Artists exciting us in 2025 / September

Asia's underground scene continues to flourish, a testament to its boundless creativity and ever-expanding influence.

With a treasure trove of talent scattered across the region and its diaspora, we’re thrilled to keep discovering fresh faces that might not be on your radar...yet.

In the spirit of sharing, Mixmag Asia will be featuring a number of arguably under-the-radar artists who are currently making exciting noise in—and freshly out of—their respective scenes.

Get ready to mark those calendars and upgrade those playlists; you’ll thank us later.

Taiwan’s a scene where the active are rewarded, and Bo Yin is a prime example of how to do it right. A regular behind the decks at FINAL, and having supported the likes of Iglooghost, umru and Mor Elian, she’s recently stepped into production with her debut release ‘Inside The Veil’, which landed in the summer. Across its two tracks, Bo Yin makes a bold statement of intent: off-kilter rhythms paired with a haunting, cinematic atmosphere that lingers long after listening. As she puts it, “I like to structure each section as a different chapter, as if telling a story rather than following a club-oriented formula”. The tension and release she conjures is wildly impressive for a debut. She’s spearheaded ‘Wu Ji 無極’, a compilation spotlighting some of Taiwan’s most forward-thinking producers, and is set to soundtrack a project for emerging fashion brand Renke and director Dexnxs. On top of all that, she’s got her debut Japan tour early next month. A perfect entry point into her sound? Her set at Taiwan’s TOHA Radio.

Tokyo-based Sakura Tsuruta has been charting her own path with a sound that blends dreamy melodies and potent, experimental sensibilities. Since breaking into Beatport’s Top 100 with her debut single in 2019, she’s released the acclaimed ‘Made of Air’ EP, two full-length albums on Mule Musiq and All My Thoughts, and soundtracked everything from fashion shows to immersive installations. Also a Berklee-trained educator and outspoken advocate for gender equality in music, she’s been featured on the cover of Forbes Japan’s 100 People Saving the World issue for her work supporting young artists. Now she brings her signature touch to Will Hofbauer’s Third Place label with ‘What Are You Drinking?’, out September 26, led by ‘Euphorique’; her most playful toast yet to connection on the dancefloor. It goes without saying that she’s got more projects already on the way.

Moving Parts co-founder Shrugs does indeed have multiple moving parts as a creative. The DJ, real name Carlos del Prado, has been spinning in Manila for over ten years with a style that blends house, r’n’b, acid jazz, and “the occasional Spice Girls track”, he tells Mixmag Asia. Recently featured in a Vogue Philippines feature on Filipino creatives, the Manila Community Radio regular is also the co-founder, alongside Eustacia Rodriguez, of ec, an eco-conscious unisex clothing line. With Wonderfruit and Equation festival sets under his belt, next up for Shrugs and fellow co-founder NomoClassiq is Moving Parts’ third anniversary, coming up on October 11 at the collective’s spiritual home, Nokal—be sure to save the date!

Seoul’s own Sina Hill has been shaping the city’s underground since 2018, bringing her soulful, jazz-inflected deep house and broken-beat flavours to dancefloors from Tokyo to Detroit. The face behind cultural hub Quest, her Visla FM show Hill the Beats, the forward-thinking Sambo Records crew, and a resident at MODECi, she’s shared decks with heroes like Moodymann, Marcellus Pittman, François K, and Todd Terje, while also curating nights that bring global talent like Kyle Hall and Touching Bass into the city. Her sound—soulful, jazzy, often raw with dubby textures—comes alive on her latest ‘Digital Soul Vol. 2’, a five-track analogue-heavy record that flexes house, electro, jungle, and hip hop. A must-listen-to set of hers? The Lot Radio with Darker Than Wax’s Marco Weibel. In the coming months, she’s got tour dates in Tokyo, Taipei, and Hong Kong, while for next year, ‘Digital Soul Vol. 3’ on vinyl and new collabs in the works.

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