Hailing from Stoke On Trent, 18 year old producer/songwriter Sunil Heera, aka. XO is just approaching his debut release with backing from many a music aficionado. Having streamed two original tracks earlier this year ‘Whats Luv’ featuring Emma Corbett-Usher and ‘Holdin ON’ featuring RobLaw, both captured attention from the likes of MNEK, Cyril Hahn, SOHN, Oliver Heldens, Secondcity and Stwo. Fast forward to the present day and he’s gained a sound which is very much his own. Fusing together elements of trip hop, house and RnB influences with his signature colourful production. His highly anticipated debut EP will certainly portray XO in a light that is yet to be seen. It is a testament to the fact that he is a formidable emerging force to be reckoned with and having stepped out of his comfort zone, he is ready to unleash the fruits of his labour.

Here we get under Heera’s skin hearing a little about his favourite tracks:

Jai Paul – “BTSTU”

I remember hearing this for the first time a few years back and just being blown away by the fact it was so raw and cutting edge. Jai’s style was something I had never come across before and I loved the mystery behind the whole project.

Ben Khan – “Eden” 

One thing I love about Ben Khan and his music is the way he polishes each track with the sickest, catchiest 80s style guitar riffs. I was intrigued by the “elephant horn” noises in this one too!

Disclosure – “Tenderly” 

This was one of the first Disclosure tracks I came across and still remains as one of my favourites. The high energy carnival vibes just worked so well with the 2-step/garage style drums and I was instantly hooked.

Justin Timberlake feat. T.I. – “My Love” 

JT & Timbaland are without doubt the best singer/producer combination I’ve ever come across. This was one of my favourite tunes growing up and the medley version is ridiculously good.

Jamie Woon – “Lady Luck” 

As a big Woon fan, it was only right to include this track. Everything from the songwriting to the vocals and production is just so ahead of its time.

 

Artful Dodger feat. Romina Johnson – “Moving Too Fast” 

These guys were one of the first garage acts to truly put the genre on the map to the masses. Pop structures with verses and hooks in a garage track was once unheard of, but it was done so well by Artful Dodger and this song is certainly a testament to that.

Stardust – “Music Sounds Better With You” 

This track is timeless for me, no matter how many times I hear it, I’ll never get bored of it. It’s an absolute classic and still such a belter in the clubs.

Johnny Rain – “Lovely Hallucination” 

The way this song was written was pretty much what grabbed me right from the beginning. I love the concept behind the track and it’s delivered perfectly.

Kanye West – “Say You Will”

808s & Heartbreaks was one of my favourite albums in high school as it was just so different to anything Kanye had done before. The ambiguity that was created through the production and songwriting is genius.