After an eight-year break the festival is back, lasting three days with over 100 acts performing across its three stages, name-checking major artists such as grime pioneer Wiley and bhangra-fusion artist Punjabi MC.

But it's not just about music, despite what its name says – Music in the Sun showcases break-dancing, craft and jewellery stalls, international cuisine and spray can art by some of South Yorkshire's most prominent graffiti artists, including Saker, Rocket and Sheffield's Jaer.

While all this provides sufficient entertainment for thousands of people, the festival also serves a more serious cultural agenda – it brings into focus the breadth of South Yorkshire cultural output and focuses attention on the region's contemporary music scene.

Ragga/dancehall outfit Toddla T, indie rockers Tiny Dancers, electro-pop group Hiem, Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and rap/soul funk artist Paddy Orange are just some of Sheffield's bands gracing the stage this weekend.

And, in one way or another, Sheffield's acts are all connected, whether by locality or artistic collaborations. Toddla T's tracks feature artists such as the Arctics' Matt Helders and British rapper Roots Manuva, as does Hiem's single DJ Culture.

Oddly, Hiem's dark, electro pop is better known outside of Sheffield.
"We're big in Brussels," says singer David Bozzwell. "The record label we're with distributes all over the world."

Hiem's sound fuses the crisp, sterile beats of electronica with pop structures and lyrics.

"One minute we're playing a clubby track and the next minute it's a monolgue with Germanic rhythms," says Bozzwell.

His musical career didn't start with Hiem. In the late 90s he was a member of Sheffield electro group All Seeing I who scored a hit with Walk Like a Panther, featuring Tony Christie on vocals, and a number one with The Beat Goes On.

Lyrically Hiem's songs vary from fictional stories to monologues – a lyrical style that Bozzwell says is contrary to what the broadsheet press described as gritty observational lyrics: "We had a single called Chelsea a few years back and the broadsheets viewed it as northern men speaking – they tend to do that, it's middle class snobbery."

Hiem is currently working on their forthcoming album, Escape from Division Street, featuring Phil Oakey, Kate Jackson from the Long Blondes and Roots Manuva, who also stars in Toddla T's Lo Tek Hi Fi.

Toddla T's sound is marked by deep, dancehall-inspired dirty grooves and fat bleeps. With a residency at Fabric in London and several festivals lined up (V, Electric Picnic and the Big Chill) Toddla T is not short of work. The Toddla, aka Tom Bell, has over 18 gigs lined up over the next few months – from home turf to Dublin.

But despite the far-reaching appeal of his dancehall/ragga fusion his music is firmly rooted in Sheffield's musical legacy: "My influences range from American hip hop to Jamaican reggae but the sound is totally rooted in Sheffield – watching people like DJ Pipes in Sheffield when I was younger brought all this together," says Bell.

While Toddla T's musical influences seem disparate, it's dancehall that he gets most excited about: "The early dancehall stuff from early-to-mid 90s is proper heavy."

Is it good to dance to? "Oh yeah," he laughs. His excitement is audible throughout his music – infectious, visceral, bassy beats make it impossible to stand still. Toddla T's a fitting act for Music in the Sun, to which, Bell says: "I used to go there as a kid – to play there now is amazing – I'd never have imagined it when I was younger."

Bell is currently working on an album due to be released next year. "I signed to 1965, it's a sub-division of Sony Records. There's some great artists on the album – I've got the poet Bejamin Zephaniah and Joe from Hot Chip – and they're from totally different musical backgrounds."

Equally as diverse is South Yorkshire's Paddy Orange, whose music ranges from funk to grimy rap. Lyrics range from observations to imaginary narratives. "Lyrics are quite observational but I try and do it in a different way – I try to incorporate wit."

"I write all the time – especially in my phone, I write lyrics in text messages when they occur to me. I used to write on the back of beer coasters – I haven't used a notepad for about five years."

Lyrical themes include the abandonment of societal expectations and responsibility.

Paddy Orange, Toddla T and Hiem play this weekend as part of Music in the Sun, which starts on Saturday at 1pm at the Don Valley Grass Bowl.