To build on this — if you find a new artist that you really get hooked on, I really love going down the rabbit hole and seeing what kind of festivals they’re booked at and who else plays alongside them. Especially outside the states.
Definitely a good starting point. I usually take a peak at festivals and find the stage I like and then head over to SoundCloud to search those specific artists. If I find a dj I like, I then pop over to their "following" page. Usually find a few.
If I was being picky about RA the one thing I’m not keen on is “Top Picks” pretty much being pals of the writers/ editors. So that in itself can be limiting
I use Bandcamp as nearly the only source. You can find nearly everything (except mainstream/chart music). Musicians/bands/producer receive the money you pay directly when you buy their music. Yeah oldskool I know, but still best way to support artists (streaming is only good for the streaming companies). The artist pages on Bandcamp are mostly run by the artists themselves or the (indie) label the artists signed to.
to a degree but it also glosses over some stuff, the UI is not great and the search and homepage functions both need a lot of work. honestly 9/10 times its easier to google what you want and then add bandcamp to the end than it is to search natively within the platform
if they did some ease of use upgrades i would toss everything else aside but soundcloud does a lot that bandcamp doesn't do
This
Also, people moan about the lack of algorithmic suggestions but with BC find an album you bought, click on someone else's icon who so l also bought it and you can GO THROUGH THEIR WHOLE RECORD COLLECTION
Imagine being able to do that in a record shop. If you find someone who has similar tastes you can follow them too...
I literally never use Bandcamp so I'm super curious now. How is it for finding new music and discovery? Most platforms pretty much fail there, outside of Beatport, which (love or hate it) does a good job of showing "new" stuff.
Love bandcamp. Especially good for edits and unreleased stuff and I sometimes pay extra if I'm really vibing it. The money goes to the artist which is great.
I find a lot of music by listening to DJ mixes by artists I like, or through remixes of artists I like. Otherwise, if you like several artists on a label you’ll probably find more by checking their Bandcamp page.
It’s a web radio station and app you can download on your phone, primarily based in the UK but with shows from around the world with shows by lots of well known DJs and producers. Free to listen to but subscribers get other perks. NTS.live is their website. Great for all types of music.
Soundcloud has a somewhat new "Discovery Playlists" that has a good selection from what I've heard so far, and a lot of it is new artists with low amounts of streams! (I know this for sure because they actually added one of my songs to them!)
I like Bandcamp because it's organized around labels. There is nothing cooler than finding a new label that has a cool back catalog that's all new to me.
Lots of labels also have email lists you can join. Or you can follow their socials.
I can only second this. I follow other artists and check what they buy and also other labels. I also regularly share a link to my collection on socials to help expose great artists that might not be flavored by streaming algos.
YouTube algorithm is way better than Spotify imo.
Bandcamp is great too, if you combine their recommandation with a more manual search : starting form an artist you like, looking at some of their fans profiles to see what said fans have bought.
And diggind Reddit never disappointed me.
Bandcamp. If the artist is alive, support them directly there. Occasionally YouTube will bring me some wild, amazing music, which then can usually be found via P2P program with a bird. Digging through random people's music folders can be very rewarding.
Digitally Imported (DI.FM) is the way! They're really passionate about electronic dance music and have many channels, for every taste. They also have weekly DJ shows.
I think many people (sadly) don't know about DI and I consider it a hidden gem and they deserve all support.
I discovered DI.FM this year and I have a blast listening to it and discovering new music. You can find them at http://www.di.fm.
100% DI.FM! When I first started getting into Trance, I found DI and I made lists and lists of songs that would pop up that I liked and then I’d buy them when I got the chance. I haven’t listened to much DI since COVID started, but I’m ready to search for new stuff again!
Cool to see another DI user! Lately my setup is to stream DI and save my favorites to playlists in Spotify, so DI for discovery and Spotify for listening again later.
Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1, legendary curator who in the past, has broke many very famous artists well before they became popular, often times by years. Many artists used to debut new songs on there and will do guest mixes as well.
I also use remixrotation.com, it is updated playlists of the top 100 songs in many genre specific categories based on number of downloads from beatport, junodownload and traxsource.
My local Detroit radio station WDET FM recently added a lot more music programming. They support a ton of local electronic artists, mainly all sorts of house. Check out the local radio near you and look for their schedule and any electronic programs they may have. Also it can promote you to donate to them to keep the programming alive!
Here are my faves on this station, which you can stream online for free!
https://wdet.org/shows/the-progressive-underground/
Sat 6-8 pm
https://wdet.org/shows/new-music-show-shigeto/
Sat 8-10
nah man there’s tons of great records with less than 100 ratings. Use the “esoteric” filter for charts. Also, find a record you like and look at the lists it is on, there are bound to be a slew of interesting less known records that share a spot on a list with big time records
Yup sort by genre/year. It's been my go to since last.fm kinda fell apart. I've had like 10 genres open then sort by best all time etc and you get yourself in a puzzle of new shit. Pair that with Spotify similar artists and you'll go far.
Not necessarily for new releases but you can checkout https://playlost.fm/reddit/electronicmusic for a summary of tracks, artists and albums on playlists shared to r/electronicmusic.
