Introducing: The trio to know

Who Stoke-On-Trent SoundCloud conqueror Sunil Heera
Sounds like Sun-kissed house with r'n'b swagger

Stoke-On-Trent may be the birthplace of Robbie Williams, Slash and er, the home of the UK's pottery industry, but in terms of electronic music, it's not that hot. Until now, that is. XO is a 19-year-old, fast-rising house music producer from the city.

In a relatively short space of time, Sunil Heera has gone from Fruity Loops dabbler to global hit-maker. And he's got his family to thank for getting him on the path in the first place. "There were a few uncles I grew up around that were massive d'n'b heads," he begins. "That was passed down to me along with a love for r'n'b and hip hop from my sister."

One look at his SoundCloud and it's easy to see that he's quickly gaining fans. Each of his tracks has hit around 300,000 plays, meaning he'd passed the million total plays mark by the time he'd put out just five productions. "It's massive – I never thought it would come to that," says Sunil. "I was always scared my music wouldn't reach the right people. Now it's a different kind of scared because of this level of recognition."

His sun-drenched, bouncy take on house has a Disclosure-esque twang, but there's a distinct r'n'b tone to his tracks that's giving him the edge. With a new EP just around the corner and the fact he's finally old enough to play in clubs, it won't be long before those SoundCloud plays turn into something much, much bigger.

'The Ethereal Experience' by XO is out on July 20 on He Loves You Not Recordings