Beatport Announces the Beatport Next Class of 2022

25 January 2022 - Press release

Beatport, the global leader of music for DJs, producers, and their fans announced today the Beatport Next Class of 2022. Beatport has a proud history of helping grow the careers of up-and-coming dance music artists. In 2021, Beatport took this commitment to supporting new artists to a whole new level with the launch of Beatport Next — an initiative providing emerging artists with a full year of dedicated support.

The Beatport Next program gives a select number of promising artists prime promotional placement on the Beatport store's homepage and genre pages with dedicated artwork designs, LINK playlists, editorial features on Beatportal, live streams, and extensive social media support that lasts throughout the year. 

In 2021, Beatport Next championed six talented acts — Alignment, Logic1000, IMANU, VNSSA, Kevin De Vries, and TSHA — and helped strengthen their connection and visibility to Beatport's global DJ and fan community through these diverse features and offerings. In total, these six artists saw a 70% increase in Beatport store revenue and a 101% increase in Beatport followers after receiving 12 months of support with Beatport Next.

Following the success of the platform's debut last year, Beatport put together an open call for artists interested in participating in this year's Next program. Now, after completing its extensive selection process, Beatport is thrilled to announce the eight artists, all with diverse backgrounds and a broad spectrum of sounds,that will make up the Beatport Next Class of 2022. 

• 8KAYS: Hailing from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Iryna Shvydka (aka 8Kays) is quickly becoming one of the melodic house & techno scene's most essential artists. Her passionate and immensely groovy sound can be found on revered labels such as Renaissance Records, Booka Shade's Blaufield Music imprint, Above & Beyonds' Anjunabeats, Eleatics Records, and more.

• AMÉMÉ: Specialising in Afro-leaning electronic music built upon a foundation of contemporary deep house and tech, West African native Hubert Sodogandji (aka AMÉMÉ) channels his cultural roots and ancestry into everything he does. The rising Afro House star's music has been released via Watergate Records, the mighty MoBlack Records, and his very own One Tribe label, brand, and global community. 

• Emily Nash: 20-year-old Worcestershire-based DJ/producer Emily Nash emerged in 2021 with three exquisite releases on Stress Records, kicking off 2022 with her new single "Garden" on Ministry of Sound. In just one year, despite her newcomer status, Emily managed to rack up gigs across the UK at Creamfields, Leeds Festival, Ministry and Tobacco Dock.

• Jaden Thompson: Jaden Thompson lives and breathes UK House. Born in Swindon, the young DJ/producer became a resident at Fabric at just 20 years old, playing alongside legends like Seth Troxler and Annie Mac. Jayden's juicy house bangers have been snapped up by Emerald City Music, Cuttin Headz, Kitsuné Musique, Moscow Records, and more as he continues to build up his freshly minted Midnight Parade label.

• Marina Trench: Rising Parisian DJ/producer Marina Trench has been making serious headway in clubland with her marvelous and tight house style. In addition to scoring remixes from Kerri Chandler and DJ Deep, Trench's tracks have been picked up by labels like Deeply Rooted, Nowadays Records, Wolf Music Recordings, and Dam Swindle's Heist Recordings.

• Nia Archives: Manchester-based artist Nia Archives found the spotlight in 2021 following her Hospital Records single "Move On" and her debut Headz Gone West EP. Heavily influenced by soundsystem culture and carnival, Nia aims to represent her Jamaican roots and take up space in the jungle scene as a young Black woman while carving out space for other Black women to see themselves in the genre.

• Nikki Nair: Tennessee-born, Atlanta-based artist Nikki Nair is a master of chopping breaks and has a keen ear for a soulful sample, crafting full-throttle percussive dance music that takes cues from electro, techno, breaks, and Baltimore club. Nikki's sound has landed him on highly regarded record labels including Gobstopper, Pretty Weird, Scuffed Recordings, and Dirtybird.

• Risa Taniguchi: Born and raised in Tokyo, Risa Taniguchi draws her sonic inspiration from the city's electric atmosphere and unique underground scene. A beloved regular at some of the Japanese capital's best-known clubs like Contact and Vent, the artist's thrumming and acidic strain of techno has caught the attention of labels like Odd Recordings, Second State, Suara, and Cin Cin.

Please find more information on Beatport Next here