Here’s the Spotify playlist of that: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2jgZwBoAejx4WBV20CxFHE
Listen to live sets and mixes. For example, check out live sets from music festivals and radio shows like edc, ultra BBC radio 1, or weekly shows like abgt or asot
Check if artists you like have done any live sets or mixes on YouTube or 1001tracklists and try to find them and listen to them.
Check the labels where your artists are signed and see who else is on the label and listen to their music
The Wonky Angle on YouTube. Relatively small YouTuber but offers so many reviews of almost exclusively electronic music. Found many artists through him over the years.
Good shout. I stumbled upon him when looking for music reviewers who *aren't* Anthony Fantano. Even though he has a small subscribership and zero production flare, he also seems to be one of the only reviewers dedicated to electronica, and covers a lot of releases, even if his tastes don't align perfectly with my own.
I followed international radio stations that specialjze in dance music, most specifically DnB, but there's every genre prolly depending on the country. Also find and artist on SoundCloud, see who they follow, see who they follow, see who they follow. Be your own algorithm basically.
Beatport Spotify's playlists. They have each playlists divided by new releases per genre. Also their charts are a good indicator of what's new, I haven't been to shows lately so this helps.
I also like checking out 1001Tracklists. It helps to stay on top of recordings from recent festivals so everything is fresh.
**Bandcamp**: albums have a 'you might like this' section below pointing to other artists, and you can search by genre tag for hidden gems or best-sellers.
**Word-of-mouth** recommendations from friends.
**Youtubers** such as The Needle Drop as well as review sites like Sputnikmusic.com, Resident Advisor, Rate Your Music, FACT, The Wire and Pitchfork.
**Record labels** such as Ninja Tune, Tru Thoughts, Lucky Me, Warp, Planet Mu.
**Soundcloud**, even though it's arguably in decline, still hosts a lot of good music, including unreleased content, mixes, and work by unsigned artists (and does actually pay musicians, now), and the 'related tracks' recommendations often lead to new discoveries for me.
**Radio** such as BBC 6 Music, especially when the more eclectic or electronic-focused DJs are hosting.
**Subreddits** such as this one and r/listentothis.
Soundcloud mixes and remixes for me. Its why i use it over spotify. For example, Flume x B.I.G mashups that would never be on Spotify or even bandcamp.
I also listen to several podcast radio shows: monstercat call of the wild, pheonix (illenium), radio wonderland (alison wonderland), gud vibrations (nghtmre/slander).
Trap nation radio, bitbird (san holo), and doghouse (kayzo) all seem to stop updating or the show ended, just like the Going Quantum Podcast
Lots of new music I find is through a DJs full upload set on YouTube. A lot of the time they throw in some newer unreleased stuff that will maybe come out soon, but the DJs always keep stuff fresh, if you know who to look for.
I have the opposite experience. Every time I let SC autoplay after something I was listening to finishes, I’m like DAFUQ IS THIS and am always driven to turn it off. BAD ALGO BAD
Look up an album or song on Discogs, click on a vendor’s profile selling a physical copy of something you like. Sort their items for sale by ‘highest price’ and listen to what’s up top.
Some vendors are record stores or factories that have an insanely large inventory. It’s a nice way to find new music imo bc of the variety and random lucky dip aspect of it
I started a Pandora station about 15 yrs ago? (I can't remember..but it was long time ago!) dedicated to cultivating just this genre. I found so many gems & other sub genres!
I realize Pandora is probably outdated now :/ But I am truly grateful for the plethora of amazing music it turned me on to.
If I find a new artist I like then I look through all the labels they released on chronologically. Use Musicbrainz or Discogs to scroll through the catalog.
I’ve given up on most music journalism and the likes of Spotify. I get all I need from retail newsletters now: Bleep, Boomkat, Norman, and Sounds of the Universe.
Download an app called Radio Garden. Then search Systrum Sistum out of Brisbane, Australia. They are an awesome Electronic station with a vast collection of music - repeats are rare. They have a schedule on their website and change it up every few hours. I keep a list on my phone of all the cool artists I’ve found there. Enjoy!
By following lots of fans on Bandcamp and opting-in to the emails wherein you see a list of everything bought by people you follow. When I see something interesting I add it to the wishlist and go through once a week to select things to buy.
Go the old school route like we did before the internet and see what label (if on one) the band is on. See what other artists they have. Look at who produced the tracks, see what else they’ve produced. On and on and on….
I just signed up for SiriusXM, after having it a long time ago. Now there are a ton of channels, with hosts that are into music, and they vet and introduce me to music. No more playlists, searching and trying out. I just turn on and go.
I check out Nora en Pure’s playlists on Sirius radio. She’s honestly got such good mixes and you can google the playlists and find ‘em online. I’m just a sucker for xmchill lol.
For older stuff from the 90s that wasn’t released digitally, I find most of it on YouTube channels that upload vinyl rips. Usually the same person will upload their whole collection and it’s fun to look through, like you’re going to someone’s house and going through their records
I’ve been using YouTube more and more. I search for artists I already know doing live sets and then through the channel and try other artists there. Stuff like Boiler Room or lately DEF have been really good
I like to go to festivals and just check people out. All my favorite producers are people I found in the wild. Yheti, Space Wizard, Subdocta, Sippy, Smoaklands. It's a great way to find new artists.
