Spotlight: Five artists to check out in January 2025

Every month in our new Spotlight series, we profile five emerging artists from across the globe. Up this month is Berlin's DJ Cringey, Montreal's Isla Den, Kyoto's Naco, Manchester's Obeka, and Goa's OX7GEN.

Taking cues from the hardcore continuum, New Zealand-born, Berlin-based artist DJ Cringey is making music for fans of the high-octane with her blends of hard groove, techno, Latin core, acid, and euphoric vocals over speedy breaks. “I’ve always been someone who listens to music that matches my mood, and I used to make playlists for every different type of feeling,” she explains. “That’s what I aim for when I create or play music – connecting emotions to sound”. While her mixes bridge the breadth of rave-adjacent genres, DJ Cringey's sound is sure to incite an emotional reaction on the dancefloor – whether it’s a tear-jerking one to her hefty industrial cuts, or a deep sense of ecstasy induced by her vocal-led club tracks.

Sharing stages regularly with speed-donning DJs like MCR-T, Diffrent, and DJ Hyperdrive, DJ Cringey has performed across Germany’s most notable clubs from RSO.Berlin to Munich’s Rote Sonne, finding a true sense of freedom behind the booth. “As a DJ, it’s amazing to see people in the club react to what I play – to see them show emotions, let go, and feel the music with me,” she says. Up next, DJ Cringey lines up her next release, a debut mixtape named ‘Cringey Core’ fusing post-punk, gabber, techno, and beyond. “It reflects a lot of personal emotions,” she says. “Even though I’ve moved on from the heartbreak I was working through when I created it, the mixtape feels like a time capsule of that moment in my life.”

Recommended work: BCCO Mix Series 430: DJ Cringey

"I’d love to share my mix for BCCO, because it perfectly captures my genre-fluid style, which is exactly how I love to play. You might find me at a sunset set in the afternoon, vibing with groove and warmth, or later that night going all in with hard techno — and I love both equally."

Innovative production and design duo Isla Den – AKA Ellie and Mira – first met while studying at an art college in Ontario, and have since put their shared love of music and art to the test by teaming up on a joint project that explores the outer edges of club music and visual experimentation. Mutant hyperpop and cataclysmic bass turns askew in their music, which has reached far and wide in Montreal’s blossoming experimental dance music scene, inspired by video games, sonic lore, and “the sublime” – or, in their own words, “celestial phenomena, or light refracting through windows”.

Much like fellow collaborators Iglooghost, BABii, and Year00001’s Victor Svedberg (AKA Cotton Mouth), Isla Den pull inspiration from mythology and visual worlds in their project, with releases across New York’s Cascine to Montreal’s wWwindmill Powered. Dreamy visual scapes and 3D design often encompass the elusive duo’s rave-inspired, whimsical releases, a nod to their artistic inception. 2025 will see them continue to put out new music across “various compilations and mixes early in the year”, as well as a fuller project later down the line.

Recommended work: Isla Den 'Until The Sun Dies'

"'Until The Sun Dies' balances the range of emotion and energy we strive for in our work. The initial demo was written a few years ago as a slower ballad, before evolving into more of a hazy, emotional dance track. The final version came together this past summer with Fayt, we were sending parts back and forth while travelling between our first shows in the EU and UK. The new experiences and inspirations during this time, and the chance to test the track in the club definitely shaped the song."

Kyoto born-and-raised DJ, producer, sound engineer and label head Naco has had his foot on the exhaust since the launch of his 85acid imprint in 2017, a home to emerging talent from Japan and beyond. With a focus on the leftfield edge of techno, acid, breaks, and jungle, Naco’s releases have debuted on acclaimed global labels, from London’s Scuffed Recs to Mexico City’s WVWV, to Berlin’s Fever AM founded by Mor Elian and Rhyw. “I draw inspiration from a little bit of everything in my latest releases, across all genres,” he explains. “By not confining myself to any specific genre, style, or vibe, I believe I can push myself into new creative territories. Of course, I’m constantly inspired by the music my friends and peers create as well.”

