Photek
Photek, born Rupert Parkes in St Albans, England, and now based in Los Angeles, is a drum and bass producer and DJ. He began performing under the Photek name by 1993 after switching from saxophone to a sequencer the previous year, releasing his debut, Touching Down... Planet Photek, in 1994 on his own Photek label.
His breakthrough came with the 1995 EP Natural Born Killa, released on Goldie's Metalheadz imprint, a record widely cited as central to drum and bass's mid-90s creative peak. Parkes also recorded under aliases including Studio Pressure, Aquarius and The Sentinel before consolidating his output under the Photek name, and he contributed a track to the Wipeout 2097 soundtrack in 1996. His debut album, Modus Operandi, followed in 1997 on Virgin Records, alongside the single Ni Ten Ichi Ryu, with a second album, Form & Function, extending his catalogue further.
In October 2012, he contributed a mix to BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix series, a career-spanning showcase of his production and DJ style. Now working through Photek Productions, Parkes continues to produce and perform, with his early Metalheadz-era releases remaining touchstones of drum and bass history.