Barry can’t swim, but he’s flying to the top!
The vibrant new EDM producer has gone from strength to strength providing so many of us with this summer’s soundtrack.
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The London-based DJ Barry Can’t Swim (real name Joshua Mannie) is without doubt one to watch in the electronic scene. Barry‘s groovy samples and jazz-infused melodic house tracks have already built him a sea of fans desperate to see his sets and I am certain this is just the beginning.
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The Scottish born producer blends a variety of dance music sub-genres, including disco, garage and jungle. Barry‘s sound has a unique feel, as he is heavily inspired by traditional jazz music. Interestingly, his appreciation for jazz music started from an early age, as he learnt to play the piano at age 9 and then worked in various jazz bars during his teenage years, purposely surrounding himself with the more traditional style of music.
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Barry Cant Swim started creating his own dance hits in 2020, working hard to produce a number of extended projects and singles and he has been unstoppable ever since. His newest EP ‘How it feels‘ is currently on repeat for me with it’s emotive feel, colourful samples and refreshing energy.
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2023 has already been an incredibly successful year for Barry Can’t Swim. This year, the producer has massively increased his exposure, attending a number of festivals as well being invited to do a set with the notorious Boiler Room in his hometown of Edinburgh.
Despite his newfound fame, Barry seems to be remaining humble, telling 10magazine that the greatest highlight of his career so far is simply “seeing people you’ve never met before in places you’ve never been before singing along” telling them “it’s still so surreal”.
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Barry‘s rise in popularity is not surprising due to the EDM scene in the UK booming in the last couple of years. A report by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) revealed that electronic music is the most popular genre at UK festivals overtaking rock – which has dominated for decades. In the last year, similar British EDM artists have had wider global success for example Fred Aagin.. and Fourtet have quickly risen to the top even headlining the iconic Coachella with fellow producer Skrillex.
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Barry is set to release his debut album ‘When Will We land?‘ on the 20th of October.
“it’s a huge personal milestone for me, after 10 months of solid writing plus a whole 20+ years of dreaming about it. I’ve poured every thing I have into it, and really hope yous like it”
– Barry via Instagram on his upcoming album
Personally, I’m very intrigued about the new album as the young DJ has recently taken his sound in a new direction by releasing more chilled, melodic downtempo tracks for example ‘Sonder‘ and ‘God is the space between us‘. So, I’m excited to see what it will be like and how it will be received.
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Check out his music below and please comment any other underrated similar artists.
The album is a completely self-made project – with no collaborations! Joe told me he didn’t feel like the album needed any collaborations, and that it he would of added some if he thought it was needed. Originally , as a listener, I thought a soft R&B female voice would compliment Joe’s rapping exceptionally well, however, I agree with Joe’s creative decision and see that the project is complete on its own.
The next pick deserving WAY more recognition is Essex-based trio Bilk! Their unique sound is inspired by a variety of genres, such as pop-punk, rock, rap, grime and of course classic indie. Personally, I see most similarities with singer-songwriter Jamie T along with alternative rap artists such as Slowthai or Easy Life.
club are an exciting band from Wrexham (north Wales), and as said so themselves are “just four lads making music”. The band’s success is rising as they recently played Isle of White and Neighbourhood Weekender festival and supported The Snuts in a sold-out Manchester gig. On top of that, the Welsh 4 piece just completed an 18 show UK tour that was very well received, highlighting their nationwide fanbase.
The Skinner Brothers are from London, made up of 4 members, their music is a blend of genres such as jazz, rock, and alternative rap. Their top songs include: Nothing but an Actor, Stupid Much? and Away Days. I think what sets them apart is having slower melodies paired with strong cockney vocals and their overwhelming passion that can be heard through songs such as away days that was inspired by British football culture and the emotions that comes with it.
I was shocked to see that this London-based trio had just 3000 monthly Spotify listeners and I think they deserve to be on your playlist! Aftercare currently only has 5 songs, the standout tracks for me are Spaceman, Samviktor and Sunday Comes around. With all 3 boys playing guitars they create softer sounding melodies that resemble more alternative bands such as Weezer and The Strokes.
