Nectar Woode is all you’d expect her to be from listening to her music. She brings a wonderful, bright energy to her interactions. We sit across from each other at a nice restaurant-bar in Kings Cross’ bustling Coal Drops Yard, a pint for her, a prosecco for me. Not my usual, but I was feeling decadent. The waitress gives the pint to the man and the champagne coupe to Nectar without asking, earning a laugh from us both. Still? In 2025? I assume we both are thinking.
We caught up with @Nectarwoode for her Oculate UK Digital Cover, speaking on Glastonbury, Ghana, Milton Keynes, the London jazz scene, & much more.
View the full piece over on OCULATE.UK
Photography: Charlie Millar (@humxnagency ) / @Desirepedia
Stylist: Keliiy Morgan (@keliiymorgan )
Words By: Matt Sharp (@sharp.mp3 )
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One of the most exciting forces in the new wave of British electronic music, west-London born-and-bred @paralleltheory has been tearing it up for years. With his unique approach to production, and live sets that are fire from start to finish, he has been channelling London’s spirit in everything he does. Recently bringing this spirit to a global scale, there’s undoubtedly a magic to p-rallel. Dance music runs through his blood, and everything else that runs through him is a passion to keep driving the scene forward.
With a hugely anticipated takeover at The Cause in July, his new single ‘Blessings’ with @samdeeley43 , and a new project arriving imminently, p-rallel is set for a monumental year.
We spoke to the young multi-creative about secret Glastonbury sets, new music & collaborations, his recent EP ‘Can’t Be Me’, and who he’s most excited about in the scene.
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Words: @bennbroyd
Photography: @harry_hmm
Production & Editorial Lead: @sharp.mp3
Graphics & Editorial: @liamotyler
Editorial Assistant: @amaliacastle
Thanks to: @toast_press
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@babyrachy shutting down The Lower Third in London 🎬
The first of two nights there as part of The Elephant tour, special guests included @biig_piig , her sister @xanjeli & more
There’s bigger stages inbound for The Elephant… 🐘
📹 @sharp.mp3
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Arthur Hill (@arthurnfhill ) had Wembley Arena in the palm of his hand just weeks ago. 12,000 people, every word landing, a moment that most artists spend years building towards. And then he drops ‘Working On It’.
Not bigger. Not louder. No attempt to stretch that moment any further than it already went. He pulls it right back. The track sits in a completely different space. Hazy, light on its feet, leaving gaps where you’d expect something to fill them. The vocal’s right there, no cover, no push. It doesn’t reach for anything.
It’s not even really about the breakup. It’s about everything after it. The part that drags. The part that doesn’t have a clear shape yet. Trying to get yourself back together without knowing what that even looks like.
“I’m working on myself…”
That’s as far as it goes. No big resolution, no clean ending to tie it up. It might not hit the same way as before. It’s not meant to. This feels like him figuring out what actually lasts beyond the moment.
Wembley was the proof, this is what he does with it.
View the full piece over on oculate.uk
✍️: Harriett Dolphin (@harriettedolphin )
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JERUB (@jerubmusic ) doesn’t chase the moment on ‘Stay,' he shrinks it.
After hitting No.1, things could’ve gone bigger. Instead, he strips it to the bone. Acoustic, minimal, nowhere to hide. The vocal carries everything, and he leans into that exposure rather than smoothing it out.
“It’s broken but it’s right.”
That’s the whole track in one line. No fix, no clean ending, just sitting in the mess and letting it hold. It doesn't land like ‘Kumbaya,' but it’s not trying to. This is JERUB narrowing the focus, choosing clarity over scale, even if it costs impact.
Not a step back. A line in the sand.
✍️: Liam Tyler (@liamotyler )
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‘Down To The Bone’ has already been doing damage. Josh Baker (@joshbaker ) links up with Eliza Rose (@elizarosemuzik ) on this one, and it’s been doing the rounds in his sets for a while now. You can hear it straight away. It feels properly tested, tightened in real rooms, built to land at the right moment.
Baker keeps it moving underneath, crisp drums, no fuss, while Eliza’s vocal carries it through. The hook does the rest, “Work it, work to the bone, you put it in motion.” Simple, direct, and it sticks.
Nothing overdone here. It knows exactly what it is and leans into it. Feels just as ready for bigger stages as it does those late-night sets.
Listen now and explore the full piece over on oculate.uk.
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Nia Archives (@archives.nia ) is back, and she’s not easing into it.
‘Danger’ lands playful, chaotic and fully in control, flipping a nursery rhyme into something bold, flirtatious and a little bit unhinged in the best way. It’s that signature Nia energy, but sharper this time. More confident, more self-assured, and leaning into a side of her we haven’t seen this directly before.
