Our Top 10 Picks for This Year's Beyond The Valley • Howl & Echoes

It’s almost that time of that year, where merry festival-goers nationwide journey to the remote Lardner Park to party their hearts out and ring in the New Year with style at Beyond The Valley. If you haven’t yet got the memo, this year in particular is boasting Beyond The Valley’s biggest lineup yet, showcasing an even wider range of hip-hop, electronic and rock artists then ever before.

If you’re still contemplating whether to go or not, or simply aren’t just entirely sure who to see, don’t worry, we got you! Here’s our top ten picks for Victoria’s tastiest New Years fest.

Jme

If you don’t know his voice by now, have you been living under a rock? Born in Hackney and raised in Tottenham, Jme is one of UK Grime’s early originators, and is a definite must see. Co-founder of Boy Better Know alongside his brother, who you may know from last year’s Beyond the Valley in Skepta, Jme has been making music for over 10 years now, cementing himself as one of the realest in the genre.

His most recent album Intergrity > embodied this. One of the hardest albums from the UK in recent times, it was an incredible mix of bravado, lyricism and classically grimey beats. Make sure you don’t miss out on one of the finest proponents of a genre that has never been more popular.

Alex Lahey

Dropping her critically acclaimed B-Grade University EP back in July, and performing on Splendour In The Grass’ main stage as a Triple J Unearthed winner, it feels like almost overnight that Alex Lahey managed to brand herself as one of this year’s most promising breakout Aussie acts.

Backed by her upbeat and entirely feel-good style of garage rock, it’s almost the perfect soundtrack for those New Year vibes and hits like Let’s Go Out Tonight and You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me will be sure to make the crowd go wild.

Ryan Hemsworth

From his distinctive sampling style, mixed alongside his even more notable electronic and hip-hop sound, there’s an adept level of diversity with Ryan Hemsowrth as he produces anything from a complex soundscape to a bass heavy trap tune.

No doubt the Canadian is one of the more unique producers around at the moment, and live this is no different. His mixes share this variety, smoothly transitioning from the ill-est trap to the cleanest house tune in a heartbeat. We’d also like to acknowledge that Ryan is definitely our favourite Hemsworth and it’s not even close.

GoldLink

Despite performing so recently at this year’s Laneway Festival, we definitely aren’t going to complain that Washington emcee GoldLink is back so soon. He’s not coming empty handed though, since then he’s gone on to drop two new singles, the sultry Kaytranada and BADBADNOTGOOD-produced Fall In Love, alongside the equally groovy Rough Soul.

Adding these to his already diverse range of festival favourites, we can’t wait to see him bring his slick flow and dance-inspired raps back to our shores.

Motez

Arguably one of Australia’s best dance producers at the moment, it doesn’t take much to be drawn in to Motez’s deep and booming house sound. From his signature funky bass-lines, to his irresistible grooves and soaring synths, it’s a combination that can easily slip you into a trance and have you dancing for hours on end.

No doubt you’ll see us cutting shapes when Motez time comes.

What So Not

Despite losing founding member Flume in February of last year, Emoh Instead has been continually repping the What So Not name, and damn has he been putting in work. His latest EP Divide & Conquer without a doubt was his boldest work yet, packed to the brim with an array of choppy sounds and banging beats and contrasted with yet another selection of sky-high electronic ballads.

With this kind of diversity, who knows what he might bring to his set at Beyond the Valley. All we know is we’ll be grooving hard.

Sticky Fingers

Armed with an even larger selection of powerhouse rock anthems with the addition of their latest album Westway (The Glitter & the Slums), this certainly wouldn’t be a top ten list without a mention of our favourite Sydney lads Sticky Fingers.

While we’re still recovering from their truly mind-blowing set at this year’s Splendour, their truly infectious blend of hard-hitting rock riffs, reggae-infused grooves and bellow-along choruses can’t come sooner, and we can’t wait to vibe out to them once again.

Kllo

Amidst all the moshing, shape cutting, and throat ripping sing-alongs, it’s helpful to your festival stamina to take things down a notch once in a while to avoid burning yourself out too quickly, and what better than with the cousin duo act Kllo. With singer Chloe Kaul’s beautifully luscious tone gliding over a range of their down-tempo and house influenced beats, it’s hard to deny the pair’s unmistakable chemistry.

Coming off the release of their debut EP, this invigorating duo certainly aren’t to be missed.

Lunice

It’s been quite a few years since we last saw the Canadian bass king, but luckily for us he’s made it back. While you may know him for his work alongside Hudson Mohawke (also at BTV) with their duo TNGHT, Lunice‘s solo work is just as incredible, with a brutally dark and heavy sound that needs to be heard to be believed.

At the start of this year, Lunice onfirmed that his debut album 360 would be arriving sometime throughout, but despite this acknowledgement there still haven’t been any signs… yet. Perhaps Beyond The Valley will be the place we might finally hear some of these heavily anticipated tunes?

Chance The Rapper

If you weren’t planning on seeing Lil Chano, seriously…what are you thinking? Chance The Rapper is without a doubt one of the most genuine, talented artists in the game right now. After just three projects and a slew of collabs, his unique, loveable and feel-good sound has captured the hearts of millions worldwide, branding him as one of the most vital artists of our time.

While we can’t predict the future, it’s safe to say that seeing Chance live will be a lot more than your average gig, so just make sure you’re there to recieve these blessings, and if you’re having an off day and still need more reasons to see Chance? Check this out: What to Expect from Chance the Rapper’s Debut Australian Tour!