Hailing from North London, Loraine James has been releasing DIY-style dance music since 2017. She’s done wide-ranging collaborations with the likes of Uruguayan producer Lila Tirando a Violeta, Iranian-British rapper Tardist and Melbourne’s own Jonnine Standish from HTRK.
To watch James play is to witness song foundations get built on-the-go with simple tools—a keyboard, sample pads and a laptop—then twisted into kaleidoscopic new shapes. She’ll often take gorgeous shades of IDM and lull you into a groove before cracking things open and twisting in zesty hits of grime and drill. Electronic music’s standard 4/4 timing fades into an afterthought. The journey’s already underway.