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Soaring ascents, the kind that can take an artist from obscurity to stardom in what seems to be the blink of an eye, don’t occur often, in dance music or elsewhere – those who are lucky enough to have that experience often disappear just as quickly. But there’s little chance of a quick fade for South Africa’s Palesa Desiree Shilabje, the DJ and producer known to the world as DESIREE, who in just a few short years has proved to be one of the international festival circuit’s most exciting new stars. Here, Bruce Tantum hears her story, and about how her evolution through music has been as organic as they come

1st May 1994 was the first big London protest against the looming Criminal Justice Bill, the piece of legislation that first proscribed a genre of music — rave music, “wholly or predominantly categorised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats” — in law. Despite widespread demonstrations at what was seen as draconian power-grabs by the UK authorities, the Bill became law later in 1994. Here, Harold Heath looks back at the reaction from the dance music community at the time, and the Act’s lasting impact on the rave scene today

Acid duo Paranoid London new album boasts a beefier sound than ever, and a host of new collaborators. Here, Joe Roberts meets them and learns how a chance meeting, faster tempos and the politics of the moment have shaped their new approach

The funding of independent radio stations is always precarious, but the current cost-of-living and energy crises threaten their survival. Following the shuttering of Worldwide FM and Bristol’s SWU FM, we look at the challenges facing these beloved cultural lifelines

The latest and greatest DJs and producers rising to the top this month. From hard-hitting techno and soulful house anthems to ravey post-punk bangers, here's June 2022's list of upcoming talent you should be keeping track of