HEISK

Punchy drums, electronic flourishes, ear-catching grooves: this is instrumental trad-inspired tunes taken out of the pub and elevated to the dance tent, complete with disco lights and smoke machine. Indeed, there is a track called ‘Disco’, where catwalk beats saunter through sophisticated keys before the fiddles and accordion burst in and attempt to steal the show. Sophie Ellis-Bextor would be proud. ‘Rushin’ takes the Monster Ceilidh Band approach to fiddle-driven dance, with pounding bass adding menace and upbeat drums telling us when to kick off our shoes, while the opening of ‘Grethy’ sets the scene with electronica.

If the above sounds like a cacophonous stunt, an attempt to fuse unlikely genres, then be reassured: these are musicians that know exactly what they're doing. The arrangements are neat, beautifully textured, and have evolved out of a diet of myriad influences, including pop, jazz and, yes, disco. But the careful consideration doesn't stop at the music: it extends out to the team behind the scenes, with an all-woman cast of producers, engineers, and promoters. This is a package that has been given great thought and it deserves great recognition in response. There is much more to come from HEISK – you'll be glad you caught them at the beginning.