Scuba

Where many dance producers pledge lifelong fealty to a single style, Scuba’s Paul Rose has let his fondness for bass be his guide. Rose grew up in London, where he was immersed in all kinds of dance music: drum ‘n’ bass, house, techno, and especially garage, which he began playing on pirate radio in the early 2000s. As dubstep evolved, he developed a stripped-down, atmospheric signature on early singles like 2005’s “Words,” and after moving to Berlin in 2007, he began fusing UK sounds with the minimal techno then reigning in the German capital. His label, Hotflush Recordings, founded in 2003, became a crucial outlet for all manner of bass music—not just heavy-hitting dubstep sides from Boxcutter and Distance, but also left-field sounds like Mount Kimbie and Joy Orbison, whose game-changing single “Hyph Mngo” was released by Hotflush in 2009. At the same time, Rose was increasingly experimenting with tech-house and big-room techno on singles like 2012’s “The Hope.” Never one to stay in one place for long, he shifted again with his 2021 album, Diivorce, a collaboration with the vocalist DOMiNii in which he revealed his lifelong love of all things ’80s.