Eoin Hennessy | Music Editor
Eventually they’ll stop being popular and the process will repeat itself as new artists are born
The vast majority of successful electronic artists roughly follow the same routine. They produce a track, gain recognition and then tour the world by either DJing or playing live, all the while still trying to produce more successful songs. Eventually they’ll stop being popular and the process will repeat itself as new artists are born. During this time while they’re famous, their faces will be plastered all over flyers, posters, records and events. Although not quite reaching the level of Beyonce-famous, they’ll most certainly be well recognised within their own scene. Some people will recognise the baldhead of Boddika, while others will identify the tattooed physique of Andrew Weatherall.
these no-named crusaders are an integral part of dance music culture
While most artists will be overjoyed with the recognition, some prefer to stay out of the public eye. For some, the path is clearly chosen through a sense of modesty. For others, it’s chosen for complete artistic freedom. In rare cases, it’s chosen so they can be a dick on Twitter to whoever they like. None the less, these no-named crusaders are an integral part of dance music culture and I feel it is my duty to give them recognition, whether they like it or not.
DJ Stingray
Stingray only ever DJs wearing a balaclava to conceal his face
Perhaps the Godfather of anonymous production, DJ Stingray has managed to keep his identity secret for over twenty years. Stingray was once the tour DJ for mysterious group Drexciya but has since started producing his own beats. With years of experience under his belt, he has had releases on Naked Lunch, Unknown to the Unknown and WéMè Records. His name is rumoured to be Sherard Ingram but no sources have yet confirmed this. In order to stay anonymous, Stingray only ever DJs wearing a balaclava to conceal his face. Aside from being furtive, Stingray also makes some of the most original techno on the market and is definitely worth checking out.
Zomby
While his production is amazingly intricate and original, people mainly know Zomby for being a complete knobhead
Next up we have the famously loathed Zomby. Zomby has been a hugely prolific Dubstep and Hardcore producer since 2007 and has gained attention in more ways than one. While his production is amazingly intricate and original, people mainly know Zomby for being a complete knobhead. Zomby’s anonymity is clearly used for his own protection in this case. It’s hard to know where to begin on the hate list for Zomby so I’ll just name a few examples. He was banned from Dubstep Forum in 2008 for threatening to kill Ben UFO, he was caught for directly plagiarising a song for his album Dedication and is known for not showing up to at least half his shows. When he does show up, Zomby wears a Guy Fawks mask while playing. Because of this Zomby has a legion of fans who love his music yet detest his character. He also loves getting in a fight on Twitter, so if you’re into that sort of thing check him out @Zombymusic.
Burial
His only downfall was that he was too damn good
Although not strictly anonymous any more, Burial has certainly attempted to remain concealed. Since his self-titled debut album came out in 2006, Burial has tried to remain hidden. His only downfall was that he was too damn good. Burial became hugely popular after his first album. A collaboration with Four Tet entitled “Moth” also skyrocketed Burial to success. His sound is unique. Thus people made it their duty to find out who he was. While many people believed that Four Tet was Burial it was later proven that Burial was William Bevan. His identity was revealed after a photo was taken at a Mary Anne Hobbs’ Radio 1 show in which people spotted there was only one unnamed artist. This was the only shred of evidence for a few years but eventually Bevan caved in and posted a photo of himself to his MySpace and declared his real name. Even though his identity has been revealed, Burial still refuses to perform live and rarely does interviews.
Redshape
Redshape has crafted some beautifully funky house jams, all the while concealing his face with a creepy (you guessed it) red mask
Just like Burial, this next masked man has also had his name and face revealed. German house producer Redshape, while not quite being in the same league as some of the other artists on this list, has tried to hide from the public and simply let his music do the talking. Since he came onto the scene in 2006 Redshape has crafted some beautifully funky house jams, all the while concealing his face with a creepy (you guessed it) red mask. Sebastian Cramer, as he is also known, isn’t quite one of the die-hard mystery producers. Instead it seems as if he just favours having his face hidden from view. However, his commitment must be relatively strong as the eye holes in his mask look like they would impair performance quite a lot.
Unknown
The most recent addition the secret producers club, this Irish beat maker is definitely on the rise for 2014
Lastly we have the pathetically named Unknown. The most recent addition the secret producers club, this Irish beat maker is definitely on the rise for 2014. While his name may be horribly unoriginal, his songs are most certainly not. His 2013 track, “I Cry”, with another Irish favourite Gemma Dunleavy, combines ravishing bassy rhythms with Portishead-like vocals. Like Redshape, Unknown is obviously not hugely secretive in his identity as long hoods only hide his face during shows. Maybe the idea of success has persuaded him to come out into the light and embrace minor stardom.
