Upcoming artists by music genre

Whether your poison is Indie, Dance, Rock, or Urban, we've got some tips to where you can go for your next bout of musical inspiration.

Dance

Dance didn't die, it just went back to the clubs. Now we tell you who to check out downstairs for the best beats in the UK.

Dance music has always been an unknown quantity. Whether shifting tens of thousands of records or only packing a hundred people into a club, dance music has survived the so-called 'death of the DJ'. Greek-Swedish DJ and producer Steve Angello is a rising international star on the house and techno scene. A member of what has been dubbed the Swedish House Mafia, Angello released the hits Not So Dirty and 'Sexy F**k' were released under the alias 'Who's Who?'

If you've somewhere Balearic recently you will know the name David Guetta. This Frenchman - who did the music in that Citroen advert - is huge in Ibiza and set to get bigger elsewhere. Another newcomer is Paolo Mojo. Playing a suitably indescribable blend of house, techno, breaks, electro and disco, Mojo has been a hot tip since 2004. Hot on the circuit as well are The Hoxton Whores (Gary Dedman and Kevin Andrews) with their electro-prog-house sets and Tim Sheridan. The latter has been around since the dinosaurs quit smoking - working with the likes of Utah Saints - but is now coming to prominence again with some great DJ sets.

Another hot property is London boy Raymondo Rodriguez who has just been signed to the Defected imprint. And you'll doubtless be aware that not since the last millennium has Saturday been the best night out: it's all about Sunday clubs. Get involved at Retox, Zombies Ate My Brain and Secret Sundaze in London's trendy East End, and Very Very Wrong Indeed in Leeds.

Urban

Hip hop isn't just Jay Z and Kanye West. If you want something a little more real, challenging and fresh than a multi-platinum selling pimp wannabe, read on…

Was it Tricky, or Roots Manuva or even The Streets who made it ok to rap in a British accent? Either way, new and wicked beats and rhymes have been spilling out of every urban postcode for the last few years - from Bristol, to London, to Leeds.

Hip hop, drum&bass and garage never sat as well with each other as they have done in the UK, and the blending of styles has given the world such brand new talent as Kano, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley Lady Sovereign: quintessential British in a non-tweed way, grime is the new soundtrack to Urban England. Also check out grindie pioneer Marvin The Martian. Across the pond the backpack hip hop of the trailblazing label Def Jux, are furthering their fine work with releases from cosmic-lyricist El-P, Mr Lif and fellow New Yorker, Cool Calm Pete.

From the school TV On The Radio come Subtle: rich beats and quirky rhymes with acoustic guitars one minute, Outkast-esque eccentricity the next. Straight outta Philadelphia come booty boys Spank Rock a more energetic beat for your feet. Further out leftfield are Plastic Little with their kooky loops and The Cure samples. Also hot is Kanye West's protégé Lupe Fiasco from Chicago - dubbed the new back-pack; New Orleans street urchin Lil' Wayne is also showcasing the old soul samples a la Kanye.

For those who like it more downtempo and righteous, there's always Devin The Dude - coming from the Dwele, D'Angelo angle of organic beats.

Indie

Damn! Since when did the UK get so good for indie rock? From twisted guitar dance to rave plagiarism British bands are pushing boundaries like never before.

It's an amazing time to be in the UK at the moment if you like boundary-pushing indie rock. The UK scene has never felt so exciting, and with the aid of MySpace and the like, it's possible to discover a new and exciting band almost every day. So the so-called Nu Rave scene is bigger than ever expected with Klaxons becoming media darlings and playing to thousands at venues like Brixton.

Hot on their heels are the grindie kings, Hadouken with their awesome blend of East London grime beats, guitars and satirical social lyics; and one of the best live bands touring at the moment. Another quirky outfit who don't fit into boxes and have made their name being an unmissable live band are Brazilians, CSS: synths, electronic beats, anthemic songs and female stage-divers - who could ask for more. The latest NME lovees seem to be Late Of The Pier, and not without reason. Taking the nu-rave paradigm and going left, these guys take the synths beats and angular production and mix it up with a wistful melancholy and eerie symbolism.

Newer still are Los Campesinos: imagine a fast Strokes tune with Kate Nash exchanging witticisms with a young John Lydon while a xylophone tinkles away in the background. Also new for 2008 is the new album from Vampire Weekend. The industry hype surrounding these guys is awesome, and not undeserved. The band have combined radio-safe artschool rock with West Indian soca influences to great effect.

If the Arctic Monkeys are too big for you now, well then check out Pigeon Detectives: cockney knees-up pub jamboree music from up north. Funny lyrics and bouncy choruses. Prrfick. Also check out: The Young Knives, Les Savy Fav, Lightspeed Champion.

Rock Metal

Metal is so much more than Iron Maiden and Metallica: out of the arenas you can see a plethora of different bands that give the old gods of metal a run for their royalty cheque

With indie rock becoming more like pop music everyday, people are looking for something with a little more bite. With pap like Babyshambles playing Wembley is it any surprise that The Gallows have broken through? Likewise new strains of rock and metal are rearing their heads an delivering awesome music.

Canada has become the coolest country in the world, giving us bands like punksters Billy Talent, cerebral screamo heroes Alexisonfire, rock-core metallists Cancer Bats and folk punk newcomers, Attack In Black. If you liked Metallica and Megadeth (who didn't?) then you'll be please to hear that thrash is back: party metal to crowd surf to from the likes of SSS, Evile, Municipal Waste and Gama Bomb - expect beer bongs, body boards and high-tops.

For those who like something a little more earthy but with no less balls, the south is rising. Southern states like Alabama, Kentucky and North Carolina have always offered the world great hard rock, but recently a new wave of bands is adopting the swagger. Check out Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster and tour buddies He Is Legend for the best in new southern noise - a perfect blend of rock grove and metal grit. Also on the radar are Black Stone Cherry and Valient Thorr.

From Scandinavia come 69 Eyes, like a cross between Sisters Of Mercy and Billy Idol; and cyber glam goths Deathstars. And for pop-metal that weighs in like a juggernaut check out Still Remains, Atreyu and of course the new album from Bullet For My Valentine.

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