April: Six artists you need to check out this month

She’s a key player in the UK’s resurgent garage scene, but OK Williams is a DJ whose sets are rarely restricted to one genre. Whether shelling down in the club or exploring the outer realms of her tastes on her monthly NTS show, the South East London artist’s knack for joining disparate styles of dance has seen her stock rise. A recent opening slot at Panorama Bar shows how far this self-styled ‘multi-faceted party starter’ has come in a short time.

From J Balvin tearing up Ibiza to ‘Despacito’ ruling the charts, reggaeton is taking over the world. But back in its Latin American heart-land, Meth Math (vocalist Ángel Ballesteros and producers error.error and Bonsai Babies) are pushing reggaeton to darker places. The trio’s debut EP features distorted bass, warped vocals and palpitating rhythms. Opening cut ‘Perreando Y Llorando’ roughly translates as “grinding and crying” – and Meth Math’s booty-shaking beats come loaded with emotion.

Louisiana’s Delish Da Goddess creates lo-fi rap with fiery lyrics. She has seven EPs under her belt, has played shows with the likes of Big Freedia, Peaches and Le1f, and won the Best Rap and Bounce prize at the 2018 Big Easy Awards ceremony. Latest single ‘Bye America’ pairs an ice-cold flow with trap-flavoured beats. The video is shot in the Louisiana wetlands, and features solidarity between black girls who rely on each other to survive.

[Photo: Shoog McDaniel]

Dar Disku (which means ‘home of the disco’) are a DJ duo and label driven by a mission: to bring Arabic house and disco to Western floors. Mazen Al Maskati and Vish Mhatrahave have performed around the world, their sets frenetic journeys through uplifting records. They divide their time between London and Bahrain, where later in the year they’ll launch an exhibition at the Ministry Of Culture celebrating Bahrain’s music scene. Curious about the difference between dabke, rai and habibi house? Start here.

Brisbane-based Mutant Joe makes rough, raw electro. He twists and manipulates analogue instruments to create a haunted, evil vibe that TNGHT picked up on their Essential Mix last year, which featured no less than four of his tracks. He’s successfully blended rap and electro, as heard on the searing collab with Canada’s Freddie Dredd on four-tracker ‘Operation Chaos’, and last year’s ‘Home Invasion Anthems’ LP. The future’s bright for Mutant Joe, though his music will surely stay unwaveringly dark.

A background in performance art led Chicago-based DJ and producer Ariel Zetina to DJing, and her cross-genre mixes are infused with spoken and sung wisdom, often in homage to the history and future of queer culture. After two EPs last year, ‘Organism’ on Majía and ‘Shell’ on Head Charge, comes five-track EP ‘MUAs At The End Of The World’. Blending acid, happy hardcore and bubbling techno with samples of make-up tutorials, it explores “the perception of make-up as armour, barrier, stealth.”