Pendulum, Camo & Krooked, Eptic, Zomboy, Habstrakt, The Clamps, Modestep, and Murdock

We’re living in a world where genres are becoming progressively meaningless. Thanks to the advent of the MP3 and streaming age everyone listens to everything and the music actually being made is becoming more interesting, reckless and experimental as a result. One of the bands who genuinely get that these barriers between tribes are breaking down is a British and Australian band called Pendulum. These guys made the quite frankly genius realisation that the aggression and intensity of a heavy metal how isn’t that far removed from the anything goes anarchy of a rave, and decided to make music that combined the two extremes as best they could.

The band began with Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, two musicians who’d performed in a number of heavy metal bands between them. Both men were already fans of most forms of electronica, but only Swire knew how to create it on his laptop. So while he and McGrillen were playing in the band Xygen together, he decided to teach McGrillen how to make drum and bass tunes using only basic production software. The duo found that they had a lot of chemistry creating music together and formed Pendulum as a DJ act, but soon after they began performing in clubs together they were joined by Paul Harding to make the nascent band a trio.

2003 saw the release of their first single “Vault”, and with that they were signed to Breakbeat Kaos, a record label based in London, England. Riding a wave of genuine hype for their sound and their apocalyptic live shows, they released their debut album “Hold Your Colour” in 2005, which charted in the U.K and was a genuine hit in Australia, being certified Gold with aplomb. With their burgeoning success, the trio expanded to a sextet in order to perform with a full band, drafting in a guitarist, drummer and MC while Swire sung lead vocals, McGrillen played the bass guitar and Harding stayed behind a set of decks.

Ever since then, the band have been one of the most impressive live bands around. Three years into their career and they were able to play enormous shows at Glastonbury, T In The Park, Bestival and Download Festivals along with their own headline concerts at venues like the 12’000 capacity Wembley Arena. They also saw a great degree of commercial success, with their third album “Immersion” peaking at number one on the U.K album charts and going platinum in the same country. Their singles “Granite” and “Watercolour” were top ten hits there as well, and though they might be on hiatus currently, you can bet that when they return they’ll still be blowing the roof off every venue they play. Highly recommended.

Both Rietsch and Wagner have been active as producers since 2002 yet they formed the duo now known as Camo & Krooked after meeting at one of Rietsch's gigs in 2007. Their first collaboration was the track 'Play It' from Camo's 2007 single 'Drop It' and things simply escalated from there.

The real turning point for the duo can be traced back to the release of 2010 EP 'Edge of Mind' which received international support from huge renowned DJs such as Pendulum and Grooverider. They picked up the accolade of Best Newcomer DJs at the 2010 Drum & Bass Arena Awards and their reputation on the scene appeared to be cemented as one of the most exciting new acts.

They continued to experiment with a minimal techno and house music sound and released another EP entitled 'Pulse Of Time' which gained support from further celebrated artists including Andy C, Subfocus and High Contrast. 'Cross The Line' was released in the UK in 2011 and achieved moderate commercial success, breaking the top 200 of the albums chart. It was the duo's relentless appearances on the festival circuit that summer which helped build their fan base substantially and brought their music to new audiences.

They released the follow-up 'Zeitgeist' in 2013 and have continued to develop new material and sounds. They have also remixed music for a high calibre of artist including London Grammar, Lana Del Rey and even Jefferson Airplane. The future appears to be very exciting for the young duo as their reputation and skill mounts at a lightning pace.

Zomboy is the stage name of Joshua Mellody (A name which in and of itself sounds like a stage name), who could become a poster boy for the way that music is released and careers are made in this modern age. Thanks to the internet and fast improving technology, it’s possible to create professional sounding music in one’s own bedroom, however, that’s not to say that it’s simple. Mellody cut his teeth in the U.S working in sound engineering at a recording studio and recording many different bands and artists. He also gained a cult following with some electro covers he released as Place Your Bet$ but his career didn’t truly take off until he moved back to his native country.

That was where Mellody used his experience in both songwriting and recording to create “Organ Donor”, a track that would get him signed to Never Say Die Records in 2011. His debut E.P, named after its lead track, would go on to be a massive success on the Beatport charts, staying in the top five for 8 weeks straight. Just like that, his music had been released by Ministry of Sound and Warner Brothers recordings by the end of the year. A lot of people could be understandably cynical about this, I mean, if anyone could create and release music on their own and in their spare time why should anyone get famous because of it?

However, Mellody is a perfect example of this as well, since he’s become a success thanks to his relentless work ethic and sheer talent rather than any luck or good fortune. He’s released E.P’s at a rate of knots and done official remixes for Skrillex, Modestep and Hadouken!, and in 2014, his debut album, entitled “The Outbreak” was also released. His high energy, dubstep influenced beats are going to take over the world in very short order, and chances are he hasn’t even reached his prime yet. To call Mellody one to watch is to sell him very short, but he still comes highly recommended.

With over a decade of touring stages all over the globe, Modestep have gained a reputation for putting on a show like no other. With the high energy & aggression of a rock band, and the eye-rattling frequencies of a bass-heavy electronic act; Modestep have left a lasting impression on such legendary stages as Glastonbury, Coachella, Reading Festival, EDC, Ultra, Lost Lands, Summer Sonic & notably to a headline crowd of 750,000 at Woodstock.

With two albums under their belt (including the chart topping ‘Evolution Theory’), two seminal EP’s on the Disciple Records label and with tracks & collaborations racking up hundreds of millions of plays; they show no signs of slowing down. With a third album on the way, and a new live-show to match; Modestep set to continue dominating stages across the globe.