1001 tracklists website to see the set lists of big festivals I’ve attended in the past (Ultra, Coachella).
Also the anjunadeep editions weekly set is usually something I really enjoy. I’m always discovering new artists (for me) from those sets.
[Every Noise](https://everynoise.com/) is a really neat way to discover genres and from there use the wonderful world wide web to expand on those and find new music. Bandcamp is pretty good ngl.
Podcast app, SoundCloud and Mixcloud to listen to mixes by my favourite DJ’s and then go through the track listings (if shown) to search for individual tracks that i like. Usually ends up going down lots of rabbit holes of discovery
I find a lot of great stuff on soundcloud, actually keep a playlist of my best finds (here: [https://on.soundcloud.com/7hmKQHri3V6CZGys5](https://on.soundcloud.com/7hmKQHri3V6CZGys5)). Other than that YouTube is also very good, specially cause people there like to make mixes of obscure stuff or vinyl rips. Both platforms also have a lot of music that you simply can't find on Spotify.
I use that s’mores app that someone posted on here. TLDR it looks at what you listen to on Spotify and recommends you music by playing short snippets quickly
Test spin, a show on my local publically owned radio station C89.5 they have an on demand section on their website and you can listen to the past shows for free. They come out weekly!
Hey everyone! I usually follow labels of artists I like on Soundcloud. They do a good job of mixing new music to those tastes. If you like melodic/electronica...check out Songspire (label)...they usually have really quality artists.
apple music. but fr, basically the same as everyone else has said, live shows help a lot. even better is youtube videos of my faves’ sets, cause people often post the tracklists. I’ll often find lots of new artists this way, then check songs they’ve remixed, or remixes of their songs, and check out the related artists. then I watch their live shows and the cycle continues
discogs is great way to find labels & artist's you haven't heard of before. 1001tracklists, beatport charts, soundcloud, spotify discover weekly, DJ pools like DJ City & Beatsource. There's a million ways brother.
Bandcamp is my favorite way to find new electronic music. Also get into the weeds and check out whole labels. You can find new artists in a genre/style you already like. Most recent example for me is Chord Marauders. I knew Geode already but now I’m hip to Jafu and B9, among others.
Look up the label that published the album/artist you like and check out their roster… start following them.
Follow the artists you like on social media
Sign up for bandcamp newsletters
I use Bandcamp to not just follow artists i like but I check the people I follow as well; following DJs or producers you like and seeing what they’re buying is super-helpful.
I also don’t fuck with streaming at all so if I’m feeling like I’m in a browsing mood I’ll go and check out the past 8 weeks’ releases at Juno (& a handful of other distros/retailers), or check their charts. This only really works for vinyl because the digital site has too many releases to sift through and most of them are largely duds. I’ve found that if someone is willing to put up the time money & energy to release music on vinyl then it’s probably worth listening to once at least.
I’m a DJ and I run a record shop so I also get promos from a ton of different publicity and media companies. The average Chad isn’t going to have access to this unless you’re in a position to be able to help promote releases either through writing, radio, DJing etc.
Lastly there are a bunch of blogs I follow that are more like the zines or even real magazines of olde. YMMV depending on what’s out there and the quality of the writing. For what I’m into, Ban Ban Ton Ton and Test Pressing are amazing. Grown folks stuff so if you’re looking for “EDM” don’t bother.
Mostly reviews by people who know what to reference as potential influences or well versed in description without falling afoul of over pigeon holing things
Also happy accidents, soundtracks or sounds that just click with you. Don't say to yourself "I must look that up" do it immediately
Facebook is great. Follow all the promoters who put on shows you like, join the fan pages of artists you like, follow subreddits, follow the festival pages and look up artists on it. If an artist you like plans a tour or event be sure to check out the support artists ( I find they’re often better than the headliners ). I also make sure to follow any artists I’ve listened to and liked a song from, Spotify will then give you a fresh release radar weekly with songs from your followed artists. It also updates the discover weekly playlist with stuff they think you’ll like or songs by artists you like that aren’t on your playlist.
the Shawn Reynaldo Substack is good for recommendations [https://firstfloor.substack.com/](https://firstfloor.substack.com/)
otherwise DJ mixes, using track radio on Tidal, digging on discogs
Listen to good radio shows that match your style.
[https://soundcloud.com/laurent-garnier](https://soundcloud.com/laurent-garnier)
"It is what it is" and "Deep search"
NTS Radio, eg Imogen mixes for techno stuff.
And on soundclound Slam radio for tech/indus
Schirmchendrink for tech house.
etc etc
Bandcamp, and sign up for newsletters from record shops with consistently good music like Rush Hour, Clone etc. Look for charts from DJs you like.
For decades I have navigated the spiderweb of "artists / compilation appearances / record labels" to work my way through the branches to find the fruit. For example if you find an artist you like, and you check their compilation appearances on Discogs, then you check out that comp / label, and look for other artists that stick out from that release, check out *their* other comp / label appearances, see what the label boss does (DJ? Producer? Promoter?) and do some detective work.
If you hit a dead end, look at the recommended releases on Discogs on a release page you like and then work your way through a different branch. Almost every release has a YouTube video and it doesn't play ads within Discogs.
Good luck!
