Derek (aka The Rhythmist, Number 8, Boxbanga) is a native of Silicon Valley, and has been making electronic music since 1987. His deep and shuffled grooves layered with abstract textures and funky, disjointed melodies have a futuristic quality that gets your head nodding and body moving. Inspired by groups like Art Of Noise, Kraftwerk, and Mantronix he started an all-synth band in high school with some friends. The band broke up shortly after graduating, so he started working on music solo. His first official release on a label was in 1994 on Flask (a subdivision of Silent Records) under the alias ‘Number 8’. He teamed up with local veteran producer Mattski and Solid Trax label manager Lucas Rodenbush to launch the Trax Cafe project in 1997. Their EP and double-pack compilation helped Derek land an appearance on a compilation EP on Medasu Records, and the release of his first solo EP on Resource Records in 2000. Since then he has also had releases on labels such as Codec Recordings, Jump, Random Access Recordings, SIXONESIX, Friction, Diggarama, Bloo Neko and Audio Abuse. From 2003 to 2012, Derek ran the DoBox Recordings netlabel to help promote his sound and that of other like-minded producers from around the world. Lately you can find Derek doing live PAs around the SF Bay Area with the live improvisational Techno band, Haptic Synapses (along with DoBox label mates Steve Cooley and Charles Johnson). Preparation for their performances is minimal, but uniquely challenging; what you hear is a realtime expression of their collective aesthetic. A specific tempo is determined at the start of the set, then the rest is made up as they play. Utilizing various types of instruments, each member creates rhythmic patterns and original sounds to complement what each other is doing sonically. Derek has also been in the lab working on new recordings and remixes, as well as preparing to launch his new label, dbl (pronounced “double”).