Saturday, June 11, 2022
Flume (Future Classic)
Flume rose to prominence as a teenager with his scene-starting self-titled debut in 2012. Featuring the hits “Holding On,” “On Top,” “Sleepless” and others, the album topped the ARIA charts, garnered four spots in triple j’s Hottest 100, and sold out a massive Australian 40,000 cap tour. In the two years that followed, Flume established a name as a serious international contender thanks to his compelling live show and skillful remixes of high-profile acts including Lorde and Disclosure. After a series of well-received collaborations (Lockjaw EP with Chet Faker and Some Minds with Andrew Wyatt), Flume released his second LP, Skin. Launching with the blockbuster hit “Never Be Like You” featuring Kai, and topping the ARIA Chart on release, the album reinforced Flume’s status as an inventive, boundary-pushing producer while simultaneously reaching huge new audiences around the world. He achieved platinum accreditation in multiple territories around the world and took home his first Grammy Award for Best/Dance Electronic Album. In March 2019, Flume shared Hi This Is Flume, a 38-minute mixtape and his first music since the widely-acclaimed and globally successful LP Skin.
Joji (88rising/EMPIRE)
Joji is one of the most enthralling artists of the digital age and among the world’s top independent artists with over 5 billion streams to date. The Japan-born singer, producer, and auteur has a total vision for his work, not just in the writing and producing of his music, but across the artwork, videos, and live performances as well. It’s a fully realized world that his fans can inhabit and explore — and see themselves in. “My music is not biographical,” he says, but even still, the deep, heavily shaded emotions in his songs are genuine and they speak to anyone who has ever felt stuck on the outside looking in, who knows what it means to not belong. In 2019, Joji sold-out his North America tour within minutes and performed at some of the most coveted festivals across the world. Joji’s most recent project Nectar released September 25th on 88rising (distributed by 12Tone Music), debuted at #1 on Spotify’s inaugural US Weekly Top 50 Albums chart, #1 on Billboard’s Independent albums chart, and #3 on the Billboard 200, nearly doubling the first-week sales of Joji’s RIAA gold-certified 2018 debut BALLADS 1. It was the most streamed new album of the week on Spotify globally and has now exceeded 1.3 billion streams in the US alone. The album also debuted at #1 in Australia and in the top five in New Zealand and Canada.
Denzel Curry (Loma Vista Recordings)
Miami-area rapper Denzel Curry balances rhymes packed with intense, introspective content and an evolving production palette that draws on hazy cloud rap and classic hip-hop songcraft. After issuing a series of well-received mixtapes in the early 2010s, he made his official studio debut with 2013’s underground favorite Nostalgic 64, later entering the charts for the first time with his 2018 major-label debut, TA13OO. His rise continued with 2019’s Zuu and a 2020 joint release with Kenny Beats called Unlocked. In 2022, he returned with his fifth album, the mature and introspective Melt My Eyez See Your Future. – Artist Biography by Neil Z. Yeung
Gus Dapperton (AWAL)
Combining a strong visual component with dreamily produced songs, sophisticated indie songwriter Gus Dapperton became known for colorful narrative videos and lovestruck songs that channeled ’90s influences. Working with mostly analog instruments and playing, arranging, and recording everything himself, the artist released songs online when he was still in his teens but began to break through with the 2017 single “I’m Just Snacking.” The song and its viral video caught on, and before long Dapperton was touring and being asked to create a song for the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. This exposed him to even more legions of fans, and he quickly followed his 2019 full-length debut, Where Polly People Go to Read, with 2020’s Orca. – Artist Biography by Fred Thomas
Dehd (Fire Talk)
DEHD released their sophomore album Flower of Devotion in 2020 receiving acclaim from dozens of media outlets. Flower was a major step forward – and a major statement, period – for the band. The songs reflected the band’s deep range, from “Loner” with its synth-powered heartland rock to the empowered strut of opener “Desire” to the from-the-gutters howl of closer “Flying.” The performances were sharp, displaying a polish that brings out the shining and melancholy undertones in members Jason Balla and Emily Kempf’s songwriting. In September 2021, Dehd released Flower of Devotion Remixed– a remix of their “lush and inviting” sophomore album. Flower of Devotion Remixed sees Dehd surrounded by a myriad of close collaborators (Protomartyr, Freak Heat Waves, Lala Lala, and more), and points a shining spotlight on the Chicago music scene the band still calls home. DEHD spent the Fall of 2021 touring across North America, playing a string of sold-out headline shows as well as support for Julien Baker. This year, the band travel to EU opening for Future Islands, before heading into a headline tour of the UK to prepare for this forthcoming album in the summer.
Octavio The Dweeb (AEON)
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, OCTAVIO the Dweeb is a 21-year-old artist making a unique concoction of contemporary alternative music, with his intersection of rock, pop, rap, and Latin influences. When Octavio decided that he wanted to pursue music, he did just that. He would bus tables during the week to pay for gas money and he would skip school every Thursday to drive down to Nashville (from Knoxville) to record his tracks. Shortly after, he began uploading raps to SoundCloud, using only an iPhone and an XBOX headset to record. Octavio comes from a truly DIY mindset, having personally drawn and illustrated his own single artwork and merch designs. Following the momentum from his independently released tracks, Octavio signed with Los Angeles-based record label Artist Partner Group (APG). OCTAVIO the Dweeb is on the rise and his gumption and talent blending alternative, hip hop, rock, and Latin influences will undoubtedly take him to the top. Octavio is already equipped with a core fanbase who feels connected to him through not only his music but his personal journey.
