Perry Watts-Russell likes to keep the process of evaluating talent as simple as possible. Though he’s in the business of signing saleable acts for a major record label, Watts-Russell says he doesn’t allow his judgment to get clouded by marketing concerns such as image, appearance and stylistic trends.

In the end, it’s all about the quality of the music.

At the age of 17, Leming dropped out of high school and began traveling across the United States to play shows while living out of his car. He eventually caught the eye of executives at Warner Brothers Records who signed him to his first major label record deal in 2008.

Michael Halloran is a radio Disc Jockey

This trail that began with the musical prodigy Talvin Singh, Mercury Music Prize winner for his genre-defining album OK.