young horizons

Unless you've been sleeping on the house and techno scene in recent years, you know that some of the most exciting music being made right now is being produced by younger artists, some of them under the legal drinking age in the US. Today, a round-up of three sets of young producers who've been lauded for good reason.



First up, a group that hardly needs an introduction: The Martinez Brothers. With their 2007 club anthem "My Rendition" and recent work with DJ Robert and Argy, TMB are certainly going towards the top of the big-room techno world quite quickly, thanks to their astounding DJ skills and mentors like Dennis Ferrer. In case you didn't hear it then, here's "My Rendition" for your ears-- nice Ibadan-style house with serious momentum and great syncopations. Originally on Objektivity.

The Martinez Bros.- My Rendition (TMB Main Mix)



A hop across the Atlantic brings us the sounds of South Africa's Culoe De Song, a young prodigy whose EP on Innervisions, The Bright Forest, has been hailed as a return to deep, tribal house that the staid European minimal-drenched scene needs. Though the EP's title track has been getting a great deal of love, the best track according to many is De Song's "African Subway," a polyrhythmic deep blast that utilizes traditional African percussive bits, an incredibly powerful and echoing two-note piano stab, and some heavy, near-Africans with Mainframes style percussive flourishes along with squiggles and reversed-cymbal washes. One hell of a track, this one is best listened to at a loud volume in a club or a car, as its graceful subtleties don't come out as much otherwise.

Culoe De Song- African Subway



Finally, we come back to a native son: Detroit's Kyle Hall, an 18-year-old from Detroit who has been repped quite a bit recently by Reggie Dokes, Mike Huckaby, Omar-S and plenty of others. His 2008 The Water is Fine EP on Moods & Grooves is a three-track showcase of seriously groovy, percussion-heavy deep house, with lush summery synths, hi-frequency flourishes, and even a hint of acid. Hall is seriously the producer that I think should be watched most closely in the coming years, as his production and DJ skills are already in fantastic form, and can only get better, especially with such a great scene backing him up. Well worth watching his YouTube videos, checking out his Wild Oats label, and downloading his amazing recent mix for FACT magazine.

Kyle Hall- Create Your Own Existence (Track removed by request, email for details)