Actress

Actress is the principal alias of Darren Cunningham, a U.K. musician who makes skeletal, woozy electronic music that lurks in the shadowy corners of the dancefloor. Using synths, samplers and drum machines, his music references hip-hop, dubstep, house and techno, but its lo-fi quality and disorienting effects set it apart from more traditional interpretations of those genres. Actress began releasing in 2004 on his own Werk Discs label, home to like-minded beatmakers like Zomby, Starkey and Lukid; he also runs the vinyl-only Thriller imprint, known for even more experimental forays into digitally shredded soul. His 2008 album, Hazyville, drew comparisons to Flying Lotus' warped take on sci-fi; in 2010, London's Honest Jon's label released his second album, Splazsh.