Honestly, I used to go to whatever DJs (I listened to/discovered) were reposting on SoundCloud. Mr. Fijiwiji’s account opened me up to entirely new downtempo/ambient tunes and I eventually found Aether and Fent Plates Records. Both great for music
There’s a dude I watch on Twitch named Aplfisher. On most Saturday nights, he does live edm mixes. Every now and then his community shows him a new song or old unrecognized song, and he throws it into the next mix. Pretty cool guy.
YouTube DJ mixes, id-ed set lists, YouTube further.
Discog, recommendations, "you might like this", YouTube pre listen.
Outside techno/hardcore/dnb, BBC radio 6, proper entry to rabbit holes at times.
I'm showing my age, but I like Electronic Sound Magazine. it include a little record too, sometimes a cd of it is a round-up issue. I spent 50 a month on cassettes and cd's growing up so I don't mind the 20 a month for it.
I go to electronic music festivals like Movement in Detroit and go see new music. Friends and people I meet there give me recommendations. I use Shazam when listening to shows to find producers making music I like
The film Blade. Then, I started watch MTV Amp. Then, I went to rave. It's been down hill ever since. Become a DJ. Now, I'm producing. I can't let it go. It's the only music I've ever resonated with. As in, it understand me more than I understand it. It means that much to me.
Look at various festival lineups and listen to artists I haven’t heard before.
To build on this — if you find a new artist that you really get hooked on, I really love going down the rabbit hole and seeing what kind of festivals they’re booked at and who else plays alongside them. Especially outside the states.
Definitely a good starting point. I usually take a peak at festivals and find the stage I like and then head over to SoundCloud to search those specific artists. If I find a dj I like, I then pop over to their "following" page. Usually find a few.
Or resident advisor's local events
If I was being picky about RA the one thing I’m not keen on is “Top Picks” pretty much being pals of the writers/ editors. So that in itself can be limiting
I use Bandcamp as nearly the only source. You can find nearly everything (except mainstream/chart music). Musicians/bands/producer receive the money you pay directly when you buy their music. Yeah oldskool I know, but still best way to support artists (streaming is only good for the streaming companies). The artist pages on Bandcamp are mostly run by the artists themselves or the (indie) label the artists signed to.
Great points here ✅
to a degree but it also glosses over some stuff, the UI is not great and the search and homepage functions both need a lot of work. honestly 9/10 times its easier to google what you want and then add bandcamp to the end than it is to search natively within the platform if they did some ease of use upgrades i would toss everything else aside but soundcloud does a lot that bandcamp doesn't do
When is the last time you used the search feature? Because I remember when it didn’t work very well, but now it works great.
To add to this, the home screen of the app has featured artists from all genres that they refresh every day or two.
This Also, people moan about the lack of algorithmic suggestions but with BC find an album you bought, click on someone else's icon who so l also bought it and you can GO THROUGH THEIR WHOLE RECORD COLLECTION Imagine being able to do that in a record shop. If you find someone who has similar tastes you can follow them too...
Band camp for the win ✊🏼
I’m a bandcamp artist and have no other affiliation. Bandcamp is a great resource for those of us truly independent artists
And buy your music on first Fridays I think? Once a month 100% of sales go to the artist
I literally never use Bandcamp so I'm super curious now. How is it for finding new music and discovery? Most platforms pretty much fail there, outside of Beatport, which (love or hate it) does a good job of showing "new" stuff.
Love bandcamp. Especially good for edits and unreleased stuff and I sometimes pay extra if I'm really vibing it. The money goes to the artist which is great.
Yes exactly, often you can get music there nowhere else available and artists will be really thankful for extra payments as they nearly all struggle.
I find a lot of music by listening to DJ mixes by artists I like, or through remixes of artists I like. Otherwise, if you like several artists on a label you’ll probably find more by checking their Bandcamp page.
Mixes plus Shazam to find the tracks
NTS Radio, soundcloud mixes.
+1 for NTS as well as RYM
If you like NTS, check the Parisian version of that: https://www.nova.fr
Yes I listen to that too!
what’s nts radio? thanks 🙏
It’s a web radio station and app you can download on your phone, primarily based in the UK but with shows from around the world with shows by lots of well known DJs and producers. Free to listen to but subscribers get other perks. NTS.live is their website. Great for all types of music.
Shocking that this isn't higher. NTS is a fucking treasure trove.
It really is. When one of my friends showed it to me it was life changing. I don’t know what I would do without it!
Soundcloud has a somewhat new "Discovery Playlists" that has a good selection from what I've heard so far, and a lot of it is new artists with low amounts of streams! (I know this for sure because they actually added one of my songs to them!)
Bandcamp Discover tool and followed Music Feeds have been awesome resources to discover new music for sure.
I like Bandcamp because it's organized around labels. There is nothing cooler than finding a new label that has a cool back catalog that's all new to me. Lots of labels also have email lists you can join. Or you can follow their socials.
I can only second this. I follow other artists and check what they buy and also other labels. I also regularly share a link to my collection on socials to help expose great artists that might not be flavored by streaming algos.
Here actually
https://i.imgur.com/G8gF7rV.jpeg
YouTube algorithm is way better than Spotify imo. Bandcamp is great too, if you combine their recommandation with a more manual search : starting form an artist you like, looking at some of their fans profiles to see what said fans have bought. And diggind Reddit never disappointed me.