“I feel like I’m entering womanhood.”
That shift runs through everything, the track, the delivery, and especially the visuals. Directed by Claryn Chong (@claryn.chong ), the video keeps things simple but intentional, with Nia dancing for herself, not performing for anyone else. It’s confident, expressive and completely in her own world.
Built on skittering jungle beats and restless synths, ‘Danger’ feels instinctive rather than overthought. It doesn’t try to be a big moment. It just is one.
Watch now and view the full article over on OCULATE.UK
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Today marks Air Max Day 2026, a celebration of Tinker Hatfield and the moment Nike turned Air into something you could actually see.
What started as a design breakthrough quickly became something far bigger. Air Max didn’t just change trainers, it changed how they were seen, worn and valued. Visible Air turned performance into a statement, and over time that statement became embedded in culture.
Decades on, it’s more than footwear. It’s tied to movements, to music, to cities. From UK streets and late-night sets to global stages and everyday rotation, Air Max has been there through it all.
So we kept it focused.
Eight standout colourways across some of our favourite Air Max models. No filler, no safe picks. Just pairs that made their mark, shaped moments, and still carry serious weight long after their release.
And yeah… we know you’ve got opinions. What did we miss?
#OculateUK #AirMaxDay2026
Jim Legxacy (@jim_legxacy ) returns with idk idk, a track that doesn’t try to move things forward.
After black british music (2025), this feels like a pause. Not a reset, just a moment where things slow down enough to sit with what’s actually changed. Built around a simple, looping refrain, the track stays in one space. The questions repeat, but nothing gets resolved.
“If I give them everything, will they love me?”
That line sits at the centre of it. Not as a statement, but something that keeps coming back. Where the last project felt expansive, this pulls everything inward. Less about where things are going, more about how it feels right now. There’s pressure in the background. Expectation, attention, everything that comes with momentum.
But the track doesn’t lean into any of it. It stays close to the feeling instead. Idk idk doesn’t try to extend the last era. It closes it.
View the full piece over on OCULATE.UK
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England’s new kit launch doesn’t feel like a product drop. It feels like a reflection.
Narrated by Mike Skinner, the film moves slowly, leaning into something more subdued. Not celebration, not hype. Just the weight of everything that’s come close, but not quite landed.
It shifts between past and present without forcing it. Bobby Moore sits alongside more recent moments that felt like they might change everything. They didn’t, but they still stay with you.
There’s a different tone around this squad. Familiar faces, still tied to expectation. Under Thomas Tuchel, it feels less like a reset and more like something shifting gradually.
It doesn’t stop at the starting eleven. The inclusion of the Para Lions and everyday fans widens the picture, reminding you that England isn’t just the team.
The kits are there, but they’re not the point. They sit inside the moment rather than defining it. Skinner closes with a question that’s been asked before.
“Can the Jules Rimet come home again?”
No big statement. No certainty. Just the same feeling, slightly reframed.
View the full piece over on OCULATE.UK
✍️: Liam Tyler (@liamotyler )
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The Netherlands has long been a powerhouse in global dance music, shaping some of the most influential artists across every sub genre. SAMOH (@samoh.live ) is one of the newest exports rising from the Dutch underground, carving out a sound that refuses to sit neatly in a box. Drawing from trance, acid and heavy techno, his music captures the energy of a country where rave culture is woven into everyday life.
Recently signed to Charlotte de Witte’s label, he’s quickly proving he’s one to watch with his debut KNTXT EP Changing Worlds which landed on February 26th. We caught up with him ahead of the release to talk standout gigs, label recognition and the creative vision behind the record.
View the full piece over on OCULATE.UK
Words by Ruth Casey (@theruthlessraver )
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Wesley Joseph (@wesleyjoseph__ ) returns with Pluto Baby, a new single and video that opens another chapter in the world surrounding his debut album 'Forever Ends Someday.'
Directed by Paris and Tokyo-based visual artist Lokmane and creatively directed by Joseph himself, the video was filmed inside the Paris Communist Party headquarters. The building’s sweeping modernist interior gives the video a striking setting, placing Joseph within vast architectural spaces that mirror the scale of the track.
Musically, Pluto Baby leans into atmosphere and movement. Distorted guitars ripple through layers of cascading synths while Joseph moves between melodic vocals and sharp rap verses. Moments of piano appear throughout the track, adding softer fragments before the rhythm pushes forward again.
The track offers another glimpse into the sound and visual universe Joseph has been building in recent years.
Watch the full video at OCULATE.UK
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