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Petite Meller
If you’re a believer in pop’s power to ridicule and subvert, then the nouveau sounds of French starlet Petite Meller should have already smeared rouge all over your musical radar.
Petite’s music writhes above an eclectic appetite for culture’s outer cosmos - she cites Marquis de Sade and Fela Kuti as inspirations, is studying for a Masters in philosophy and uses her appearance to challenge how female pop stars are often overly sexualised by an industry hell bent on mass appeal.
Born in France, Petite’s initial influences have always been disparately colourful. Those early years saw her weaned on a diet of Euro-pop, the jazz of Dizzy Gillespie plus the croon of singers such as Serge Gainsbourg before she entered academia. Following stints in Europe, Tel Aviv and New York, she now calls London’s East End home, balancing her studies with twin thirsts for music and fashion.
A handful of singles illustrate how Petite has become adept at transforming her musical fantasies into realities via a blend of HI-NRG pianos, angelic vocals and chart tickling hooks that Lady Gaga would wrestle a butcher for. Baby Love, dubbed as one of 2015’s cooler summer moments, has racked up almost eight million YouTube views to date, and helped Petite perplex crowds at the Latitude, Leeds and Reading festivals.
While sounding ostensibly populist, this pig-tailed agent provocateur has painted her own path, leaving nothing sacrosanct from her creative touch. While she drinks tea with giraffes in her videos, in interviews she discusses the plight of Nigeria’s kidnapped schoolgirls and her love of new wave cinema.
Now in the studio putting the icing on the cake of her debut album, Meller is on a crash course for chart success without letting up on the stylish bamboozling. Zut alors!
petitemeller.com
If you’re a believer in pop’s power to ridicule and subvert, then the nouveau sounds of French starlet Petite Meller should have already smeared rouge all over your musical radar.
Petite’s music writhes above an eclectic appetite for culture’s outer cosmos - she cites Marquis de Sade and Fela Kuti as inspirations, is studying for a Masters in philosophy and uses her appearance to challenge how female pop stars are often overly sexualised by an industry hell bent on mass appeal.
Born in France, Petite’s initial influences have always been disparately colourful. Those early years saw her weaned on a diet of Euro-pop, the jazz of Dizzy Gillespie plus the croon of singers such as Serge Gainsbourg before she entered academia. Following stints in Europe, Tel Aviv and New York, she now calls London’s East End home, balancing her studies with twin thirsts for music and fashion.
A handful of singles illustrate how Petite has become adept at transforming her musical fantasies into realities via a blend of HI-NRG pianos, angelic vocals and chart tickling hooks that Lady Gaga would wrestle a butcher for. Baby Love, dubbed as one of 2015’s cooler summer moments, has racked up almost eight million YouTube views to date, and helped Petite perplex crowds at the Latitude, Leeds and Reading festivals.
While sounding ostensibly populist, this pig-tailed agent provocateur has painted her own path, leaving nothing sacrosanct from her creative touch. While she drinks tea with giraffes in her videos, in interviews she discusses the plight of Nigeria’s kidnapped schoolgirls and her love of new wave cinema.
Now in the studio putting the icing on the cake of her debut album, Meller is on a crash course for chart success without letting up on the stylish bamboozling. Zut alors!
petitemeller.com
Babeheaven
West Londoners Babeheaven were born out of a shared sonic dream between singer Nancy Andersen and guitarist Jamie Travis. When they first met, the pair enjoyed a mutual love for trip-hop, soul and electronics, and were working day jobs - Nancy in her grandmother’s antique shop, Jamie in an organic farm store - meaning it wasn’t until night fell that they set about channelling the spirits of Massive Attack and Cocteau Twins into their creative cloud.
