February: Six artists you need to check out this month

Spending her formative years flitting between Houston, Amsterdam and Dubai, it was returning to London that ignited Alexis’ ebullient musical passions. Starting out at Balamii Radio, a rapid ascent has seen her share billings with Four Tet, Objekt and Batu, while her far-reaching selections have now found a home on Bristol’s Noods Radio. Alexis released a debut EP of bass-driven techno on the fledgling All Centre label in late January.

Alexis plays on Noods Radio every fourth Wednesday

Leeds-based DJ Kepler has already made an impact releasing music on labels such as Rich NXT’s WhatNXT and playing the renowned Inner City Electronic festival. However, he’s currently on murderous form delivering garage and breaks through his 0113 alias. The intense energy on his debut EP on Instinct makes the record a must-listen. He played his first ever 0113 set at London nightclub 93 Feet East in November. Watch the skies for more music.

‘Instinct 08’ is out now

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Ray Mono won fans in Darius Syrossian and Jamie Jones this summer with the minimal beats of the Chaka Khan sampling ‘Esperanza’. Using the experience he gained behind the scenes as promoter of Leeds’ Mono_Cult party, he makes transfixing music that combines infectious beats, warm bass and subtle percussion. With several EPs arriving on labels such as Fuse and Ben Rau’s Meta, 2020 is already looking non-stop.

Ray Mono and GruuvElement’s ‘Unsolved Smoker’ EP is out now on Bamboleo

Celebrated for her double time flow, Manchester MC Lady Ice has already tackled grime, dancehall and bassline. Oozing star quality on BBC’s The Rap Game UK, she proved she’s got the credentials to rep 0161 worldwide. Appearing recently on Kenny Allstar’s Voice of the Streets and Sir Spyro’s Sounds of the Verse, she capped off a year of solo releases and collaborations with the cold, minimalistic ‘First’.

Lady Ice’s ‘Slush’ EP drops this summer

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Norwegian Otha creates club tracks that blend dreamy shoegaze with punchy pop. Her singles ‘One Of The Girls’ and ‘I’m On Top’ have created a buzz with their airy vocals, subtly driving foundations and sparkling melodies. Now based in Vancouver, her latest single ‘Tired And Sick’ combines spiky, almost spoken word style vocals (“We’re all so tired and sick of all the stupid pricks”) with a punchy beat, earning regular rotation on European radio.

‘Tired and Sick’ is out now

Previously a mainstay at Midnight Riot and Lumberjacks in Hell, Alan Dixon has moved from his disco-house roots and emerged into a brave new world of cosmic synths. In 2020 he’ll release EPs with some of the best, including Life And Death and Correspondant. Keep an ear out for ‘Acid Drop’ on Running Back appearing soon – it’s already Gerd Janson’s secret weapon thanks to its face-melting drop, which recently pulled Printworks into another dimension.

Alan Dixon’s ‘Acid Drop’ is out this year

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