December: Six artists you need to check out this month

Founder of femme-focused party series Kit Ket and a resident of the mina collective, 22-year-old Ketia is already a confident selector of high-energy sets and sounds.Expect remixes of anthems by Rihanna, Beyoncé and Britney Spears at any show, mixed in a high-octane flurry of multiple genres. Always aiming to challenge the dancefloor and always succeeding in making it move, Ketia provides a vital injection of energy in every club she enters.

Glasgow-based Peter Ferguson found teenage chiptune success as Supersaiyans, but struggled to find a niche besides, releasing tracks on Ryan Hemsworth’s Secret Songs. Now, in a post-SOPHIE landscape, his crunchy, off-beam electro makes perfect sense, with Hudson Mohawke performing remix duties on his track ‘Pretty Boy’ and Glasgow artist Joe Crogan assisting with a singular visual style.

Zsela Thompson is a Brooklyn-born singer/songwriter winning over high fashion crowds and alternative electronica audiences thanks to her blend of moody, folksy pop via r’n’b and pure emosh material. On single ‘Earlier Days’, the 24-year-old teams up with frequent collaborator Daniel Aged (who’s worked previously with Moses Sumney, Blood Orange and Kelela as well as Zsela kindred spirits FKA Twigs and Kelsey Lu) to discuss melancholic matters of the heart. Beautiful stuff.

London-based but with his ‘heart in Berlin’, A Psychic Yes is a multi-instrumentalist pushing a loose, leftfield sound. An ability to sonically massage the senses was showcased through the bubbles of squeaking synth and thinly sliced percussion of 2018’s EP on Tech Startup and last September’s textured bliss on Kalahari Oyster Cult. His newest on Schloss will create eye-opening moments all over again, with early support from Saoirse, Lena Willikens and Moxie.

Experimental beats, driving techno, psychedelic folk: Istanbul-based Zozo’s music is nothing if not diverse. She cut her teeth curating music at Istanbul’s Hush gallery in 2010, before taking on music direction at Luzia Istanbul from 2015 to 2017. More recently she’s broken through in Europe: she’s a member of Lyon-based collective Macadam Mambo, a resident at Berlin’s Sameheads and has appeared at Dekmantel, Waking Life and Atonal.

Dutch-Japanese artist Masalo has always been interested in hybridism. Influenced by a family of music fanatics, he inherited an obsessive nature for digging and picks out vibrant, colourful selections. His productions shine in the same light and his debut solo ‘New Dance’ EP on Rush Hour displays a dynamic take on Italo. Together with partner in crime Kamma he runs the Brighter Days parties in his hometown of Amsterdam, which focus on spreading love on the dancefloor.

[Photo: Remy Gonelli]