Crystal Murray
At only 22 years old, Crystal Murray has mapped the origin of a vast, bewitching and magnetic universe. It is no secret that this Parisian’s smooth velvety voice is a powerful asset allowing her to take on any genre, from the soul she grew up with to the house and techno she fell in love with.
Her debut EP, I Was Wrong (Because Music, 2020), drew comparisons with important artists like Jorja Smith, much to her dismay. Her second EP, Twisted Bases (2022), is nothing short of a statement of intent, signalling the direction she means to take her music in. She fuses her chameleonic voice with futuristic beats, fast tempos and sometimes dark beats. Too young to master the art of reinvention? Apparently not.
The stage is her natural habitat, it’s where she feels comfortable, has fun and allows the best in herself to shine. So start revving your engines because Crystal Murray is in Madrid for the first time and she is more than determined to leave her mark.
HUNEE
Predictability and convention are bleak places for Hunee. Challenging the rules is at the heart of his sets. For him, when it comes to mixing music there is nothing to lose and a lot to discover.
Hunee is a fearless selector and producer with an exquisite taste for the eclectic. The boundaries are set by his record collection, which is so wide-ranging it is hard to see if indeed there are any, with its mix of African sounds, Brazilian music, or boogie, Hi-NRG and techno. But whatever is playing, Hunee has a talent for picking up his audience’s wavelength and giving back the same energy.
His only mission is to enrich the lives of his listeners through new dimensions of sound, something he accomplishes with passion: you see it not only in his eyes, but also in the eyes of those on the dance floor.
Ivan Smagghe
Ivan Smagghe is one of the lucky few that have an impressive musical ear. More than three decades of work have yielded much over the years, but let’s start at the beginning. Ivan grew up in a family of music lovers, which is where his love of collecting vinyls began. Was it written in the stars? Everything suggests that indeed it was.
Later he worked in Rough Trade, one of Paris’s iconic record shops, and his collection grew and grew. This rich background led him to try his hand in the booths, then to explore different artistic projects (notably the Black Strobe with Arnaud Rebotini) and later to set up his own label, Les Disques de la Mort.
Throughout, he has been guided by his passion for discovering new and eclectic sounds. Ivan’s sessions deliver a singular vision of musical, almost legendary, narratives. Get ready for a journey that will take you from synth pop to acid house, from what is still out there waiting to be discovered, to what you absolutely don’t want to miss.
Jeremy Underground
Like many other young people of his generation, the soundtrack to Jeremy’s life growing up in the 90s was electronic dance music, i.e. the Paris radio station Radio Nova. Though he didn’t know it at the time, this was the start of a love story and the origin of his moniker-surname: Underground.
An impeccable selector, Jeremy is also the founder of My Love Is Underground, a label sparkling with exquisite house gems. In other words, we have him to thank for the resurgence of ‘authentic groove house’ in Europe.
His brilliant sessions bear out a singular passion for dance music, the kind you’ll regret missing out on. So don’t run that risk and come and dance. We know it’ll be a match.
Roman Flügel
Roman Flügel is undoubtedly one of the main players on the German scene. It all started with a chance meeting between a Chicago house compilation and a very young and voracious Flügel.
Curiosity and the desire to experiment have shaped the career of a man known for his bold and chameleon-like producing and DJing who adeptly blends the sounds of Detroit and Chicago, both in his solo performances and in his many collaborations, such as the Alter Ego with Jörn Elling Wuttke.
The Olympus of electronic music has a seat reserved for him. Until then, we mortals can enjoy his elegant, emphatic and no doubt unforgettable signature sets.
Shygirl
Somewhere between the future of British rap and the darkest beats of club music we find Shygirl. She is proof that underground music is a good a place as any from which to reach the top, and Blane Muise aka Shygirl looks poised to become the next in the line of great music stars.
From just a cursory review of the specialised media, it’s clear: Shygirl is breaking the mould, she’s the artist of the moment. Two EPs, Alias (2020) and Cruel Practice (2018), and a handful of singles have sufficed to express her universe, to charm us, and get the whole world at her feet, as the long list of collaborating artists (SOPHIE, FKA twigs, Arca, Mura Masa, slowthai and PinkPantheress…) bears out.
Through explicit, raw lyrics and an eccentric and industrial production, Shygirl invites us into her universe and into the sound of the future. Get ready, if you aren’t already, for a live show you’ll never want to forget.
Sofia Kourtesis
There are two kinds of labyrinths: the ones you want to get out of and the ones you want to get lost in. Sofia Kourtesis’s music is like the latter, with its hypnotic loops rooted in Latin American sounds.
After two promising and critically acclaimed EPs, Sofia Kourtesis and Sarita Colonia (released by Studio Barnhus in 2019 and 2020 respectively), came Fresia Magdalena (Technicolour, 2021), an experimental exercise in deep house mixed with expressive melodies and an Andean feel, which again delighted the critics, marking her out as definitely ‘one to watch’ amid the exciting talents to emerge in this fledgling decade.
Her latest single, ‘Hope Station’ (Ninja Tunes, 2022) samples the legendary Manu Chao and begins with the sounds of chants from an anti-homophobia demonstration. What’s next? We don’t know, but we sure don’t want to miss it.
Låpsley
What is it about Holly Fletcher’s voice? At just 19, this British singer released her first and only album to date, enough to be noticed by artists like DJ Koze, who made one of her songs into one of the most popular mixes of 2016, or Billie Eilish, who included her among her influences.
Holly Fletcher is Låpsley, an artist who has managed to catalyze the best of soul, r&b, pop and even neo-disco to take them to her own terrain, honest and unpretentious. In 2020, she breaks a four-year hiatus since releasing her first album with Through Water (XL Recordings), her new work, a more mature artistic vision of her own musical universe, which she’ll present at Paraíso 2020.
Låpsley promises to guide us through fantastic and intimate territory, a space where she reveals her bravest side but also her most fragile self. A live show to be led by an array of soft and melodic beats, a unique voice and strong emotions that will put your most sensitive side to the test.
DJ Koze
Stefan Kozala, aka DJ Koze, has been making us dance for years like only he can. He’s one of the most adventurous DJs and producers, and his exceptional production confirms it: the electronic scene wouldn’t be the same without him.
Koze dwells in a unique and special, inhabited by a fine ear, an enthusiastic attitude towards experimentation and unconventional charisma. In 2010, facing the need to release his own productions, he founded Pampa Records, a label synonymous with quality that would bring endless joy. However, it was in 2018 when he was catapulted to his fame with the release of his successful Knock Knock (Pampa Records), a wave of heavenly energy whereby moods evolve from melancholy to happiness and vice versa. Emotions are palpable, but this is nothing new for the German artist.
Koze is a shaman, a sorcerer with a talent worthy of veneration that can’t be escaped. His mystical sound selection has put half the world’s dancefloors into a trance. Don’t miss the chance to surrender to his charms: Kozala awaits you at Paraíso next June.
Denis Sulta
Hector Barbour is a man of his word. Committed to dance music, the Scot hasn’t ceased in his attempt to become an exciting it-man of the fertile Glasgow scene, and he has succeeded.
He educated his ear while working at the renowned Rubadub record shop and trained his wrists in local club booths. In 2016, he graduated cum laude from Montreal’s Red Bull Academy and since then, a path of glory has opened up for him. There seems to be no turning back for Denis Sulta.
His distinctive house holds a melodic range of nuances that place him at the forefront of his compatriots, while his daring sets spread his enthusiastic and almost addictive energy—the kind that seduces and hypnotizes—around the dancefloor. His next stop: Paraíso 2020.