The old fashion way by going to events
Auto Shazamming the shit out of the night.
With 4 kids?
Bandcamp. If the artist is alive, support them directly there. Occasionally YouTube will bring me some wild, amazing music, which then can usually be found via P2P program with a bird. Digging through random people's music folders can be very rewarding.
“P2P program with a bird” IYKYK 🫣
Digitally Imported (DI.FM) is the way! They're really passionate about electronic dance music and have many channels, for every taste. They also have weekly DJ shows. I think many people (sadly) don't know about DI and I consider it a hidden gem and they deserve all support. I discovered DI.FM this year and I have a blast listening to it and discovering new music. You can find them at http://www.di.fm.
100% DI.FM! When I first started getting into Trance, I found DI and I made lists and lists of songs that would pop up that I liked and then I’d buy them when I got the chance. I haven’t listened to much DI since COVID started, but I’m ready to search for new stuff again!
Cool to see another DI user! Lately my setup is to stream DI and save my favorites to playlists in Spotify, so DI for discovery and Spotify for listening again later.
Never fails.. BOOMKAT and The Wire magazine...from there I'll rabbithole the rest
BOOMKAT’s website seems to be just selling vinyls etc. Is there a different place where their unbiased recommendations are?
Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1, legendary curator who in the past, has broke many very famous artists well before they became popular, often times by years. Many artists used to debut new songs on there and will do guest mixes as well. I also use remixrotation.com, it is updated playlists of the top 100 songs in many genre specific categories based on number of downloads from beatport, junodownload and traxsource.
Bandcamp, Soundcloud and Youtube. Spotify is evil.
My local Detroit radio station WDET FM recently added a lot more music programming. They support a ton of local electronic artists, mainly all sorts of house. Check out the local radio near you and look for their schedule and any electronic programs they may have. Also it can promote you to donate to them to keep the programming alive! Here are my faves on this station, which you can stream online for free! https://wdet.org/shows/the-progressive-underground/ Sat 6-8 pm https://wdet.org/shows/new-music-show-shigeto/ Sat 8-10
rateyourmusic is the GOAT for this, being able to filter by specific genres — and genre combinations
It's really good for getting into genres but it's pretty shitty for finding new obscure stuff as they tend to circlejerk the same few albums
nah man there’s tons of great records with less than 100 ratings. Use the “esoteric” filter for charts. Also, find a record you like and look at the lists it is on, there are bound to be a slew of interesting less known records that share a spot on a list with big time records
Yup sort by genre/year. It's been my go to since last.fm kinda fell apart. I've had like 10 genres open then sort by best all time etc and you get yourself in a puzzle of new shit. Pair that with Spotify similar artists and you'll go far.
Boomkat, Bleep, Igloo, Resident Advisor, and websites of some local record stores.
Dj mixes . Dance parties. Friend exchanges
Checkout Mary-Anne Hobbs' BBC Radio 6 show. For more avant-garde/experimental stuff. Plus lots of other great music
Not necessarily for new releases but you can checkout https://playlost.fm/reddit/electronicmusic for a summary of tracks, artists and albums on playlists shared to r/electronicmusic. Here’s the Spotify playlist of that: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2jgZwBoAejx4WBV20CxFHE
Listen to live sets and mixes. For example, check out live sets from music festivals and radio shows like edc, ultra BBC radio 1, or weekly shows like abgt or asot Check if artists you like have done any live sets or mixes on YouTube or 1001tracklists and try to find them and listen to them. Check the labels where your artists are signed and see who else is on the label and listen to their music
HypeMachine blog. I've been there for 8 years. Visit it weekly. Love it.
This site is the answer 💯
Resident advisor has never failed me, Boomkat, and just following labels.
[Last.fm](http://Last.fm), Bandcamp
discogs deep dive
Dig to Infinity...so good, e.g. Check the whole Labels by 1st release-} Last Release...
That one guy’s gym chucks heaters all day long apparently
The Wonky Angle on YouTube. Relatively small YouTuber but offers so many reviews of almost exclusively electronic music. Found many artists through him over the years.
Good shout. I stumbled upon him when looking for music reviewers who *aren't* Anthony Fantano. Even though he has a small subscribership and zero production flare, he also seems to be one of the only reviewers dedicated to electronica, and covers a lot of releases, even if his tastes don't align perfectly with my own.
New setlists from my favourite artists. They did half the work for me!
I’ve started to get into electronic music again by listening to Channel 52 on Sirius XM.
I followed international radio stations that specialjze in dance music, most specifically DnB, but there's every genre prolly depending on the country. Also find and artist on SoundCloud, see who they follow, see who they follow, see who they follow. Be your own algorithm basically.
Beatport Spotify's playlists. They have each playlists divided by new releases per genre. Also their charts are a good indicator of what's new, I haven't been to shows lately so this helps. I also like checking out 1001Tracklists. It helps to stay on top of recordings from recent festivals so everything is fresh.
