Spotlight: Five artists to check out in January 2025

Inspired by his Bermudan roots, Manchester-based DJ, producer and drummer Obeka deals in soul-stirring dance music stemming from soundsystem culture and polyrhythmic drumming. Finding influence in “native percussive rhythms from back home in Bermuda all the way to my African ancestral roots”, Obeka’s releases flow steadily between kuduro, reggae, and dancehall, with a nod to drill and grime production. As a co-founder of the Manchester music and art group Me Gusta Collective – described as a sonic exploration of Afro-Latin, Caribbean and Middle Eastern music – Obeka pays homage to those diasporic sounds when performing in Manchester’s closely knit club circles. His residency on Ghana’s Oroko Radio, as well as shows across BBC, NTS, and Refuge Worldwide, have solidified his name in the scene.

Obeka’s musical collaborations range from the Latin club underground to West African dancefloors, enlisting the likes of Bitter Babe and Kontronatura on remixes, and Ghanaian rapper Bryte on his recent Rinse FM show, with plenty still to come from the producer and DJ. In February, Obeka is set to release his next EP, ‘Kingdom Is Rising’, on Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce label. “After the EP drops, I’ll be producing a brand new live show concept which aims to push the limits of analog sounds and drum-led percussive fusion,” he says. “These shows are hopefully due to debut in Miami on tour, fingers crossed!”

Recommended work: Obeka ‘Move Like So’

“After a lot of thinking on what represents me most in my creative development and identity as an artist, there’s one track that really changed my approach to writing music and performing live. ‘Test System’, released in lockdown 2020 via Basy Tropikalne, was a new breath of expression in my writing methodology. I’m not a rapper, but have a deep love for words and poetry which communicate things beats sometimes cannot. The punchy, moody, and boastful dancehall lyrics were mirrored from my local slang and MC styles I harnessed growing up on the islands, which I’m forever grateful to have been immersed in!”