Dancing Astronaut’s 2024 Artist of the Yr: ISOxo and Knock2 – Dancing Astronaut
by: Dancing Astronaut Employees
Dec 24, 2024
Phrases by Ross Goldenberg and Zach Salafia.
If we’ve mentioned it as soon as, we’ve mentioned it one million occasions: ISOxo and Knock2’s joint explosion over the previous few years offers us a sense parallel to that of a proud mother or father, and in 2024, our admiration grew tenfold.
After closing the door on a momentous 2023 — capped off by the discharge of ISOxo’s debut album on prime of their multi-night run at The Shrine — ISOxo and Knock2’s shared Dancing Astronaut 2024 Artist of the Yr marketing campaign was in movement simply 16 days into the yr. ISOKNOCK4 — the latest iteration of their back-to-back performances that originated in 2019 — was not solely scheduled, it was occurring at arguably the grandest setting within the stay music house: Coachella. We may sit right here and reminisce about each final element from Polo Grounds for the following a number of hours, however we’ll simply say that we had the pleasure of turning into a first-hand witness to absolutely the bedlam that ensued below the Sahara Tent.
Earlier than the 2 would even journey out to the desert, although, ISOxo would add a debut album tour to his 2024 document. And though they’d various collective feats this yr, each artists additionally held their very own, individually topping festivals like Extremely, Electrical Forest, and Lightning in a Bottle whereas bringing their ISOKNOCK branding to North Coast Music Competition and Extremely Japan.
Shortly after his kidsgonemad (which might be later adopted by a deluxe version) tour, ISOxo would reunite along with his San Diego counterpart to present those that couldn’t be at Coachella the chance to expertise ISOKNOCK in Seattle, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Japan—their first-ever worldwide date below the duo title—Chicago, or in the end throughout a homecoming weekend that requires its personal part of this text.
However that’s sufficient rambling about their stay present conquests in the intervening time. A month after their ISOKNOCK tour beneath a bridge in Brooklyn, ISOxo and Knock2 etched a chapter in lure’s historical past books with the deployment of “SMACK TALK.” Little did anybody know, ISOxo, Knock2, and RL Grime’s Extremely ID-turned-trap-anthem could be the primary peek at 4EVR, an eight-part ISOKNOCK album that they might unsuspectingly set unfastened on streaming platforms in August, and a venture that might earn a spot amongst Dancing Astronaut’s Prime Albums of 2024.
But each ISOxo and Knock2’s remark sections — and even a number of billboards across the metropolis — have been plagued by one prevailing query: When have been they coming house? They didn’t simply reply it in early December — they wrote a love letter to the town of San Diego. ISOxo and Knock2 reimagined the outskirts of Snapdragon Stadium, internet hosting a weekend geared up with festival-grade manufacturing, an A-list undercard that includes RL Grime and Madeon, two rowdy ISOKNOCK showings, and a concluding reveal of their new occasion, Niteharts Fest, for 2025. The total-circle weekend felt like a definitive victory lap that additional closed their case for Dancing Astronaut’s 2024 Artist of the Yr crown.
One would suppose that’s the place their overarching argument involves a end, however it was not. Not lengthy after their SD 4EVR blowout, Knock2 formally scheduled nolimit, his long-awaited, 17-track debut album, for the highest of the brand new yr.
In fact, now we have to take a short second to replicate on Dancing Astronaut‘s private trip alongside ISOxo and Knock2. Watching the duo climb from Dancing Astronaut’s Artists to Watch in 2021 class to Breakout Artist of 2022, and now, to Artist of the Yr, is what each music fan goals of when discovering what they imagine to be a soon-to-be famous person—or superstars on this case.
Merely put, their chokehold on the scene deserves a standing ovation in and of itself. It’s what has really set them aside from different acts within the dance scene, from their rockstar-like showmanship to the ceaseless power of each crowd at each present, to their genre-blurring outputs to receiving the final word stamp of approval from their idols, like Skrillex, RL Grime, and Zedd. At each flip, they’ve managed to in some way one-up themselves, from their efficiency within a suspended transport crane to their curation of a mini-festival for and inside their hometown.
This yr, ISOxo and Knock2 elevated themselves even additional, right into a no-man’s-land-esque degree of dominance that feels incomparable to something we’ve seen in latest reminiscence, and we’re recognizing their affect by bestowing upon them our highest honor.
Congratulations to ISOxo and Knock2, Dancing Astronaut’s 2024 Artist of the Yr.
Featured picture: Eric Dew
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