The buildup has been gradual. Actually, that's an understatement. But now, after nearly two decades spent refining his take on techno house, first behind the decks and then behind the soundboard, Leeds DJ-producer Simon Baker is finally gearing up for the release of his debut artist effort on Ralph Lawson's 2020vision Recordings.
Not that the 17-year wait wasn't worth every minute. Unlike a thousand of his less patient peers, Baker didn't rush into the studio before he was ready, throw down half-baked tracks, and make major mistakes. Instead, he found a home in the clubs of London, South Beach, New York, and Tokyo, where he could simply DJ, study, and evolve.
By 2004, the time had come. And that year's tag-team track, "The Liptrick," was Baker's first big burst of production genius. Alongside then-partner Alex Grzybowski, he served up a minimal slice of stripped-down beats and paranoid bleeps that marked him among electronic music's emerging class. Then he went solo, slamming together a streak of hits — namely 2007's "Plastik" and this summer's "Piano Lessons" — and a string of high-profile remixes for club killers such as Simian Mobile Disco and Radio Slave.
All of that leaves only one last step to stardom: a full slab with "Simon Baker" stamped all over it. And it's coming soon.
