SBTRKT

All Music Guide:

A self-taught producer, London’s SBTRKT -- aka Aaron Jerome -- mixes elements of dubstep, 2-step, garage, house, soul, and techno into a bass-heavy blend of flowing melodies and intricate percussion. The project’s name was intended to remove the identity of any one person from the music, and SBTRKT even performed with a mask on to preserve that concept. After years of honing his craft, in 2009 Jerome sent tracks to DJs including BBC Radio 1’s Graeme Sinden and Mary Anne Hobbs, who made singles such as “Nervous” into radio hits. SBTRKT's remixes for MIA, Basement Jaxx, and Underworld, among others, also met with success, as did his self-released singles Timeless and Right Place. He also issued a pair of singles for the enigmatic Brainmath label, LAIKA and 2020, as well as the Break Off/Evening Glow single for Ramp Recordings, which featured Jerome's frequent vocal collaborator Sampha. SBTRKT's first gig was at the famed Fabric club; he also DJ'ed at the club Plastic People, where he met an A&R rep from the Young Turks label, who released the Soundboy Shift EP in 2010 and the Step in Shadows EP, and his self-titled debut album in 2011. One of its singles, “Wildfire,” featured Little Dragon vocalist Yukumi Nagano and caught the ear of rapper Drake. His remix of the song received airplay on New York’s WQHT and Miami’s WPOW.

Wikipedia:

SBTRKT (pronounced "subtract") is the musical project led by Aaron Jerome. Jerome began his career as a DJ in the east London club "Plastic People". SBTRKT has remixed songs by artists such as M.I.A, Radiohead, Modeselektor, Basement Jaxx, Mark Ronson, Underworld and Goldie, and has released singles, EPs, and a self-titled album. SBTRKT's music is a mixture of Future garage, two-step, dubstep, US R&B and Chicago house. His music has been placed in rotation by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 Music.

SBTRKT refers also to the live musical duo of Jerome and his frequent collaborator Sampha. Their live show consists of Jerome utilizing electronic and acoustic drums alongside triggering samples and using a mixing desk, with Sampha playing keyboards, triggering vocal loops and singing.

The reason Jerome uses the project's title as opposed to him using his own name is to support the concept of anonymity. Jerome has explained "[I'd] rather not talk about myself as a person, and let the music speak for itself. The name SBTRKT is me taking myself away from that whole process. I'm not a social person, so having to talk to DJs to make them play a record is not something I want to do. It's more about giving them a record as an anonymous person and seeing whether they like it or not. If they play it, they play it."

To further support SBTRKT's anonymity, SBTRKT wears modern interpretations of native society ceremonial masks designed by Hidden Place.