What’s now playing on BBC Radio 6 Music?

Michael Samuel Kiwanuka (born 3 May 1987) is an English soul musician who is signed to Communion Records. He has been compared to Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Randy Newman, Terry Callier, and Otis Redding, as well as Van Morrison and the Temptations. In January 2012, he won the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll. Kiwanuka grew up in Muswell Hill, London, the son of Ugandan parents who had escaped the Amin regime. He attended Fortismere School, leaving there in 2005 after completing his A-Levels. Read more on Last.fm

Adrian Thaws (born 27 January 1968), better known as Tricky, is a rapper and musician from Knowle West, Bristol, England who is important in the trip-hop scene (despite loathing the tag) and remains influential on the British scene more generally. He is noted for an asthmatic whispering lyrical style that is half-rapped, half-sung. As a producer and a musician he is known for having an aversion to perfection preferring to build up a dark, rich and layered sound. Read more on Last.fm

Quando Quango's twisted electronic music experiments lasted a good six years, spawning an album and several dance 12" releases. A case of Fela Kuti meets Kraftwerk somewhere between Manchester and Rotterdam, part of a new wave of post-punk electronica, with a whole lot of Mike Pickering's broad knowledge of soul, disco, reggae and pop to stuff the gaps. Most significant to dance music fans were the insistent bass syncopations of Love Tempo, the party atmosphere of Genius and the boogie of Atom Rock Read more on Last.fm

Read more on Last.fm

Overmono are the two brothers Ed Russel (Tessela) and Tom Russel (Truss, MPIA3). Under their respective artist names Truss and Tessela, they have forged formidable individual reputations as producers. Defining tracks such as Truss’ ‘Kymin Lea’ and ‘Beacon’ and Tessela’s ‘Rough 2’ and ‘Hackney Parrot’ for the likes of R&S, Perc Trax, and their own Poly Kicks label, have encapsulated so much of what is exciting and vital in UK underground, electronic music. Read more on Last.fm

Kelly Lee Owens is an electronic music producer and singer signed to Smalltown Supersound. She debuted in 2015 with 'Arthur' followed by 'Uncertain'. In 2016 she released '1 of 3' and the EP 'Oleic'. Her debut long-player 'Kelly Lee Owens' was released in March 2017. Kelly grew-up in North Wales, UK, and moved to Manchester for a couple of years before settling in London, United Kingdom where she played bass in The History of Apple Pie and worked at XL Recordings, Pure Groove and Rough Trade East. Read more on Last.fm

Cambridge alumni turned post-punk anti-heroes lead by world famous Alex Rice channel their cynicism and millennial depression into a rallying cry against multi-story car parks, craft beer, eggs and London suburbia. The band currently consists of Alex Rice (lead vocalist), Rob Knaggs (rhythm guitar, vocals), Henry Young (lead guitar), Oli Dewdney (bass), Al Greenwood (drums) and Ben Mack (keys). Combining the nasal snarl of Bon Scott with Todd Rundgren produced Psychedelic Furs, Sports Team have carved out a sound that defies expectation. Read more on Last.fm

The Joy Formidable is an indie rock band formed in 2007 in North Wales, United Kingdom, currently located in London, England. The group members are Ritzy Bryan (vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass, backing vocals), and Matt Thomas (drums). Their music has been described as "primal epic grunge rock à la The Breeders, Arcade Fire and Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd originally played together as part of indie rock band Tricky Nixon, which later reformed into a new wave/post-punk band Sidecar Kisses. Read more on Last.fm

Gurriers is an Irish indie rock band formed in Dublin in 2020, known for their raw, energetic sound that blends elements of punk and shoegaze. The band consists of Dan Hoff (lead vocals), Ben O'Neill (guitar, backing vocals), Mark MacCormack (guitar), Pierce O'Callaghan (drums), and Charlie McCarthy (bass). They emerged during the pandemic, using the time to refine their vision and develop a powerful, abrasive sound. The initial lockdown period presented both challenges and opportunities. Read more on Last.fm

Falle Nioke is from Guinea in West Africa. He speaks and sings in 8 languages, predominantly Coniagui; Malenki; Susu; Fulani; French and English. He has spent his life performing and travelling in West Africa. As a teenager he trained his voice on the banks of the great Rio Nunez in Boké. Since moving to the UK 8 years ago he has collaborated with a number of different artists. The EP ‘Youkounkoun’ with Ghost Culture released under PRAH recordings received brilliant reviews from the grassroots right up to the bbc6 music playlisters. Read more on Last.fm