Zomby

All Music Guide:

Like fellow dubstep producer Burial, Zomby was initially a walking enigma -- no information about his real name was known, nor were there photos of him with his face revealed. But where the former cultivated an anonymous profile common to so many electronic music knob-twiddlers, Zomby was, in a way, dubstep's own version of virtuoso guitarist Buckethead. His first official picture displayed him in ninja clothing, with a cardboard Eye of Providence covering his visage -- an image he joked about procuring from a Google Images search. Nevertheless, his old-school rave-inflected take on dubstep garnered a cult following in electronic music circles, which only increased with the release of his 2008 debut album, Where Were U in 92?. The jittery One Foot Ahead of the Other EP was released the following year. He then signed to 4AD, where he released 2011's melodically rich Dedication.

Wikipedia:

Zomby is an electronic musician who began releasing music in 2007. He has released music on several labels, including Hyperdub, Werk Discs and 4AD. Zomby's influences include jungle music and Wiley's eskibeat sound.

Career [edit]

Zomby's first major release was the Zomby EP in 2008 on Hyperdub.

He released his first full length album, Where Were U in '92?, also in 2008. The album's title refers to the opening line from the M.I.A song "XR2" and is a homage to the rave scene of the early 1990s, reflected by Zomby's mixture of chiptune-inflected UK Garage style with the more upbeat, ravey stylings of breakbeat house. Zomby used equipment from the period, such as the Akai S2000 sampler and Atari ST computer.

In 2009 he released a subsequent collection of tracks, One Foot Ahead of the Other.

In 2011 Zomby signed to 4AD Records, on which he released Dedication, also in 2011. In a four-star review in The Guardian, it was described as "an album of pensive, thought-provoking sadness," drawing comparisons to pianist Keith Jarrett and 1990s techno act Spooky. Later that year, he released the Nothing EP.

Plagiarism controversy [edit]

In early 2012, UK producer Reark posted a loop to Soundcloud entitled "Natalia's Song" he claimed to have written in 2007 and that Zomby had plagiarised. Reark later posted a YouTube video demonstrating the track laid out in music making software Reason. Reark had already reported copyright infringement in August 2011 to both 4AD and Zomby, and 4AD responded by co-crediting Reark on the single in late 2011.