Introducing: The trio to know

Who? The man behind South Africa's frenzied Shangaan Electro sound
Sounds like The Smurfs working with Ladysmith Black Mambazo

We cover some real innovators, but those who've single-handedly invented their own musical genre are few and far between. But that's what Richard Mthetwa – more usually known as Nozinja – has done. The 44-year-old South African is the architect of the Shangaan electro sound, a frantic blend of bubblegum bleeps (almost broaching the 190BPM mark) and the irrepressibly joyful melodies of traditional South African folk music.

It all began in 2004 when the former mobile phone repairs shop owner set up a studio in his native Limpopo region. "I wanted to uncover new sounds," he booms in his jovial South African accent. "And I knew if I really wanted to experiment, I had to get my own studio."

Soon he was at the helm of a hub for local musicians recording under the shangaan electro banner, and as he puts it himself, the sound spread "like wildfire." With videos on YouTube show-casing the frantic dance moves linked to the sound, international interest was soon piqued with media outlets like The Guardian and CNN rushing to document the movement. Since then there's been a genre-defining compilation on Honest Jon's, a remix album featuring Theo Parrish, Actress and Caribou, and a bat-shit crazy Shaangan electro live show which has travelled the globe.

Now Nozinja's in the spotlight with his debut solo album on Warp. "The album's different to the stuff people know. There' are fast songs and slower songs, too. You can listen to it in your car, or you can dance to it," he says. Maybe Shangaan Electro's in with a shout of capturing drive-time radio yet.

'Nozinja Lodge' by Nozinja is out on Warp now

Who Rising LA-based Israeli techno selector
Sounds like Deep and mesmerising house and techno

Most artists will struggle against being boxed into a single genre, but for ever-evolving LA-based DJ Mor Elian, pinning her to one sound is genuinely tough. We'd say she plays deep, lo-fi techno that's equally suited to warming up or winding down, and her love of melody and tribal grooves has brought her in vogue with Southern California's burgeoning 'desert sound'.

Mor grew up sneaking into parties under her big sisters' wings during the booming Tel Aviv rave scene of the late 2000s. "They used to let me work the door at these events when I was a teenager!" she says. "The scene was all around me then."

After relocating to LA in her late teens, she got her start DJing with a residency at long-time local haunt El Cid. She was known then for playing anything from Afrobeat to funk and Italo disco, but over the years, stints in London and Berlin helped filter that eclecticism into her current sound.

Her first release, 'U Don't Know' with Sabo, was one of XLR8R's most downloaded singles last year, and her follow-up EP, which further focuses her take on muted techno, is set to drop on Trus'me's Prime Numbers imprint later this summer. But while she's working towards finding a consistent production sound that stays open to her ever-swelling pool of influences, Mor is determined not to box herself in. "I'm not trying to confuse people with my sound," she says. "I'm going to stay with techno for a while, but I'm influenced by so much music. The last thing I want to be is one dimensional."

Based on what we've heard so far, we don't think there's much chance of that.

'323 To Plaza' is out now on Prime Numbers

Who Stoke-On-Trent SoundCloud conqueror Sunil Heera
Sounds like Sun-kissed house with r'n'b swagger

Stoke-On-Trent may be the birthplace of Robbie Williams, Slash and er, the home of the UK's pottery industry, but in terms of electronic music, it's not that hot. Until now, that is. XO is a 19-year-old, fast-rising house music producer from the city.

In a relatively short space of time, Sunil Heera has gone from Fruity Loops dabbler to global hit-maker. And he's got his family to thank for getting him on the path in the first place. "There were a few uncles I grew up around that were massive d'n'b heads," he begins. "That was passed down to me along with a love for r'n'b and hip hop from my sister."

One look at his SoundCloud and it's easy to see that he's quickly gaining fans. Each of his tracks has hit around 300,000 plays, meaning he'd passed the million total plays mark by the time he'd put out just five productions. "It's massive – I never thought it would come to that," says Sunil. "I was always scared my music wouldn't reach the right people. Now it's a different kind of scared because of this level of recognition."

His sun-drenched, bouncy take on house has a Disclosure-esque twang, but there's a distinct r'n'b tone to his tracks that's giving him the edge. With a new EP just around the corner and the fact he's finally old enough to play in clubs, it won't be long before those SoundCloud plays turn into something much, much bigger.

'The Ethereal Experience' by XO is out on July 20 on He Loves You Not Recordings