Photek

In his own journey that includes recording influential drum ’n’ bass tracks in the early ‘90s and scoring major films and TV shows in the 2010s, Rupert Parkes took a pathway that fits into electronic dance music’s larger trajectory from the underground to the mainstream. Born in Ipswich in 1971, the composer/producer grew up playing saxophone and piano before his interest in synthesisers and sequencers led to his recordings and DJ sets as Photek in London in the early ‘90s. Releases like 1995’s Natural Born Killa EP for Goldie’s Metalheadz label helped set the thrilling template for drum ’n’ bass. On subsequent albums like 2000’s Solaris and 2012’s Ku:Palm, he expanded his sonic palette to include minimal techno, industrial and ambient as well as the synth-pop leanings that served him well on sleek and exhilarating remixes of tracks by Nine Inch Nails, Björk, Daft Punk and Moby. After relocating from London to Los Angeles, Parkes became more prominent as a composer for film and TV, his music adding drive, menace and atmosphere to series such as How to Get Away with Murder.