James Mapley-Brittle, better known as GRRL, is that rare young artist who comes to the electronic music craft with a highly sharpened aesthetic and a rich inner life to draw from. GRRL may call North Carolina home, but they live in their own exquisitely detailed world, cherry-picking inspiration from an encyclopedic knowledge of several decades worth of music, fashion, film, games, and Technology. Honing their skills as an in-demand local DJ in Durham, North Carolina and via their long-running NTS Radio show, GRRL’s style and sonics quickly captured the attention of avant-garde torch-bearers like PC Music’s A. G. Cook, Anamanguchi, Porter Robinson, and even Skrillex, who lauded GRRL’s Nest HQ mix as one of his favorites. Beyond deftly mixing crisp percussive techno and bleeding-edge bass, GRRL is a keenly talented producer with a seemingly inexhaustible range of musical ideas. Releasing three full-lengths between 2019 and 2020, GRRL presents a cinematic and expansive vision of club music’s future, putting their unique spin on electro, techno, jungle, grime, Jersey club, and gqom as effortlessly as moving through levels on a videogame. Scores for fashion designer Alexander Wang and a Splice soundpack with frequent collaborator Made of Oak (Sylvan Esso) further showcase GRRL’s dexterity with sci-fi atmospheres and stretchy drums. With 100s of unreleased tracks lying in wait and a self-imposed mandate to constantly refine their sound, GRRL is already poised to be one of North America’s most compelling electronic music artists. Catch them if you can.