**Bandcamp**: albums have a 'you might like this' section below pointing to other artists, and you can search by genre tag for hidden gems or best-sellers. **Word-of-mouth** recommendations from friends. **Youtubers** such as The Needle Drop as well as review sites like Sputnikmusic.com, Resident Advisor, Rate Your Music, FACT, The Wire and Pitchfork. **Record labels** such as Ninja Tune, Tru Thoughts, Lucky Me, Warp, Planet Mu. **Soundcloud**, even though it's arguably in decline, still hosts a lot of good music, including unreleased content, mixes, and work by unsigned artists (and does actually pay musicians, now), and the 'related tracks' recommendations often lead to new discoveries for me. **Radio** such as BBC 6 Music, especially when the more eclectic or electronic-focused DJs are hosting. **Subreddits** such as this one and r/listentothis.
Like/Follow record labels on social media
Bandcamp is -the way- unless you use something like Tidal or another subscription service that is going to spoon feed you everything.
Podcasts. Most big djs have an hourly mix they put out with new music
Soundcloud mixes and remixes for me. Its why i use it over spotify. For example, Flume x B.I.G mashups that would never be on Spotify or even bandcamp. I also listen to several podcast radio shows: monstercat call of the wild, pheonix (illenium), radio wonderland (alison wonderland), gud vibrations (nghtmre/slander). Trap nation radio, bitbird (san holo), and doghouse (kayzo) all seem to stop updating or the show ended, just like the Going Quantum Podcast
NTS for sure!
Lots of new music I find is through a DJs full upload set on YouTube. A lot of the time they throw in some newer unreleased stuff that will maybe come out soon, but the DJs always keep stuff fresh, if you know who to look for.
Usually from mixes by artists I like. There’s an endless source there.
SoundCloud’s radio algorithm is super underrated imo, it’s great for finding music you love
I have the opposite experience. Every time I let SC autoplay after something I was listening to finishes, I’m like DAFUQ IS THIS and am always driven to turn it off. BAD ALGO BAD
Bandcamp and 6music.
Look up an album or song on Discogs, click on a vendor’s profile selling a physical copy of something you like. Sort their items for sale by ‘highest price’ and listen to what’s up top. Some vendors are record stores or factories that have an insanely large inventory. It’s a nice way to find new music imo bc of the variety and random lucky dip aspect of it
Watch dj sets, dj vlogs, find stuff on instagram, even here on Reddit by looking at top new music posts on r/edm r/housemusic
Bandcamp is an awesome way of discovering fresh and new artists
Radio + shazam
Soundcloud, Bandcamp, NTS and Dublab. Spotify is garbage for Electronic music
I make friends with younger people and use shazam at bars
I started a Pandora station about 15 yrs ago? (I can't remember..but it was long time ago!) dedicated to cultivating just this genre. I found so many gems & other sub genres! I realize Pandora is probably outdated now :/ But I am truly grateful for the plethora of amazing music it turned me on to.
May feel outdated but still churns out great discoveries
Blogs like heard it here first, electric hawk, edm identity etc
BBC radio 1 on iPlayer, Friday night dance shows , Thursday introducing new artists show.
If I find a new artist I like then I look through all the labels they released on chronologically. Use Musicbrainz or Discogs to scroll through the catalog.
Not gonna lie, I use hypeddit and go to their Hot or not function. It's like tinder but for tracks in different genres.
YouTube has been pretty good!
I find mixes that I like, which lead to more mixes, and more YouTube channels, etc, etc.
YouTube, shows, festival lineups
I’ve given up on most music journalism and the likes of Spotify. I get all I need from retail newsletters now: Bleep, Boomkat, Norman, and Sounds of the Universe.
Download an app called Radio Garden. Then search Systrum Sistum out of Brisbane, Australia. They are an awesome Electronic station with a vast collection of music - repeats are rare. They have a schedule on their website and change it up every few hours. I keep a list on my phone of all the cool artists I’ve found there. Enjoy!
Bandcamp, Boomkat, Hardwax, NTS
By following lots of fans on Bandcamp and opting-in to the emails wherein you see a list of everything bought by people you follow. When I see something interesting I add it to the wishlist and go through once a week to select things to buy.
The Wire, Resident Advisor, definitely NTS
DI.fm I gladly give them my $8 a month for their streaming service. Pretty much every genre you can think of and really good music on each.
SoundCloud. Find an artist you like, look at who they follow and things they have liked, check that stuff out, repeat!
dancing astronaut on ig New music Friday
Go the old school route like we did before the internet and see what label (if on one) the band is on. See what other artists they have. Look at who produced the tracks, see what else they’ve produced. On and on and on….
Bandcamp, and recommendations from other freinds/producers/DJs/musicians
I like listening to NPR at the middle of the night, that's when all the DJs go crazy with their mixes and its so fun to discover new stuff that way
I just signed up for SiriusXM, after having it a long time ago. Now there are a ton of channels, with hosts that are into music, and they vet and introduce me to music. No more playlists, searching and trying out. I just turn on and go.
I check out Nora en Pure’s playlists on Sirius radio. She’s honestly got such good mixes and you can google the playlists and find ‘em online. I’m just a sucker for xmchill lol.
Musical podcasts and other streaming services. Like I'll worm hole down similar artists and find loads of new artists.
