LEE ANN ROBERTS
In Lee-Ann Roberts’ hands, even the hardest techno can have subtlety and soul.
The Amsterdam-based, South African-born artist has become a prominent force in
the global techno scene thanks to her fierce determination and vibrant creative
touch. She leads with her own NowNow label – a self-reliant platform which nods
to the South African colloquialism meaning ‘soon’, a call to surrender to the moment
and follow where the music takes you.
It’s a mantra she’s lived by as her career has sharply risen, debuting on Spanish
label Suara with ‘Miyamoto’ and instantly scoring number two on Beatport’s Hard
Techno chart. She’s simultaneously been growing NowNow with her own
productions dropping alongside remixes from verified legends like D.A.V.E. The
Drummer, Jay Clarke and Jacidorex.
Roberts’ first break came via her own show on Cape Town’s Mutha FM before she
travelled to LA and found a home at legendary Hollywood nightclub AVALON. From
Secret Solstice in Iceland to Caprices, BPM alongside Jeff Mills, DGTL and Verknipt
in Amsterdam to countless other gigs across the world, Roberts has continually
progressed, road-testing her tracks in the pressure-cooker situations she finds
herself in every weekend.
The vitality in Roberts’ sound undoubtedly comes from her broad outlook, inspired
as much by the revolutionary misfits of rock as the visionary pioneers of electronic
music. Her attraction to unusual and distinctive qualities in the music she makes
and plays all add up to one of the most exciting forces in contemporary techno – a
commanding presence that demands your full attention.

THAM
As we all know, there really is no shortage of artists in the vast field of electronic music, especially in the German capitol of Techno that is Berlin. They come and go with trends and seasons, build their hypes, and eventually vanish into the social medial void our postmodern times have created. However, there are those ones which stand out, which stay stuck in the eyes and ears of the public, which play and produce themselves in the collective memory of our community. Tham is one of those. As resident and face of underground public favourites like SYNOID, Revier Südost, and Lebendig, in just a few years the young artist has proven that he’s one to stay, to watch and to listen to. Growing up on the dancefloors of Berlin – figuratively speaking – Tham’s artistic vision hails from and is always directed back to that very place which represents the crux of the matter of our entire subculture. His interpretation of Techno, his musical vision, lives on his drive to set people in motion. Pounding bass drums, complex grooves, and aggressive synth lines lashing through the crowd, taking their hypnotic effect. This is what Tham provides. Music ex machina, coming out of nowhere, binding the eyes, ears, and bodies of his audience to the floor, to the very present, sticking to their brains, billowing through their minds for hours, long after they’ve left the club.