Edgelands 2026: Plaid + Dhangsha + A'Bear

Playful and wondrous, their 11th album ‘Feorm Falorx’ is generally gentler than the dark angularity of its predecessor ‘Polymer’, but it’s no less deep, and maintains the melodicism for which they’re loved. It’s still highly rhythmic too - traversing ‘Set If Off’ hi-hats, digitised harpsichords, mangled mandolin, cascading strings, rude bass lines, mercurial grooves and even a touch of goth guitar.Keen advocates of technology, here they manage to sound cutting edge, but also warm, human and nostalgic - purveying a sort of high-tech-retro-futurism.

As usual they’re ever evolving, but there’s also line traceable right back within their own music. From their maverick early releases until now, they’ve embraced new methods of synthesis and explored diverse musical styles, maintaining a thread that spins through the early hip hop of their youth and beyond - to the sounds of the 60s and 70s that inspired it. 

Plaid have toured extensively and collaborated widely over the years, writing for andperforming with sonic researchers, percussion groups, solo artists and orchestras - mostrecently for the BBC Concert Orchestra. They have written for computer games and scoredseveral feature films, one of which, ‘Tekkon Kinkreet’, was awarded the Japan Academy Prizefor Animation of the Year.

DHANGSHA
“Dhangsha” (Bengali for ‘destruction’) is the project and alias of electronic artist Aniruddha Das. Dhangsha operates at an intersection of bass culture and experimental noise, exploring minimalism, repetition and fragmentation.

With the western “back-beat” having been jettisoned, his sequenced, overdriven kicks syncopate like traditional hand drums, underpinning metallic clave hi-hats and alien call and response motifs. Known for his visceral live sets, Dhangsha has performed throughout the UK and Europe, including repeat visits to renowned noise venue Cave12 in Geneva. He has appeared at both Iklectik and Cafe Oto in London several times, and twice at Industrial Coast, Middlesbrough. Festivals he has performed at include “Electric Spring,” “Supernormal" and “Bone-Iklectik,” Barcelona.

A'BEAR
A'Bear is a London-based psychedelic electronic project led by multi-continental musician, producer, and DJ Janine A'Bear. Known for cosmic polyrhythms, warped vocals, and dreamy textures, key releases include the albums Glammy Racket (2024) and Altered Fetes (2025).

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