Want to support local musicians, but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry: we made a list of some of Berlin’s best up-and-coming artists from rappers to rockers.
Creams
Georgian-born singer-producer Creams, aka Natia Chichinadze, is an alt R’n’B electronic-pop fashion and cultural up-and-comer that we should all be paying attention to. Making distinctive, idiosyncratic pop music a la Grimes and FKA twigs, Creams’ music is affectionate yet nostalgic, imbued with many classic dance music elements. Having already received praise from the likes of i-D, NME, and MusikExpress, the future is bright for this accomplished Berlin multi-hyphenate.
- Creams IG: @creams.creams
Wa22ermann
It’s time to accept the fact that Berlin is one of the biggest breeding grounds for female hip-hop talent in Europe, if not the world. One of the latest rap talents to emerge from our streets is the fresh and feisty rapper Wa22ermann. Incorporating some of her favourite parts of Berlin’s electronic music scene, such as straight-up house beats and deep bass sounds, Wa22ermann has crafted a sonic soup informed by Kreuzberg’s best musical elements. And with some astute and authentic songs, all deeply rooted in Berlin’s comings and goings (check out ‘Blaurot’ and ‘Graue Wolken’), Wa22ermann shows she has her finger on the city’s throbbing pulse.
- Wa22ermann IG: @wa22ermann
ABANAMAT
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And with this Berlin-based stoner-rock quartet, something very bright and colourful has indeed been burning. This international collective of psych-loving axe-wielders recently released their debut LP to much frenzy in the desert rock-loving scene. The mainly instrumental record is rife with hypnotic riffs, psychedelic guitar work and dreamy melodies. May that funny-smelling fire emanating from their studio keep on burning and the buds of their hard labour bloom into something big.
- ABANAMAT IG: @abanamat_band
OY
Mesmerising and quirky, OY are hardly newcomers to the Berlin scene. Consisting of singer Joy Frempong and producer-musician Melodydreamer, the duo has manifested an avant-pop style that borrows from different global musical traits, creating a warm and unique symphonic opus. The duo just released their fourth album World Wide We – a sprightly, upbeat and colourful, highly infectious record. Joy’s voice purrs across the record’s tracks, soulfully calling out for action and dictating messages of hope from Berlin to the rest of the world.
- OY IG: @oymusic
Fågelle
Blending together elements of Nordic doom-folk, ambient sound sculpting and disparate, ethereal electronics, Fågelle is one of the most unique artists to emerge from the Berlin music scene. Her most recent LP, Den svenska vreden (“The Swedish anger”) is an austere yet expressive set of ballads that are as equally haunting as they are impassioned. Fågelle has managed to create an atmospheric and experimental sound that can be likened to that of Jenny Hval or Sunn O))); a gloomy world filled with field recordings, doomy guitars and mystic chanting.
- Fågelle IG: @fagelle