Last year’s debut single Heaven was the first fruit of their labours, a sultry slice of experimental pop that sinks deep into the conscience, writ through with expansive reverb and dub recording techniques. They’ve since split their time between studio and stage, in part thanks to backing from the PRS for Music Foundation’s Momentum Music Fund and a growing fan base, gathered in the wake of the single’s success. New music is expected this year from the five-piece, plus hotly anticipated live shows dotted across the festival season including Latitude, Visions and Festival No.6.
babeheavenband.com
West Londoners Babeheaven were born out of a shared sonic dream between singer Nancy Andersen and guitarist Jamie Travis. When they first met, the pair enjoyed a mutual love for trip-hop, soul and electronics, and were working day jobs - Nancy in her grandmother’s antique shop, Jamie in an organic farm store - meaning it wasn’t until night fell that they set about channelling the spirits of Massive Attack and Cocteau Twins into their creative cloud.
Last year’s debut single Heaven was the first fruit of their labours, a sultry slice of experimental pop that sinks deep into the conscience, writ through with expansive reverb and dub recording techniques. They’ve since split their time between studio and stage, in part thanks to backing from the PRS for Music Foundation’s Momentum Music Fund and a growing fan base, gathered in the wake of the single’s success. New music is expected this year from the five-piece, plus hotly anticipated live shows dotted across the festival season including Latitude, Visions and Festival No.6.
babeheavenband.com
Jodie Harsh
Dubbed ‘the real queen of England’, drag artist, club promoter and DJ Jodie Harsh is already a cult figure, but now has her heart set on grabbing ‘the overground’ by the short and curlies. Some see Jodie as one of UK nightlife’s hottest messes, but she’s a rapidly rising force to be reckoned with inside clubland’s counterculture.
Rather than relying on her abilities to lip sync or cause havoc on the runway, Ms Harsh DJs at clubs, festivals and A-list parties, having lit up stages for Robyn and Beth Ditto, as well as spinning at Glastonbury, Bestival and the BRITs. In the studio, Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake have been tucked up by a Harsh remix while Jodie’s writing credits are building into quite the portfolio, working with the likes of Charli XCX, SOPHIE and William Orbit. Come kiki with her in 2016…
twitter.com/jodieharsh
Dubbed ‘the real queen of England’, drag artist, club promoter and DJ Jodie Harsh is already a cult figure, but now has her heart set on grabbing ‘the overground’ by the short and curlies. Some see Jodie as one of UK nightlife’s hottest messes, but she’s a rapidly rising force to be reckoned with inside clubland’s counterculture.
Rather than relying on her abilities to lip sync or cause havoc on the runway, Ms Harsh DJs at clubs, festivals and A-list parties, having lit up stages for Robyn and Beth Ditto, as well as spinning at Glastonbury, Bestival and the BRITs. In the studio, Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake have been tucked up by a Harsh remix while Jodie’s writing credits are building into quite the portfolio, working with the likes of Charli XCX, SOPHIE and William Orbit. Come kiki with her in 2016…
twitter.com/jodieharsh
Taiki Nulight
Bass heavy, garage-tinged house is the musical domain of Taiki Nulight, a producer whose nocturnal sound is fast runneth over from dance music’s underground cup. Taiki, known as Erka Chinbayer to his buddies, is an artist tapping directly into speaker shaking beats and bass to inspire and influence his music.
2014 was big year for Taiki seeing his anthemic Level (produced in cahoots with collaborator My Nu Leng) release on London powerhouse Black Butter Records receiving great acclaim across the board.
Since then, his music has found a home in many of the world’s cooler clubs, thanks to club tours of the states and Australia. Check out his latest release, the ace Piano Cannon EP for a flavour, made with fellow basshead Low Steppa and out via AC Slater’s imprint…
soundcloud.com/taiki-nulight-uk
Bass heavy, garage-tinged house is the musical domain of Taiki Nulight, a producer whose nocturnal sound is fast runneth over from dance music’s underground cup. Taiki, known as Erka Chinbayer to his buddies, is an artist tapping directly into speaker shaking beats and bass to inspire and influence his music.
2014 was big year for Taiki seeing his anthemic Level (produced in cahoots with collaborator My Nu Leng) release on London powerhouse Black Butter Records receiving great acclaim across the board.
Since then, his music has found a home in many of the world’s cooler clubs, thanks to club tours of the states and Australia. Check out his latest release, the ace Piano Cannon EP for a flavour, made with fellow basshead Low Steppa and out via AC Slater’s imprint…
soundcloud.com/taiki-nulight-uk
