DISCOVERING THE NEW MUSIC UNDERGROUND AROUND THE GLOBE
Hip-Hop/Review ZIllA, The Black Plague Doctors - EFF.SEE.DEE.IYEE
The Black Plague Doctors are an Atlanta-based collective pushing the boundaries of lo-fi hip-hop through their uncompromising DIY approach. Comprised of Jo-Fi and St. Gabe, alongside their experimental alias ZIllA, the duo centers their creative process around live instrumentation—guitar and bass—layered over drum machines, an SP404 sampler, and various musical hardware, all captured on a humble digital 8-track.
Punk/Review Boilermen - A 1000 Words on Sound
Boilermen are a three-piece art punk, post-punk band from Leicester, UK. Forced to be in a band by their wives, boilers. In their two-year existence, they have mutated into a quick, song, quick-witted band. Constantly trying to surprise themselves as well as their audience.
EDM/Review ELTUS - HUSH HUSH HUSH
ELTUS is an independent electronic music producer based in Paris, France, crafting emotionally driven soundscapes that seamlessly blend bass house, progressive house, and EDM into a distinctive sonic identity. As both the creative visionary and production force behind his music, ELTUS shapes every element from initial concept to final master, maintaining complete artistic control over his sound. His approach centers on creating high-energy tracks that deliver powerful rhythmic impact while fostering genuine emotional connections with listeners.
Pop/Review Kelsie Kimberlin - Clumsy Girl
Kelsie Kimberlin is a 26-year-old singer-songwriter who has been involved with music her entire life, starting with children’s and church choirs and then recording her first song at age eight for Yoko Ono’s Peace Project, which won first prize and a $5000 award. She spent all of that money on music lessons and started recording her own music in the studio at age 12. Over the past several years, she has recorded more than 100 original songs.
Rock/Review Ian Leding - WAKE UP!
Ian Leding is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose music fuses the shadowy tones of folk noir, darkwave, gothic rock, and indie into richly textured, atmospheric soundscapes. Since returning to live performance in 2010, he has captivated audiences both in intimate acoustic duos and with the full force of his band.
Rock/Review Mick J. Clark - I Want It More Than You
Mick J. Clark is a singer/songwriter on the Sonorus Record Label with over 1,000,000 Spotify streams on his songs; he reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 2 in the USA iTunes Top 100 Rock Songs in June 2020 with: We Know It's True. He has written over 60 songs, of which 54 are being played by Emerge Music in shops, and with two songs on the ‘Goa Chillout Zone Vol. 9’ album, which reached No. 1 in the iTunes Electronic Chart.
Electronic/Review Ava Fyre - Desire
Ava Fyre is an electronic pop artist blending downtempo grooves with nostalgic and euphoric elements. Her music explores introspection, emotional contrast, and the balance between inner calm and external chaos. With a sound rooted in electronic pop and synth textures, Ava Fyre creates atmospheric tracks designed for both personal reflection and immersive listening experiences.
Hip-Hop/Review Nino Saint James - GDLT
Rising New York artist Nino Saint James is carving his lane with raw honesty, melodic flows, and a relentless drive. Fusing trap, conscious rap, and R&B-leaning textures, his music lives where late-night introspection collides with raw momentum. Known for gritty storytelling and emotionally charged hooks, Nino’s sound captures both vulnerability and confidence without compromise.
Rock/Review Satsuma - Anodyne
Satsuma is the solo project of Edinburgh multi-instrumentalist Cam Halkerston. The music is of a completely DIY nature, where he plays all the instruments as well as produces all the music himself. At 25 he released his debut EP Anodyne and drew a lot of inspiration from 90s alt-rock as well as early 10s DIY artists with a huge focus on personal songwriting and lyricism.
Country/Review Mermaid Avenue - Jacarandas
Mermaid Avenue is a five-piece indie rock and alt-country band from Brisbane, Australia, formed in 2015 around the songwriting of Peter Clarke. Named after the 1998 Woody Guthrie/Billy Bragg & Wilco album, the band draws on Americana, folk, country-rock, and bluesy roots to craft songs about the human condition. The current lineup — Peter Clarke (vocals, guitar), Mike Kearey (guitar, lap steel, pedal steel), Casey Lee Chadwick (keys), Nathan Poetschka (drums), and Mark Egan (bass) — has been a regular fixture on the Brisbane live scene for over a decade.
