Kode9
Playing on: Dec 6, Canvas
Claim to fame: He’s one of the founding fathers of dubstep (no, it isn’t Skrillex), and his label, Hyperdub, is well-established as a major player in the scene, having worked with artists like Burial.
What to expect: jungle, garage, drum & bass with hints of jazz and funk
Pete Tong
Playing on: Dec 10, Attica
Claim to fame: Does he really need any introduction? The BBC Radio 1 legend is to house music what John Peel was to indie.
What to expect: eclectic doesn’t even begin to cover it
Paul Oakenfold
Playing on: Dec 11, Attica
Claim to fame: We can’t think of a more prolific name in dance music. Though perhaps most famous as a trance maestro, his professional output is truly staggering (the Happy Mondays, Madonna and Transformers all in one career!).
What to expect: trance anthems
Jazzy Jeff
Playing on: Dec 20, Ku De Ta
Claim to fame: The hip hop and R&B legend is a prominent producer in his own right, but most would remember him as Will Smith’s best friend on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (he was also part of a hip hop duo with Smith).
What to expect: classic hip hop
Xhin
Playing on: Dec 20, Kyo
Claim to fame: Local boy Xhin has been playing here since the ‘90s, but his spiritual home is really Berlin (where else), where he’s been producing disturbingly dark soundscapes for a few years under the experimental record label Stroboscopic Artefacts.
What to expect: post-apocalyptic techno
Bonobo
Playing on: Dec 20, Velvet Underground
Claim to fame: The Gilles Peterson-approved Brit producer has five albums under his belt, but his magnum opus has to be the widely-lauded Black Sands, which incorporates sounds as diverse as gamelan and Afrobeat.
What to expect: downtempo, complex basslines
Carl Craig
Playing on: Dec 26, Velvet Underground
Claim to fame: This household name (if your household is well-versed in Detroit techno) is famous for adding warmth and soul to a genre that can otherwise be alienating and intimidating.
What to expect: jazz- and soul-infused techno
Delano Smith
Playing on: Dec 27, Kyo
Claim to fame: A pioneer of Detroit techno and Chicago house, Smith was a protégé of the motown- and house-loving nightlife personality Ken Collier, who was one of the key catalysts for the historic Detroit techno movement.
What to expect: pared-down, vintage house
DJ Vadim
Playing on: Jan 3, Gem Bar
Claim to fame: The cult Russian DJ has been a huge, if pretty underground, influence in hip hop, electronica and alternative music since the ‘90s, having worked with legendary names like Kraftwerk and Public Enemy.
What to expect: dub, reggae, soulful hip hop
Tycho
Playing on: Jan 15, Victoria Theatre
Claim to fame: The American electronica producer’s music is dreamy, nostalgic and more than a little reminiscent of old school Balaeric house. What’s unique is that Tycho plays these tracks on live synths and guitars.
What to expect: analog-leaning, ambient dance
FKA Twigs
Playing on: Jan 24, Laneway
Claim to fame: The antithesis of Queen Bey’s booty-slapping, hollering anthems, FKA Twigs is the face of a new, quieter strain of R&B. Like her labelmates The XX, Twigs is a pro at the slow burn.
What to expect: imagine if The XX did R&B
