Music: Edge picks

Dizzee Rascal

Dizzee Rascal returns to Edinburgh to play the biggest venue at this year’s Edge. The last two years have been kind to the British hiphop sensation – duets with James Corden excepting. High-profile collaborations with the likes of Calvin Harris on ‘Dance Wiv Me’, and prolific remixer Armand Van Helden on ‘Bonkers’ show that this once angry rapper has come a long way from his humble beginnings in Bow, East London. Seven years after his Mercury Prize-winning debut Boy in Da Corner, Dizzee has earned a reputation for transcending musical boundaries, genre evolution and experimentation. [Amy Taylor]

Beirut

Starting life as the solo project of frontman Zach Condon, Balkan indie-folk band Beirut have been lauded since the release of their debut, Gulag Orkestar, in 2006. Bridging the considerable gap between softly-spoken Anglophone indie music and Eastern European folk, they succeed in creating a kind of indie-world music fusion with a strikingly melodramatic flair.

For a young guy hailing from New Mexico—Condon was only 20 when Gulag Orkestar came out—the range of influences and depth of songwriting skill on display are impressive. The same could be said of second effort The Flying Club Cup, with the caveat that each song on the latter has a much more individual character. Their Edge appearance is one of only three UK dates announced this year – an opportunity well worth taking. [Neil Bennet]

Phoenix

Grammy winners Phoenix stroll into Edinburgh on the back of festival appearances in Europe and America, ready to unleash their brand of catchy French indie on the capital. Enjoying a wave of interest on the back of their fourth studio album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the quartet have a jigsaw of material that has earned them a sizable fanbase since their debut, United, was released in 2000.

An appearance bound to be high on the list of any well-versed indie aficionado, Phoenix are set to triumph once again when they take to the stage at the HMV Picture House. [Lauren Quinn]

Plan B

Rapper, singer, actor, director and beatboxer all feature on the CV of Plan B, aka London-born Ben Drew. His sets have become the rage of this year’s summer festival circuit, comprising covers as varied as Dr Dre and Seal, on the back of a chart-topping album. Incredibly, he promises his third album will consist of reggae, while he has also alluded to a desire to make a dubstep album in the future.

Hits such as 'Stay Too Long' and 'She Said'—which masterfully showcase a soulful voice mixed with an aggressive rapping style—have made Plan B a household name, but don’t let a penetration of the charts fool you. Drew’s music is far from mainstream, instead establishing him as one of the country’s most excitingly diverse artists. [Nick Eardley]

The Coral

The Coral have always been an interesting and original band, and their melding of pyschedelic folk, traditional country and indie pop shows bags of invention. But somehow, this ragged group of Scousers have never quite managed to capture the consistency needed to elevate them to greatness. Many of their records contain snatches of brilliance interspersed with obscure, ramshackle tracks that ruin the flow.

That said, a set full of the best of their back catalogue is an exciting prospect, with hits such as ‘Dreaming of You’ and ‘In The Morning’ familiar to even the most casual music fan, and there’s always a chance that the imminent Butterfly House, their fifth studio effort, will show the cohesion and quality control they’ve lacked in the past. [Andrew Chadwick]

Professor Green

Stephen Paul Manderson is 26 years old, and has experienced a few twists and turns in the process of becoming the next big thing in UK hip hop, scoring a collaboration and a tour with Lily Allen, and endorsements from The Streets’ Mike Skinner. Having grown up in Hackney doing illegal stuff and narrowly avoiding prison, Manderson entered a freestyle rap battle night on a whim, and came out victorious.

From there he caught the attention of Skinner, and started to make a name on the underground scene with ‘Stereotypical Man’. His debut album not long released, including the Lily Allen featuring single ‘Just Be Good To Me’, Professor Green looks set for chart success without sacrificing the wit that made him an interesting prospect to begin with. [Andrew Chadwick]