Classical/Review Matt Johnson - Mother's Day Proverb
Matt Johnson is a talented American pianist and composer renowned for his evocative and eclectic musical creations. George Winston’s written encouragements guided Matt to begin his journey of recording back in the 1980s. Matt now has 80+ recordings released and a worldwide following.
EDM/Review DJ Cards - We Rise Up (The Stadium Hype Song)
DJ Cards is a lawyer by day and an EDM producer by night, bringing a unique balance of precision and creativity into his music. With a musical foundation rooted in over a decade of playing drums, he later explored synthesizers and electronic sound design, ultimately finding his stride in EDM. His sound leans toward uplifting, euphoric melodies with subtle trance influences, creating tracks that aim to connect emotionally while maintaining a strong rhythmic pulse.
Pop/Review JT Catalano - Cheers
JT Catalano makes rhythm-driven, soul-forward music that blends storytelling, inspiration, and lived experience. Drawing from hip-hop instinct, melody, and cinematic atmosphere, his songs explore consciousness, recovery, discipline, altered states, love cycles, and human resilience—without losing groove or grit. Some tracks move the body. Some wake the mind. All of them start with rhythm and soul.
Pop/Review Emily Daccarett - Another World
Emily Daccarett is a singer-songwriter and multidisciplinary artist creating a cinematic world where music, film, and fashion intersect. Trained in couture at Instituto Marangoni and Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and later at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, she brings a strong visual sensibility to her sound. At the core of her work is songwriting—crafting original music both for her own artist project and for the short films she produces, including theme and end-credit songs.
Pop/Review Exzenya - The Fans Applauded
Exzenya is a globally based, genre-defying artist blending pop, R&B, rock, jazz, Latin, soul, techno, indie, and more. Her sound is as fluid as her passport—bold, emotional, and unpredictable. From lush harmonies to raw vulnerability, every song is handcrafted with intent, range, and story. Her songs introduce a voice that’s unapologetically human—no autotune, no AI, no shortcuts. Every lyric is written by Exzenya. Every vocal is sung live in paid sessions with her vocal coach.
Rock/Review The Wheel Workers - Live From The Attic
The Wheel Workers can be described as less of a singular band and more of a Texas-based underground indie music collective that spans two decades and more than 15 contributing members. The group is currently composed of lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, violinist Steven Higginbotham (the longest standing member and group founder), guitarist and keyboardist Craig Wilkins, keyboardist and singer Erin Rodgers, bassist Zeek Garcia and drummer Kevin Radomski.
House/Review The New Citizen Kane - LIQUID.LATEX.DISCO.DADDY.
Kane Luke, known artistically as The New Citizen Kane, is a genre-defying singer-songwriter, producer, and visual artist crafting cinematic, emotionally resonant indie-dance music. Rooted in his theater background in Dublin and studies in sound engineering & music production and shaped by years spent across New York, Milan, and London, Kane’s artistry blends vulnerability, myth, and melody into immersive sonic storytelling.
EDM/Review DJ Cards - Grab That Fall Feeling
DJ Cards is a lawyer by day and an EDM producer by night, bringing a unique balance of precision and creativity into his music. With a musical foundation rooted in over a decade of playing drums, he later explored synthesizers and electronic sound design, ultimately finding his stride in EDM. His sound leans toward uplifting, euphoric melodies with subtle trance influences, creating tracks that aim to connect emotionally while maintaining a strong rhythmic pulse.
R&B/Review Zióna Maré-Laveaux - FOLD ME LIKE SUNDAY
Zióna Maré-Laveaux is a Louisiana Creole artist, songwriter, and creative visionary pioneering the genre ZIONYX™. Her music blends Southern cultural influence with cinematic and futuristic sound design, creating an immersive and emotionally powerful listening experience.
Hip-Hop/Review Earatik Statik - Slap (feat. Ed OG & Black Silver)
Los Polk, the lyrical architect behind Chicago’s underground mainstay Earatik Statik, is stepping into a bold new era — solo, but still flying the same flag. As the surviving half of the revered duo, Polk now carries the name Earatik Statik forward as a solo artist, honoring the legacy while carving a new path with his signature grit and intellect. Formed in 1999, Earatik Statik quickly earned respect for their raw lyricism, streetwise narratives, and boom-bap authenticity.