After an incredible decade of music in the 2010’s, which we celebrated in our Track of the Decade feature, our minds now turn the rising stars of the future. Here at Defected HQ we’ve picked a few of the artists you want to get to know in 2020…
Bellaire
With a background in classical music, multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer Bellaire may be young, but this rising star of the French underground has steadily become one of the most sought-after names on the scene. Selling out just about every show in advance and receiving support from the likes of Detroit Swindle, Jeremy Underground and St. Germain, his breakthrough Paris City Jazz EP and consequent releases demonstrate the Frenchman’s innate musicality. With production abilities like Bellaire’s, this marks just the start of an exciting career ahead, with plenty more in the pipeline for 2020.
East End Dubs
A prominent figure on London’s ever-growing minimal underground scene, East End Dubs is a name that has been on the radar of in-the-know DJs and party goers for quite some time. Often affiliated with the capital’s favourite Sunday afternoon affair FUSE, East End Dub’s ‘bRave’ was released on the party’s label in 2019 and became one of the biggest club records of the year. His records are almost exclusively dancefloor focussed, with groove-led cuts that always make reliable club tools, earning him high-profile fans across the board. One of the most prolific producers around, his vinyl output and label projects Eastenderz and Social continue to grow exponentially, while also maintaining a relentless tour schedule. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing his music already, delve into his catalogue of dancefloor weapons and you’ll see why we’re fans…
O’Flynn
Hailed by Boiler Room as “one of dance music’s most prosperous newcomers”, 2019 was a landmark year for London-born producer O’Flynn. The release of his debut album Aletheia illustrated his ability to flit between genres, from the ethereal, dream-like title track, to the jazzier, drum-laden ‘Sunspear’. A prolific DJ, O’Flynn’s knowledge of dancefloor dynamics is demonstrated in his DJ sets, 2020 promises a busy tour schedule and “working on new music and lining up some bangers”.
Sorley
Already totting up an impressive catalogue of releases across Snatch!, Repopulate Mars and Nothing Else Matters, it may seem surprising that Sorley only gave up his job as a Civil Servant in December 2019. Now with his forthcoming release on DFTD ‘Deadeye’, a track already receiving support from Michael Bibi, Latmun, Solardo, Alisha and Danny Howard, 2020 promises to be a big year for Sorley as he takes on music fulltime.
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Alaia & Gallo
Italian duo Alaia & Gallo have steadily built an impressive catalogue of releases, developing their club-ready style and experimenting with different sounds across a range of imprints. With standout releases in 2019 across the Defected umbrella, including their collaboration with Dames Brown ‘Trippin’’ on DFTD and remixing Shawn Christopher’s ‘You Can Make It’ for Soulfuric Recordings, they have been working away in the studio, with a whole lot of heat due to drop in 2020, expect big club remixes from the pair set to dominate dancefloors.
La La
Cutting her teeth as a promoter in Glasgow, La La swapped working behind-the-scenes for the decks and never looked back. Now one of Scotland’s brightest rising stars, the FLY Open Air resident has rocketed to underground stardom, with her Boiler Room debut demonstrating her impeccable knowledge of dance music and innate abilities as a selector. Kicking off 2020 playing at Circoloco’s infamous New Year’s Day party at DC10 Ibiza, there is no doubt La La’s career is due to go stratospheric.
Franky Wah
If Radio 1 legend Pete Tong dubs an artist a future star, chances are they will be. Steadily rising through the ranks, Yorkshireman Franky Wah has already started his own label Shén Records, extensively toured the UK and Europe, and collaborated with none other than Jessie Ware. With his release ‘Hide’ making the Radio 1 playlist, there is no doubt Franky has the capabilities to produce crossover club heat, and is working away in the studio doing just that.
L U C Y
Flying into prominence with her blend of bass-heavy, genre-bending music, L U C Y has become one of the most exciting artists on the London scene. Refusing to be pigeonholed, her self-launched musical platfrom SZNS7N launched with her own EP, before curating the SZN001 compilation featuring new artists making music in the same spectrum. While she describes herself as, “a producer that DJs rather than a DJ who produces,” she has become a sought-after act, consistently touring across the UK and Europe. 2020 will mark a change musically for L U C Y as she moves into a more cinematic, abstract approach to production, and we can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Reblok
Hailing from Split, Reblok’s genre-blurring production style made him one of the most in-demand producers of 2019, releasing on key imprints like Hot Creations, Repopulate Mars and Sola. Starting his career off as a DJ, Reblok quickly grew tired of playing other people’s music so chose to translate his own ideas into original productions, a change that paid off big time as he continues to grow his catalogue of club heat. Already turning the heads of artists like Jamie Jones, Lee Foss and Solardo, Reblok has been teasing a number of high-profile collaborations on his socials, we have a feeling he's just getting started.
Dirty Channels
Italian duo Dirty Channels joined forces in 2008, the pair (Simone and Leme) were both experienced selectors, and combining their musical forces have produced some of the decade’s stand-out underground cuts. After releases on Athens of The North and Razor N Tape, their vinyl-only ‘Catch Me’ (released on Dan Shake’s imprint Shake) caught the attention of Classic head honcho Luke Solomon, and was released on the label digitally, followed a month later by thieir remix of Snips ‘The Product’. With plenty more in the locker for 2020, Dirty Channels also make their Defected Croatia debut this year.
