Jess Mills - Pixelated People

When looking for ones to watch in the coming year, a general rule of thumb is to cast your eye over who did well in the year just coming to a close. Katy B ended becoming one of 2011's biggest, most universally acclaimed artists, so it was only to be expected that record labels would be clamouring to nab a new, similar artist.

Signed to Island we have Jess Mills, a photogenic beauty whose brand of dark, ethereal dance-pop sounds like the most wonderful and colour-imbued of dreams. The chorus of new single Pixelated People jerks and sparks across the speakers like an offshoot of lightning, low-fi synth rhythms bursting into existence and blossoming outwards like flowers.

Pixelated People feels effortlessly cool - even the title tells of a knowing engagement with social tropes and the digital trends of today. This is clever, powerful pop, all unleashed to a cracking beat.

As the track fades away on its hotbed of grumbling bass and star-light electronics, the lasting impression is an overwhelming eagerness for more. Pixelated People - a tantalising appetiser of what's to come in 2012 from Jess Mills.

Pixelated People is released on the 12th February.

Introducing... Encore

Now here's a boyband with a different angle on things. For starters, they work dubstep into their sound and feature a rapper. Signed to Island Records, and fresh from supporting Jessie J on tour, new band Encore consist of Mark, Cairo and Pierre. Boosting the impressive credentials of writing for artists such as Tinie Tempah and Talay Riley, they are also set to head out on tour with N-Dubz.

As you might imagine then, they present a fresh urban sound that, most importantly, comes across as genuine. The pop/dubstep mix, as displayed in debut single The One, works surprisingly well - perhaps a sign of how both sounds have progressed in recent years. It's a meeting of worlds and Encore seem to be the perfect act to front this kind of thing; delivering it in a credible, stylish fashion. Tracks like this present real crossover value too, feeling as if they could slot into the playlists of both Radio 1 and 1Xtra just as easily as each-other.

Follow Encore on Twitter at @wantmoreencore and visit their website http://www.wantmoreencore.com/ to download free track Chase The Light.