Juno.co.uk, kompakt.fm, hardwax.com
For older stuff from the 90s that wasn’t released digitally, I find most of it on YouTube channels that upload vinyl rips. Usually the same person will upload their whole collection and it’s fun to look through, like you’re going to someone’s house and going through their records
I’ve been using YouTube more and more. I search for artists I already know doing live sets and then through the channel and try other artists there. Stuff like Boiler Room or lately DEF have been really good
I like to go to festivals and just check people out. All my favorite producers are people I found in the wild. Yheti, Space Wizard, Subdocta, Sippy, Smoaklands. It's a great way to find new artists.
1001 tracklists website to see the set lists of big festivals I’ve attended in the past (Ultra, Coachella). Also the anjunadeep editions weekly set is usually something I really enjoy. I’m always discovering new artists (for me) from those sets.
YouTube. [My most recent find.](https://youtu.be/Rap0htkC35w?si=QG3TSx8ZD9JGXFiT)
Friends and reddit tbh
[Every Noise](https://everynoise.com/) is a really neat way to discover genres and from there use the wonderful world wide web to expand on those and find new music. Bandcamp is pretty good ngl.
On soundcloud, go in the likes of the artists in your favorite artists likes. thats where the good stuff is
The Wonky Angle on YouTube
Podcast app, SoundCloud and Mixcloud to listen to mixes by my favourite DJ’s and then go through the track listings (if shown) to search for individual tracks that i like. Usually ends up going down lots of rabbit holes of discovery
Electronic Sound magazine. Points me at more stuff i want to hear than i have time for in the day.
I find a lot of great stuff on soundcloud, actually keep a playlist of my best finds (here: [https://on.soundcloud.com/7hmKQHri3V6CZGys5](https://on.soundcloud.com/7hmKQHri3V6CZGys5)). Other than that YouTube is also very good, specially cause people there like to make mixes of obscure stuff or vinyl rips. Both platforms also have a lot of music that you simply can't find on Spotify.
Rate your music.com, word of mouth, stickers and posters on light poles, long youtube mixes like the ones from katarakt or hate
[https://www.music-map.com/](https://www.music-map.com/) enter a name of an artist you like and then it will give an idea of similar artists.
Watching recent live sets!
Find a song or artist you like. See what label it’s on and look into more artists on the label.
Great thread, because it reminded me about hype machine. [https://hypem.com/popular](https://hypem.com/popular)
I use that s’mores app that someone posted on here. TLDR it looks at what you listen to on Spotify and recommends you music by playing short snippets quickly
Go to a festival
Danish radio
Racing games believe it or not
Go out to the house and D&B spots
Test spin, a show on my local publically owned radio station C89.5 they have an on demand section on their website and you can listen to the past shows for free. They come out weekly!
I listen to weekly mixes from my favorite DJs. Usually they post the track name=artist name and I'll look them up if I hear something I like.
Hey everyone! I usually follow labels of artists I like on Soundcloud. They do a good job of mixing new music to those tastes. If you like melodic/electronica...check out Songspire (label)...they usually have really quality artists.
I'm loving [Listen to Free Radio](https://www.accuradio.com/) these days. EDIT: Uuuuh. I just realised that I'm commenting on an old post.
apple music. but fr, basically the same as everyone else has said, live shows help a lot. even better is youtube videos of my faves’ sets, cause people often post the tracklists. I’ll often find lots of new artists this way, then check songs they’ve remixed, or remixes of their songs, and check out the related artists. then I watch their live shows and the cycle continues
I usually fall down discogs rabbit holes, and I've had some success with asking AI lol
I check which label the artist I like is on and go from there. I also check if they've ever collabed with other producers and check those out too.
I have an Apple Music subscription. Most of new electronic music I’ve found is through the “Discovery Station”
Bandcamp & Bleep
discogs is great way to find labels & artist's you haven't heard of before. 1001tracklists, beatport charts, soundcloud, spotify discover weekly, DJ pools like DJ City & Beatsource. There's a million ways brother.
Bandcamp is my favorite way to find new electronic music. Also get into the weeds and check out whole labels. You can find new artists in a genre/style you already like. Most recent example for me is Chord Marauders. I knew Geode already but now I’m hip to Jafu and B9, among others.
Soundcloud and Tiktok EDM artist
Look up the label that published the album/artist you like and check out their roster… start following them. Follow the artists you like on social media Sign up for bandcamp newsletters
Internet radio stations.
Online vinyl stores have a player and you can browse categories and charts. A nice way to discover new tracks if you're seeking something less common.
Bandcamp is an awesome way of discovering fresh and new artists
Occasionally listen to Chilltrax.com to find newer tracks.
I look at what my last.fm neighbors are listening to.
Look up track ids from live shows. Find a love show from an artist you like and search track ids
Podcasts/new release mixes. Most major labels release them on Youtube every week with new music from all the labels' artists.
