The churning out of local artists qualifying for our Best of NYC  Emerging Artist 2015 Poll continues with the ELECTRONIC category. In case you missed the previous announcements, we've already published results for Indie, Hip Hop + Other, and Rootsy Pop/Songwriters. This is a rather exciting category, considering the exponential growth of the electronic NYC scene in recent years.

Total submissions in this category: 18

Jurors: Jonathan Goodwill (The Deli DC), Quang Tran (The Deli Philly), PDG (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers' Poll, starting around 01.25):

1. CAFUNÉ - (7.66 out of 10)

Sedona Schat and Noah Yoo's music exists in a perpetual spring (as in the season), so 2015, with its mild summer and incredibly warm winter, might have as well been their year. Sedona's breezy melodies are complemented by Noah's peppy, dancy electronic arrangements. Their single "Warm Body" found lots of love on the internet, and so did their 2015 debut EP "Originals." 

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2. BORN CAGES (7.6)

With their anthemic songs and polished but edgy production, NYC's Born Cages make music that belongs in arenas - in particular their first single "Rolling Down the Hill." Their stand out track "I Just Want the Truth, Baby" (streaming) blends electronic quirkyness with sophisticated crooning a la' Bryan Ferry, showcasing a versitile and talented band with more than one trick up its sleeve. The trio had an exciting 2015, culminated in a fall US tour supporting The Lighthouse and the Whaler and Family Force 5.

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3. Teenage Love (7.5)

Bicontinental duo Katy Gunn (Brooklyn) and Anna Lidell (Copenhagen) charmed us right away with their band Teenage Love's debut EP "Gold." Their tracks balance elegant, jazz informed melodies with an unconventional approach partly reminiscent of some of the most approachable material by NYC electronic experimenteur Laurie Anderson. Hopefully in 2016,  to cultivate this promising project, the two ladies will find themselves on the same side of the ocean more often than not.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS - (Score above 7):

St. Lenox, Nola Wren, Loving You, NEW MYTHS, Syvia, Secret Weapons.

See you soon with another category!

The Deli Folks

Happy New Year, Deli-rious seekers of new, exciting, emerging music!

If you've been following us for a while, you should know that January is the month when our regional Year End Polls for Emerging Artists are in full bloom!

The first leg of our poll is called "Open Submissions," and, in it, we allow all local artists (in this case NYC ones, since you are reading the NYC blog) to submit their music for consideration. After a screening process involving three of our editors or writers, we pick a few per genre - here are the first results for the Songwriter/Rootsy Pop category!

Total submissions in this category: 18

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers' Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. Pam Steebler - 7.87

We are rarely entranced by bluesy pop/rock, maybe because - to be pulled off properly - the genre requires monstrous chutzpa, as in... "the balls of those who are really good at something." But we've got to concede to Pam Steebler that her "Give In" EP's two opening songs are... "da bomb." "Mind Reader," in particular (streaming below), has the power and the beauty to light a flare of soulful passion even in the heart of the most unflappable of indie rockers.

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2. Laura & Greg - 7.5

Curiously enough, the second placed band in this chart couldn't sound more different from the first - how are these two acts in the same category? The answer is in the word "pop" and "roots" - elements these artists shares, but with different approaches. Laura & Greg's folk pop is gentle, intimate, sparse and DIY. Their peaceful harmonies and placid atmospheres refer back to the folk-pop explosion of the '60s, revising and adapting it to our DIY days.

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2. Afternoon Men - 7.5

Afternoon Men's song and video for single "Parking Lots and Basements" (streaming) has an edge that screams "Manhattan" - you know, that borough offering the "bourgeois" kind of fun. (Oh yeah, you can say that about Williamsburg too!). Whoever wrote that song, certainly knows how to navigate that scene, where sophistication and charm can go farther than good looks - at least with the smart ladies who can support a broke musician! This (besides their obvious talent) is why this band may have a future.

Honorable Mentions: Caitlin Mahoney, The Next Great American Novelist, The Bone Chimes, Ashni, Bill Bartholomew, Diana Zinni, Frank Bell.

Jurors: Michael Colavita (Deli Philly), Cody Wright (Deli Toronto), PDG (Deli NYC)

Stay tuned for more results, and then for the readers' poll!