, Dansu Discs, Banoffee Pies Records and many others, with each release celebrating her love for hardcore, trance and rave culture. It’s already been a big year for LUXE. She released her Moonquake EP alongside Tom Place with a remix by Angel D’Lite, which got big shouts on Jaguar’s BBC Introducing Dance show, she’s just started her Rinse FM residency and she has her debut album in the works. Her touring schedule’s just as busy, with March shows in Corsica Studios, Ulster Sports Club, Fabric and 02 Academy Lees lined up, and she spent her birthday in everyone’s favorite Berlin toilet (Hör, to be clear) doing what she does best: raving.
MHA IRI
Scottish export Mha Iri just dropped her debut release on Adam Beyer’s goliath Drumcode label, “Never Go Back To Sleep,” and it’s a straight-up scorcher. The release comes out in tandem with International Women’s Day as part of the label’s Drumcode Presents: Elevate compilation platforming female talent, including BEC, Chelina Manuhutu and Tini Gessler. Mha Iri is making waves as one of techno’s standout talents of 2023. She was the fourth best-selling female techno artist on Beatport in 2022, and counts Amelie Lens, Richie Hawtin, Rebuke and Paco Osuna as fans. With killer shows under her belt including Rave The Planet Parade, Filth On Acid and ADE Amsterdam, there’s no doubt Mha Iri is well on her way to becoming techno royalty.
Photo by: Nick Astanei
PRETTY GIRL
Pretty Girl’s muse is the dance floor, and she aims to recreate those magical, euphoric 4 AM epiphanies through her left-field house and techno productions. Rising out the ashes of the pandemic, the Aussie DJ, producer and vocalist is on an unstoppable rise thanks to her recent Boiler Room in Melbourne and her stints supporting global names including Bonobo, Fred Again.., Skin On Skin, DJ Seinfeld, Mella Dee. Her 2021 EP Middle Ground on Gallery Recordings catapulted her into the global psyche, with her rich voice and emotive lyrics capturing the imagination of a world in lockdown. This year alone she’s released a remix of Fred Again.. and Romy’s track “Strong” as well as two new singles, “All Good” and “A New Light.” There’s no doubt Pretty Girl’s one to watch, so keep your eyes peeled for her second EP, One Night, One Time, out on April 14th via Mall Grab’s Steel City Dance Discs.
