The cross-pollination of bass music and the revitalisation of techno and house in recent years has radically transformed the broader spectrum of dance music; rendered anew by a fresh batch of new producers with uninhibited perspectives on the music’s history and its future. Belgian producer Locked Groove (aka Tim Van de Meutter) is one such deacon of dance music’s next generation; swiftly appropriating and innovating his way through the historical annals of techno and house with true flair and club-ready conviction.

Whether flirting with big room, one-strobe-light Berghain techno or visceral deep house – Locked Groove’s rambunctious take on soulful rhythm is wholly unique and versatile. His deeply personal sonic ideology opens up a vast emotional trajectory for him to explore as a producer, and his natural, flawless command of complex rhythms makes a strong argument towards his blatant potential as a decade-defining artist. His tunes already bear the foreshowing of a veteran in the field, even at this early phase of his artistic career.

What’s most surprising is that it was only in early 2011 that this 23 year old producer found himself starting to develop his own explosive hybrid of industrial techno and melancholic deep house with rapid pace.

Scouted by bass music impresario Scuba for the inclusion of ‘Drowning’ on his recent contribution to the DJ Kick’s series and for a forthcoming debut release on Hotflush Recordings, Locked Groove has quietly but confidently begun weaving his way into the collective consciousness. This growing anticipation has also seen Locked Groove sign onboard with Tiga’s recently reconfigured label, Turbo Recordings, where his work will no doubt add an experimental tension to a lengthy catalogue that boasts luminaries such as Boys Noize, Gesaffelstein, Proxy, Azari & III and Chromeo.

With these two bastions of dance music already on his side, it’s surely reasonable to say that 2012 could just well be Locked Groove’s year.

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