SBTRKT

Why would London-based producer/underground DJ SBTRKT (pronounced “subtract”) perform while wearing a variety of native-style ceremonial face masks? The alias, the identity-cloaking, the fact that he doesn’t perform vocals…it’s all meant to create an air of anonymity and move the focus from SBTRKT the performer to the music itself. “I just don’t think talking about who you are as a person is relevant to the music you create, especially in the world I’m in,” SBTRKT (neé Aaron Jerome) told The FADER in 2011. “My name, SBTRKT is an extension of that—subtracting myself from the music.” So what about the music? Until recently, SBTRKT was mostly known for his bass-heavy club remixes of artists like Radiohead, M.I.A., Basement Jaxx, and Mark Ronson, along with his own instrumental tracks. Released last year, SBTRKT’s first full-length album included vocal help from Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano, bringing it much closer to a traditional sound with heavy beats and a palpable pop influence. ALLISON FORD