Radar: Ones to watch in 2015

With a new year comes a whole bunch of artists either springing into success out of nowhere or taking the step from budding newcomers to in-demand stars. Covering everything from grime and techno to house and drum 'n' bass, we've picked the ones we reckon will hit the big time in 2015.

Bella Sarris
If 2014 was Bella Sarris' breakthrough year then 2015 looks set to be the one that takes her worldwide. The Enter resident has already shown us why she's hitting her peak with a stellar In Session mix, but a hefty helping of gigs and productions underway will see her hit the big-time.

Ghost Culture
The man that helped craft Daniel Avery's 'Drone Logic' will release his self-titled debut album in January and with Erol Alkan backing the young singer-songwriter, there's a bright year ahead. Look out for his eerie and atmospheric live show which he's been road-testing this year.

[Photo: Nastasia Alberti]

Novelist

There's no doubt about it, this young MC really is grabbing grime by the balls. Collaborating with Mumdance on the raucous 'Take Time', arguably the genre's biggest tune of the year, the 17-year-old showed what he's all about: super-tight lyrics, on-point delivery and an innocent arrogance that's hard not to love. Included on the BBC Sound of 2015 long list, you can expect more fire from him in January as him and Mumdance are releasing the '1 Sec' EP on XL Recordings. Reckon you can out-freestyle him? Get down to Lewisham McDeez. He's usually down there.

Ivy Lab
Drum 'n' bass boys Sabre, Stray and Halogenix served up a royal beauty when they remixed Anushka's 'Never Can Decide' in January, but there's plenty more blissful goodness where that came from. 'Missing Persons' and 'Live On Your Smile' were released on Critical and the Andrex soft 'Make It Clear' collaboration with Hydro arrived on Metalheadz compilation 'Platinum Breakz Vol. 4'. With their club night 20/20 in full swing - former headliners include Om Unit, Alix Perez and Fracture - and their rep for steppy bangers growing, you don't wanna sleep on this three.

Shanti Celeste
Bristol's got a knack of unearthing gems and Shanti Celeste's another that's shining. Born in Chile but a West Country resident since she was 20, her warm and velvet-smooth productions have been released on Brstl (the label she co-owns), Idle Hands (the record shop she works in) and, recently, Julio Bashmore's Broadwalk Records with the sultry 'Universal Glow' EP. With Bashmore backing her, including 'Felix' on his Mixmag cover mix, she's in a pretty decent position to push on even further.

[Photo: Cezar Banaszczyk]

Strict Face
Whether it's through his warped, ear-bending cuts or hard-as-nails riddims, this Aussie's making sure intstrumental grime creeps into the ears of those Down Under. 2014 saw him release 'Marble Isles' on Tuff Wax and 'Fountains'/'Highbury Skyline' on Mr Mitch's Gobstopper Records, later grabbing a slot on the Mumdance and Logos' Different Circles release with 'Python Crossing'. With a spot on 'Boxed Vol. 1' and support from Boxed co-founder Slackk, don't be surprised to see him firing out bangers with the London party crew if he's ever in town.

[Photo: Sebastian Petrovski]

Lotic
Lotic was raised in Houston but moved to Berlin to soak up the city's vibrant club culture. Part of the Janus collective (which also includes M.E.S.H., Kablam and DJ Hvad among its number), he caused quite the stir in 2014 by releasing 'Damsel In Distress', a mixtape which took a chainsaw to various strains of underground club music, resulting in beautiful chaos. After shows across Europe and a slew of crucial SoundCloud uploads, Lotic looks set to have a productive 2015. He's about to release an EP on Tri Angle and that will surely further mark him out as an artist making some of the most exciting, newfound tracks going.

Rødhåd
If you go and see a techno DJ play this year, make sure it's Rødhåd. The German (of course he's German!) tonks it every time. His style is trippy and dramatic but comes powered with a thick, throbbing pulse that lifts the roof off. Production wise, his tracks are ice-cold and steely, designed to send tectonic vibrations through the dead of night. He's part of the Dystopian crew, who put on killer techno parties in Berlin and release records by rising talent working in the genre.