After a two-year production hiatus, Naco returned in December 2024 with his latest release on 85acid packed with intelligent club music and techno experimentation, picking up support from the likes of Madam X, Ben UFO, and DJ Plead. Now back on the production grind, Naco is eyeing up his next release – an EP due this year – with plans for a string of singles coming soon. “I’m building on the tight sound I refined over the past year, aiming to produce fresh and vibrant tracks that feel like they have just a touch of added fluidity,” he says.

Recommended work: Fever AM presents Naco

"I'd recommend my guest mix for Fever AM, a label I deeply respect, broadcast last month. I’m especially proud of this mix because I was able to craft an alternative approach using tracks by Japanese friends and artists I’m connected with. It felt like the perfect way to wrap up 2024."

Inspired by his Bermudan roots, Manchester-based DJ, producer and drummer Obeka deals in soul-stirring dance music stemming from soundsystem culture and polyrhythmic drumming. Finding influence in “native percussive rhythms from back home in Bermuda all the way to my African ancestral roots”, Obeka’s releases flow steadily between kuduro, reggae, and dancehall, with a nod to drill and grime production. As a co-founder of the Manchester music and art group Me Gusta Collective – described as a sonic exploration of Afro-Latin, Caribbean and Middle Eastern music – Obeka pays homage to those diasporic sounds when performing in Manchester’s closely knit club circles. His residency on Ghana’s Oroko Radio, as well as shows across BBC, NTS, and Refuge Worldwide, have solidified his name in the scene.

Obeka’s musical collaborations range from the Latin club underground to West African dancefloors, enlisting the likes of Bitter Babe and Kontronatura on remixes, and Ghanaian rapper Bryte on his recent Rinse FM show, with plenty still to come from the producer and DJ. In February, Obeka is set to release his next EP, ‘Kingdom Is Rising’, on Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce label. “After the EP drops, I'll be producing a brand new live show concept which aims to push the limits of analog sounds and drum-led percussive fusion,” he says. “These shows are hopefully due to debut in Miami on tour, fingers crossed!”

Recommended work: Obeka 'Move Like So'

"After a lot of thinking on what represents me most in my creative development and identity as an artist, there's one track that really changed my approach to writing music and performing live. 'Test System', released in lockdown 2020 via Basy Tropikalne, was a new breath of expression in my writing methodology. I’m not a rapper, but have a deep love for words and poetry which communicate things beats sometimes cannot. The punchy, moody, and boastful dancehall lyrics were mirrored from my local slang and MC styles I harnessed growing up on the islands, which I’m forever grateful to have been immersed in!"

India’s dance music scene is a better place with OX7GEN, the rising producer and DJ hailing from Mumbai, in it. With a background as a drummer for metal and psychedelic rock bands, OX7GEN brings his high-octane, percussive prowess into dance music with his solo productions – dealing in trance-inducing club tracks that venture from electro into 140 BPM sounds, progressive house into bass. Pinning Abdul Raeva, Kassian, and Villager as key sources of inspiration right now, OX7GEN’s eclectic palette of bass music has earned him a spot on the bill of Boiler Room’s recent showcase in Goa, as well as gigs alongside Rafiki, Ahadadream, I. JORDAN, Breaka, and plenty more.

Following a string of EP releases in 2024, with outings on labels like HE.SHE.THEY, Krunk Kulture, and Tru Thoughts, OX7GEN has much more in store for the new year. “There’s a few releases on the cards for the first half of 2025 which I’m very excited about,” he says. “I’m looking forward to playing Sri Lanka, and I’ll be back in the UK this summer, hopefully at a festival or two!”

Recommended work: Milkman Radio 51: OX7GEN

"The last set I put out on Bombay crew Milkman’s mix series has a bunch of freshly released and a few unreleased tunes of mine, alongside some of my favourite tracks from last year. It’s a pretty solid sampler of where I’m at sonically right now."

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter