These six creators are pushing sonic boundaries and taking music production to inspiring and unexpected places.
In celebration of Pride Month, here are some of our favorite producers to watch in 2024.
1. tofusmell
As tofusmell, Rae Chen releases autobiographical music incorporating poetry, humor, and warm ‘90s indie-folk melodies. He tells Hardly Art that he “writes, records, and produces his songs in his bedroom in Orlando, Florida using a laptop, Logic, and a single $30 microphone.”
Rae’s songs are rooted in honesty—“Many of the songs are basically journal entries that I later revisit and put to music,” he adds. Get a taste of tofusmell’s heartfelt and evocative sound via his EP, Humor:
2. Nikitaa
Nikitaa makes multilingual femme-empowering music that melds pop and R&B with their South Asian heritage.
Combining sass and witty lyricism with spirituality and storytelling, Nikitaa’s music emphasizes that gender and emotional expression are never singular. Their catalog spans Punjabi hits like “Vichoda Yaar Da” to vulnerable and powerful tracks like “Goddess” and “On My Own.”
Check out Nikitaa’s latest demisexual gender bendy bop, “Pillow Prince:”
3. femtanyl
Toronto-based artist femtanyl is best known for her productions that blend hardcore, hyperpop, webcore, and breakcore influences. Her hard-hitting tracks like “KATAMARI” and “PUSH UR T3MPRR” have garnered millions of streams across platforms.
Check out her 2024 single “WEIGHTLESS!” for her latest sonic experiments:
4. emma ecstasy
Producer and DJ emma ecstasy’s seamless selection of trance, house, and techno invites you to move your body like nobody can see you.
She’s also a mainstay of the Seattle nightclub scene, where she curates her monthly Bliss series at Kremwerk Club. In her Rave Apparitions pack, emma brings a DJ’s perspective to samples, synthesizing elements that span decades of dance music.
Explore new sonic horizons in emma ecstasy’s second EP, ecstasy000:
5. Ariel Zetina
Ariel Zetina is a Chicago-based artist who blends techno with Chicago house, Belizean punta, brukdown, and queer club music. According to Pitchfork, Zetina “spins thrilling, multi-faceted club music into a celebration of her Belizean heritage and trans identity.”
She describes her latest EP, Doll Support, to be full of “vocal repetition, staccato sounds, and a feeling that these tracks might literally fall off a roller coaster”—take a listen:
6. galen tipton
Also known as recovery girl, galen tipton is an Ohio-based artist who finds the connective tissues in the unwieldy chaos of ASMR sounds, IDM, and hyperpop.
Most recently known for her viral TikTok hit “tadpoles lullaby,” she has collaborated with everyone from experimental music giants like Giant Claw (of death’s dynamic shroud) and Holly Waxwing to underground pop icons like Lil Mariko and GFOTY. Her sample packs (brain scratches and FUZZ!) both incorporate textured and hyper-stimulating sounds with a strong sense of play.
Listen to You Like Music, galen tipton’s latest album in collaboration with death’s dynamic shroud:
There’s more to come
Who else would you like to see in a future installment of Producers to Watch? Start a conversation with us and an ever-growing community of other producers via the Splice Discord.
Join the Splice Discord to engage with a community of other music creators, participate in producer-led beat battles, and hear exclusive interviews:
June 28, 2024
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