Big bounce, big rhythms and big love: a headline set from man of the moment Ewan McVicar has it all. With impeccable taste boosted by his stack of zesty productions and remixes – including hugely successful house belter, Tell Me Something Good – McVicar channels much of his success into growing the music scene of his home town in Scotland. Great DJ – also a bit of a legend.
High octane, disco-soaked house so infectious it’ll get grandma dancing. With the ubiquitous 2022 hit Afraid To Feel soundtracking the crescendo of every club night for a solid year and claiming the top spot in the UK charts for 8 consecutive weeks, the world of these two talented Scottish lads was forever upended. The buzz around them escalated to a roar and their touring schedule became a parade of top tier bucket-list events. They sent us to the heavens at Lost Sundays – next stop, Paradise.
With productions that wash over you like golden-hour in a bottle, and live sets that take those irresistible vibes up a notch or ten, Barry Can’t Swim but he sure can dance. Purveyor of jazz-infused house tracks with innovative sampling and sunny temperaments, this Edinburgh-born, London-based artist brings joy and hedonism to dancefloors of the world. Expect high-energy, euphoric groovers with a healthy dose of Scottish mayhem.
Having torn the roof off UK festivals like Field Day, Parklife and Secret Garden Party, salute is a staple in modern dance music. The Austrian-born, Manchester-based wiz has garnered praise and important handshakes from the likes of Four Set, DJ Seinfeld and Floating Points to name but a few. If they’re not rolling out gut-busting sets for Boiler Room, they’re chopping up samples into a fine concoction of emotional, nuanced rhythms. Landing somewhere between melancholy and euphoria, salute’s productions are club heavy and brimming with pitched vocals, percussive groove and nocturnal energy.
From Beyond the Valley to Pitch to the hallowed tiles of Berlin’s Hör, STÜM has left a trail of destruction and delight in his wake. Fast, loud and ferocious, his vibe is trance meets hardstyle meets the last man standing at the doof. If you extract joy from apocalyptic sounds, STÜM is for you. If you can keep your shit together at 145bpm, STÜM is for you. If you’re looking to relax with a glass of red and a romcom, STÜM is for––jokes, run for your life mate, STÜM is absolutely not for you.
If you’re a fixture on Melbourne dance floors right now, you’ve worked up a sweat with Sam Alfred. Maybe you caught him weaving mayhem at Lost Sundays, or Sydney’s massive Boiler Room party earlier this year. Heavy on 90s house with sprinklings of techno, UKG and jazz licks, Alfred’s impeccable rave-taste is present from sets to studio, with originals out on Australia’s finest imprints, Gallery, Happy Wax and more. It’s a guaranteed good time from this artist on the rise.
On a trajectory to the top since he burst onto the scene in 2021, Yung Singh is what DJing sounds like when you discover anything is possible. Fiercely proud of his Punjabi-Sikh heritage, Singh’s sets swing from UKG to DnB, jungle to grime, nostalgic trance to Punjabi folk and old school hip hop. He’s energised the UK scene, spotlighted the creative output of the South Asian diaspora and sent crowds into hysterics. The mayhem of his legendary London Boiler Room says it all.
Perth alt-rock four piece DICE wear their hearts on their sleeve. With a sound likened to early 2000s NY bands such as The Strokes, they’ve been named 2023 ‘Ones To Watch’ by national tastemaker, triple j. Now in the wake of their well-received sophomore EP ‘Time Will Tell’, DICE are set to spend the spring circling the country for a string of sold out shows ahead of touching down in Glenworth Valley to see out a massive breakout year.
Rowdy beats, grizzly basslines and battle cries for a generation – Haiku Hands aren’t afraid to dive into the dirty side of a good time. Collide with them at a festival, at an art gallery, in a basement club or down a dark alley – they’ll be unapologetically extra no matter where they land. With a killer street aesthetic, bold sound and synchronised live choreography, it’s no wonder they’re making big waves in the States as well as at home. There’s really no one else dropping this much swag on the stage in one go.
Big slutty bass lines, fiery jacking beats and vocal samples pulled straight off the Chicago shelf – Heidi must be in the house. A stalwart on the global scene since the early noughties, she’s got the talent, the experience and an arsenal of bangers that’ll feed an army. But she’s also got that something extra. As Heidi says, “it’s how you bring it”.