Operating at the intersection of deeper techno, electronica, house and electro, Ste Roberts intricate and beguiling sounds have been fascinating dancers for over two decades now.
A Rinse FM resident for over a decade, he first cut his teeth in the fertile grounds of Leeds in a period when it was experiencing somewhat of a clubbing renaissance. Working behind the counter in Tribe Records, his job allowed him upfront access to the cutting edge of house and techno and he soon made a name for himself as a selector. With a growing reputation as a “DJ’s DJ”, he made teamed up with Jamie Russell and Alex Jones to set up the influential Hypercolour and Glass Table imprints before making his first moves into the production world and releasing his acclaimed debut on the formidable Fear Of Flying imprint, before
Moving to London in 2015, he continued his explorations in the electronic underground, quickly gaining a foothold for himself in the capital. His deep, hypnotic, rhythmic sound won him fans far and wide, with gigs ranging from fabric to Studio 338, The Lion & The Lamb and Dimensions Festival in the years that followed. He set up his own labels STE and STEDIT labels to give himself no-compromise homes for his production output, gaining the support of many an influential DJ in the process, along with his releases on 20:20 Vision, Holding Hands and Hypercolour.
“I don’t generally have any set start point when it comes to making music” he says. “Whether I’m making an electro track or more of a techno roller, that just kinda develops as I’m tinkering around with hardware. The reality is, I’ve been music collector for over 20 years now with endless amounts of inspirations throughout the electronic music and dance scene, and without trying to replicate this experience I’ve had it just comes to me naturally. In my DJ sets I always prefer to take you on a journey, with ups and downs, twists and turns but ultimately educating and exciting my listeners with old and new records. I still play records I picked up when I started out 20 years ago—which even then were already a decade old—along with up and coming cuts, and current rare picks.”
The future looks very busy for Ste as he enters a new purple patch in his career, with releases coming on One Eye Witness, Kassian’s burgeoning Faux Poly label, more on STE & STEDIT and a collaboration with Adam Curtain on their new Adam & Steve imprint. What’s more, he’s launched another new label, Private Parts, to further extrapolate his sounds and to support other like-minded artists, with label showcases in the works at some of the world’s finer nightspots.
