Multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer James Blake is known for his unique style, which wraps aching, gently sung R&B vocals around the deep bass and minimal rhythmic elements of dubstep.
Classically trained in piano from a young age, Blake was focused on musical studies throughout his education. While still very young, he and his friends became fixated on electronic music, particularly the emerging dubstep sound beginning in London in the mid-2000s. He took inspiration from early U.K. dubstep artists like Burial, Skream and Distance and merged it with influences from textural R&B innovators like D’Angelo. As well as the Mercury Prize, Blake has also been awarded a Grammy from five nominations and three Brit Award nominations in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
Dubstep legend Mala has earned his place as one of the most respected and unmatched selectors in electronic music. One half of revered duo Digital Mystikz, Deep Medi Musik label head and DMZ co-founder Mala has created some of the most powerful basslines and has been spinning on Rinse FM since the early 2000s. His skill in blending various influences and collaborating across cultures highlights his role as a forward-thinking artist, making a lasting impact on the continuously changing landscape of electronic music.
