Jamie Woon and Ray Lozano

Born to a Malaysian Chinese father and a Scottish mother, Jamie Woon was one of the first solo artists to take a breed of dubstep into the pop charts after the rise and rise of James Blake. Bafflingly enough, this sound of the South London underground got some of its first mainstream exposure from a BRIT School graduate, who was only a year younger than Amy Winehouse. Combining the sound of dubstep with an aching soul voice and pure pop melodies, Woon put his first songs on the internet and was signed to Live Recordings by 2007, the same year he released his first E.P “Wayfaring Stranger”. Wisely, he let his sound and his songwriting skills mature between then and his debut album.

In between, the style of hushed, natural electronica that he’d pioneered had become a genuine commercial force thanks to the success of The XX and the aforementioned James Blake. Because of this, Woon placed fourth in the BBC’s annual sound of 2011 poll, and his debut album, “Mirrorwriting”, cemented him as one of the most vital voices of his generation. Since then, he’s all but left the spotlight, only returning for acclaimed tours and collaborations with his close friends (and sometimes housemates) Portico and on Disclosure’s album track “January”. Don’t be fooled though, this is an artist nearing the peak of his prowess, and where he goes next is going to be sensational. Highly recommended.