The most obscure hip-hop artist at NXNE is definitely Why?. I’m not entirely sure if they should even be placed under hip-hop, but their most recent album, Mumps, Etc., seems to adopt more hip-hop influence than anything else. Conversely, their magnum opus LP Alopecia takes a more indie driven route, so it is obviously difficult to classify Why? in to any genre. Why? really encapsulates the NXNE lineup, as they are the type of indistinct sounding artist that one may discover by walking the streets of Toronto, but Why? have already garnered a significant following; they successfully broke the mould like many NXNE artists are attempting to do. With extremely personal songwriting from Yoni Wolf, complimented by eclectic instrumentation, Why? encompass the tribulations of an overly self-conscious young adult. And they manage to pull this off with beautiful sincerity; Yoni is an endearing lyricist, and he must be for Why?’s music to work at a personal level. Why? sounds like a misfit searching for a place to settle. The band echoes anxious and delicate emotions from a fabricated past. Their music is essentially intimate in subject matter, so go check out Why?’s admirable live show.

ELECTRONIC

Ryan Hemsworth is a Halifax born beat producer and DJ. Hemsworth has been gaining popularity within the blog world with his various remixes of current indie artists (Grimes, Frank Ocean). But he has also been releasing more original material, with his EP Last Words released last year on the WEDIDIT label run by electronic experimentalist Shlohmo, and recently he self-released a free EP called Still Awake. Ryan Hemsworth produces a unique style of instrumental hip-hop, taking unconventional samples from various genres of music and blending them into cohesive bangers. His style works well within the consistently good output of Shlohmo’s label and is easily comparable the likes of Groundislava or Salva. After having his own DJ mixes featured on many essential music blogs and by Mad Decent label frontrunner Diplo, Ryan Hemsworth is definitely one to look out for at NXNE.

Braids is an art pop, Montreal based, project that use progressive electro rhythms to compliment vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Presto’s delicate delivery. Braids’ debut, Native Speaker, was released just two years ago; the album featured excellent tracks such Lemonade, which integrated reverberated and delayed guitars on top of looping samples, creating an almost haunting atmosphere. Raphaelle’s vocals seem to float over the production, glistening through the polyrhythmic drum samples. Their music contains shoegaze qualities similar to Beach House, with droning sounds that build to anthemic highs and then fall to contrasting lows. Like Animal Collective, Braids are able to create collages of sounds that would otherwise not seem to work together. They are definitely one of the most interesting pop acts at the festival, with a large emphasis on live electronic sampling. For a unique blend of live and pre-recorded elements, definitely check out Braids.