Dancing Astronaut’s 5 Under 15K: Vol. 26
5 Under 15k is a feature on Dancing Astronaut dedicated to spotlighting talented up-and-coming and largely undiscovered artists who we believe deserve more exposure. Each edition highlights five artists from a wide variety of genres with under 15,000 followers on SoundCloud or Spotify (at the time of writing).
Hozho
Hailing from Portugal, Hozho’s signature “melodark minimal” sound instantly diversifies the rising producer from the pack, disregarding the current dance music meta for something more intrinsically expressive. His 2019 album, Yin Yang, invites listeners on an aesthetically sound aural adventure—fusing darker influences, from techno, progressive, electro and even orchestral sound palates for an experience all its own.
“I can say that there are few artists in the world who create the kind of sound that I create,” says Hohzo. “I don’t mean that I’m better or worse. I just believe I’m different and that’s what I always try to transmit in the songs I create. Let’s say that the tracks I produce are more psychological than technical, where my goal is to show my emotions rather than my technical production skills.
Every track on Yin Yang clocks in over seven minutes long (aside from the intro and outro), but where many electronic producers get lost in the loopiness of lengthier beats, Hozho feels at home there. Each tune is a journey in its own right, courting the listener through the enchanted melodark forest of the Portuguese producer’s sonic envoy.
Further broadening his musical horizons, Hozho is currently composing the score to director Taha Ismail’s upcoming Innerbloom, expecting to close out the year with tour stops in India, St. Petersburg, and Turkey.
Colyn
If Colyn isn’t on your short-list of up and comers in 2019, you better hope there’s room. The Dutch producer, who describes his sound as “centered around, but not bound to, techno” has sunk his teeth into the industry through the Tale of Us-led label, Afterlife. In just six months’ time, Colyn has climbed the label’s ranks, first debuting on their Realm Of Consciousness Pt. IV compilation before receiving a long-form accent with a full-fledged EP, Resolve. Finally he closed out Audio Obscura‘s ADE party alongside Tale of Us themselves this past weekend.
Tracks like “Resolve” imbue the evocative side of the genre, but Colyn ultimately defines his sound with well-warranted touches of lucidity and psychedelic sprinklings. A great addition to the Afterlife crew, Colyn fits the label’s sound, while offering its fanbase something altogether fresh.
Theydream
Made up of Swiss brothers Stefan and Jonas Roos, Theydream has been adding their distinct layer of ravaging basslines and atmospheric techno to Boris Brejcha‘s burgeoning FCKNG SERIOUS label for the past few years. While the group has established themselves as a mainstay at Brejcha’s minted parties across Europe, spinning in Tel Aviv, Prague, and all across Germany, they’ve yet to make it to the states. Though the the duo’s sound would surely hit the mark stateside, if Brejcha’s first US tour this year is any indication.
Theydream recently contributed two singles in as many months to the FCKNG SERIOUS catalog, but the best sampling of their trippy, often obfuscated sound can be heard in their autumn mix from last year; it’s compromised of almost entirely unreleased material. With a shared two decades of production between them, the Roos brothers unfurl purring basslines with hypnotic overtones for a whimsical brand of techno all its own.
Lake Haze
For a few years, Lake Haze bounced from label to label, releasing deep, and even some left-field house tracks. But it wasn’t until UK-based E-Beamz allowed him a platform to create a debut LP that “wasn’t 100% dancefloor-oriented” so that the genius of the Portuguese producer fully reared its head.
Glitching Dreams hits all of the sweet spots of a Warp Records original, affixing frenetic drums with just the right touch of acid flare. Though what makes Lake Haze’s latest effort so standout is its blissful wonkiness. It ebbs and flows through different realms of Lake Haze’s meticulously constructed dream world, but retains a common thread of upbeat groove from start to finish
The Frederik
It could be the influx of textures and imagery, or maybe just the afforded space for a producer to flex their muscles within the genre, but there’s something about electro-house that attracts many of the industry’s real sound design junkies. For years, chart-topping acts like Zedd, Porter Robinson, and Feed Me have claimed their stake at the terrain’s apex, not just with their impressive songwriting, but through an ability to make sense of (and masterfully mix) the chaos that a behemoth electro track truly demands.
Enter The Frederik, a Danish electro producer who obviously shares a similar passion for the studio with the aforementioned headliners. At just 23 years old, he made his debut on mau5trap, before developing his sound for UKF’s Pilot Records, eventually championing his own label, Riotville Records. His sound expectedly pumps, but what makes The Frederik’s work so singular is the cohesiveness of the textures and layers that he establishes from track to track.
Checkout some of his latest releases below, with aptly titled highlights “Fuck Tool,” and “Idle.”
Categories: Music