Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-18 Days: Khruangbin

This three piece from Texas eschew traditional down-home boogie for the esoteric delights of Thai funk and drifting, dream-like grooves, as in the video below.

As you can see, they're not short on talent (or, for 2 out of 3 of them, hair) and when their music find its groove it's a real treat.

Their album 'The Universe Smiles Upon You' was recently released on the Late Night Tales record label, which gives you some idea of the kind of vibe they create. There are a couple of chances to catch them on Sunday this year at Glastonbury - I'll probably see you at the Park first thing in the morning (before drifting over to Four Tet's early morning DJ set in the Stonebridge bar, which will follow this perfectly).

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-19 Days: Oscar

Indie-pop has somewhat fallen out of fashion these days. Fear not though, as the man to bring it back to sartorial superiority is here, and that man is Oscar Scheller.

With a deep and melancholic voice, the former Central St Martins art school student matches his words with infectious melodies that bring to mind the hooks that 90s Brit-poppers Space used to write. Making 'happy-sad vibes' (his self-confessed favourite form of music) this bedroom-based balladier will definitely ease your hangover into the last day of Glastonbury.

Having seen Oscar live at Visions Festival last summer I can confirm that he's great to watch live, so make sure you head down to William's Green on Sunday to see him.

Oscar at The Laundry, Visions Festival 8/8/15

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-20 Days: Vince Staples

Vince Staples debut album 'Summertime '06' got somewhat lost last year in the general swell of mass appreciation for 'To Pimp A Butterfly'. While it doesn't consistently hit the heights of Kendrick's masterpiece it wasn't without merit, and a slot on the West Holts stage late on Friday afternoon should go a long way to raising his profile in the UK.



Hailing from Long Beach, California, his early friendship with Odd Future helped to propel him into the limelight, something that his current tour with A$AP Rocky is only adding to.

 

While he might not grab such a large audience as Run The Jewels did in a similar slot last year he'll still be worth seeingon the brilliantly eclectic West Holts lineup.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-21 Days: Ezra Furman

With last year's album 'Perpetual Motion People' Furman produced a record full of wit, warmth and energy while mixing musical styles from 60s do-wop to garage rock and beyond.

In the flesh he's even more energetic, an unpredictable force teetering on the brink of anarchy but just about managing to rein it in.

So let your hair down and join the perpetual party with Ezra and his band.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-22 Days: Oddisee

You don't have to go very far in the pages of this blog to find me singing the praises of Oddisee. One of my favourite rappers ever, he's as brilliant live as he is recorded, as you can see in the live video below.



If you were expecting raps about drive-bys and bitches hopefully that's put you straight. Oddisse is much better than, with an intelligent, lyrical flow that deals with weighty subject matter without ever resorting to cheap shots.




Prodigious in output, he's already released a free EP and a full-length instrumental album this year, and I've no doubt there's more on the way from him too.



I love so much of his stuff it was hard to know what to put on this page, but hopefully there's more than enough here to get you into him. Wherever he's playing (I suspect West Holts or John Peel) I'll see you down the front.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-23 Days: Floating Points

When Sam Shepherd's debut album 'Elaenia' was released towards the end of last year it received massive critical acclaim. Its mix of electronica, jazz and ambient styles took on the kind of atmospheres created by the likes of Caribou and Four Tet and weaved new magic with them.

Having created this expansive world on record, he's since developed it into a live act which is likely to go down a treat on the West Holts stage. With a live band and great visuals he's definitely one to chill out with as the sun sets.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-24 Days: Years & Years

This is undoubtedly the most 'pop' and/or 'popular' act I'm going to recommend in the countdown to Glastonbury. I make no apologies for that - there's always been a place on my shelf got the sort of top quality synth-pop that these guys make, from Bronski Beat and Erasure to Royksopp, Robyn and beyond, I've always been a sucker for a great melody with an electronic background.

On top of that I've got a lot of time and respect for frontman Olly Alexander. he's outspoken 9for the right reasons), good to his fans, and seems like a genuinely decent human being.

Just imagine some of these hits being pumped out in the sunshine on the Pyramid stage - it's going to be one of those feel-good Glastonbury moment that you remember for years (& years).