16 artists who will make your year in 2016

'Sometimes I feel like, I wanna go bang...' is the sentence that resonated across dancefloors worldwide in 2015 as Bjarki exploded onto the scene. As one of the biggest tracks of the year, 'I Wanna Go Bang' was hammered by every notable techno DJ on the circuit. Dettmann and Klock both spearheaded the cut but it's Nina Kraviz who's really responsible for Bjarki's sudden rise. She signed the Icelandic upstart to her трип label and his climb has come hand-in-hand with the imprint's. His tracks overflow with an uncompromising groove and although they're aimed squarely at a floor that's waiting to be punished, there's harmony in his cold, steely beats. He's just dropped another track, 'PC Muscles', via Nina's label and with another EP due for early next year, it looks like Bjarki's gonna go bang once again. F

Follow Bjarki on SoundCloud here

There's been a lot of fucking good techno in 2015 and Dax J has really impressed. The London-based artist is a regular at Jaded, the long-standing afterparty that kicks out the tunes well past normal closing times and is currently situated at Corsica Studios, and he's also tried his hand in Berghain, every DJ's dream gig. In October he showed the rest of the world why he isn't one to be messed with. 'Shades Of Black', released on Monnom Black, was his first foray into LP territory and the result was a debut that showcased ten tracks of pulsating, uncompromising, perfectly-executed techno. It stood up against the biggest releases of the year and Klock even drew for an unreleased track in his Essential Mix in October. Dax has an EP coming out in February and a wealth of heavy artillery that's just waiting to find a home but rest assured once it does, 2016 will have a new techno poster boy. F

Listen to Dax J's slamming mix for Electronic Explorations here

If you thought music from the Mediterranean was all about delicate Latino guitar chords, listen to the output of Barcelona-based Zora Jones to be proved otherwise. Co-founder of Fractal Fantasy with Sinjin Hawke, she began 2015 with canon ball DJ Taye collaboration 'Neutrino', before the '100 Ladies' EP in November, a warped and winding space-age bass adventure. Its short duration of 16 minutes left us clucking for more, but we don't think we're being too narrow-minded by saying we really haven't heard anything like it in 2015. Apart from the raw 10-track bootleg package she gave away, of course. Expect much of the same wonkiness in her DJ sets, as proved by the Fractal Fantasy mix with Sinjin and a spectacular guest mix for ScratchaDVA's Radar Radio show. No word yet on forthcoming work, but don't be surprised if she unleashes a bonkers rap edit out of the blue or surprise us with more new, original material. DT

Listen to Zora Jones and Sinjin Hawke's Point Clouds mix here

"On the airwaves," reads the location on the Twitter account of Jammz. Why? The radio's the place you'll most likely find the East London MC spraying his hyperactive, barely-taking-a-breath bars. He's been known to enter the studio and jump on mic up to six times-a-week, with 2015's DJ collaborators including Sir Spyro and Faze Miyake on Rinse, 'Godfather of Grime' Slimzee on NTS, Logan Sama on 1Xtra and the Local Action crew on Radar. His 'Hit Then Run' EP - featuring production from wax-loving grime don Spooky - blew us away early in the year, a perfect example of his pedal-to-the-metal lyricism, but he didn't do a runner as the title would suggest. Nope, he very much stuck around and hooked up with Plastician for 'London Living', swiftly followed by 'Final Warning' on Local Action with Manchester producers Finn and Fallow. You've definitely been warned so prepare yourself for a forthcoming release with Trends and Mr Dubz. Until then, find him on the airwaves. DT

Watch his set in The Lab LDN with Finn here
[Photo: Vicky Grout]