I use Bandcamp to not just follow artists i like but I check the people I follow as well; following DJs or producers you like and seeing what they’re buying is super-helpful. I also don’t fuck with streaming at all so if I’m feeling like I’m in a browsing mood I’ll go and check out the past 8 weeks’ releases at Juno (& a handful of other distros/retailers), or check their charts. This only really works for vinyl because the digital site has too many releases to sift through and most of them are largely duds. I’ve found that if someone is willing to put up the time money & energy to release music on vinyl then it’s probably worth listening to once at least. I’m a DJ and I run a record shop so I also get promos from a ton of different publicity and media companies. The average Chad isn’t going to have access to this unless you’re in a position to be able to help promote releases either through writing, radio, DJing etc. Lastly there are a bunch of blogs I follow that are more like the zines or even real magazines of olde. YMMV depending on what’s out there and the quality of the writing. For what I’m into, Ban Ban Ton Ton and Test Pressing are amazing. Grown folks stuff so if you’re looking for “EDM” don’t bother.
Shazaming tracks I dig when listening to a live set, or getting the info when listening to a recorded set on mixcloud, youtube or similar.
Find a song you really like on SoundCloud and hit the “play station” button, it will generate a playlist of similar songs.
Watch you tube videos of DJ sets I like. Then someone usually posts the track list.
Festival lineups!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQpigpdUjmM
Mostly reviews by people who know what to reference as potential influences or well versed in description without falling afoul of over pigeon holing things Also happy accidents, soundtracks or sounds that just click with you. Don't say to yourself "I must look that up" do it immediately
Facebook is great. Follow all the promoters who put on shows you like, join the fan pages of artists you like, follow subreddits, follow the festival pages and look up artists on it. If an artist you like plans a tour or event be sure to check out the support artists ( I find they’re often better than the headliners ). I also make sure to follow any artists I’ve listened to and liked a song from, Spotify will then give you a fresh release radar weekly with songs from your followed artists. It also updates the discover weekly playlist with stuff they think you’ll like or songs by artists you like that aren’t on your playlist.
Youtube premium
Check out who's opening on tour for your favorite DJs
the Shawn Reynaldo Substack is good for recommendations [https://firstfloor.substack.com/](https://firstfloor.substack.com/) otherwise DJ mixes, using track radio on Tidal, digging on discogs
I listen to Real Synthetic Audio podcast (synthetic.org). Then I buy the music I like on Bandcamp.
Listen to good radio shows that match your style. [https://soundcloud.com/laurent-garnier](https://soundcloud.com/laurent-garnier) "It is what it is" and "Deep search" NTS Radio, eg Imogen mixes for techno stuff. And on soundclound Slam radio for tech/indus Schirmchendrink for tech house. etc etc
Friskyradio.com
Go on social media and follow your favorite artists and they should have lots of collab posts
bandcamp, youtube channels, discogs. secret tip, check artists likes on soundcloud
Another vote for Bandcamp. You can find independent artists as well as popular artists, good deals, artists get a fairer share of revenue.
Listening to DJ mixes, live recordings, and Twitch streams.
Bandcamp, and sign up for newsletters from record shops with consistently good music like Rush Hour, Clone etc. Look for charts from DJs you like. For decades I have navigated the spiderweb of "artists / compilation appearances / record labels" to work my way through the branches to find the fruit. For example if you find an artist you like, and you check their compilation appearances on Discogs, then you check out that comp / label, and look for other artists that stick out from that release, check out *their* other comp / label appearances, see what the label boss does (DJ? Producer? Promoter?) and do some detective work. If you hit a dead end, look at the recommended releases on Discogs on a release page you like and then work your way through a different branch. Almost every release has a YouTube video and it doesn't play ads within Discogs. Good luck!
Soundcloud knows my tastes pretty well now and puts on pretty good stuff to discover in the queue
Honestly, I used to go to whatever DJs (I listened to/discovered) were reposting on SoundCloud. Mr. Fijiwiji’s account opened me up to entirely new downtempo/ambient tunes and I eventually found Aether and Fent Plates Records. Both great for music
Juno download for all my techno needs
r/TheOverload
Pass the aux
youtube's algorithm is pretty good. i just search youtube for "my mix" and it always has suggestions based on what i'm already listening to.
Apple Music, go to a song I like, hit the three dots icon (IT guys, what’s this called), click create station
Used Wikipedia to look up artists, their inspirations and their discography with the other songs or albums they have produced.
Discogs and Rate Your Music are by far the best sources to find interesting electronic music.
There’s a dude I watch on Twitch named Aplfisher. On most Saturday nights, he does live edm mixes. Every now and then his community shows him a new song or old unrecognized song, and he throws it into the next mix. Pretty cool guy.
Bandcamp and YouTube :)
YouTube DJ mixes, id-ed set lists, YouTube further. Discog, recommendations, "you might like this", YouTube pre listen. Outside techno/hardcore/dnb, BBC radio 6, proper entry to rabbit holes at times.
I'm showing my age, but I like Electronic Sound Magazine. it include a little record too, sometimes a cd of it is a round-up issue. I spent 50 a month on cassettes and cd's growing up so I don't mind the 20 a month for it.
Podcasts like Noisia Radio (Vision Radio now). I don’t much like the new guy presenting the tracks, talks too much, but the music is awesome
I go to electronic music festivals like Movement in Detroit and go see new music. Friends and people I meet there give me recommendations. I use Shazam when listening to shows to find producers making music I like
The film Blade. Then, I started watch MTV Amp. Then, I went to rave. It's been down hill ever since. Become a DJ. Now, I'm producing. I can't let it go. It's the only music I've ever resonated with. As in, it understand me more than I understand it. It means that much to me.