Subtronics

Jesse Kardon, better known by his alias Subtronics, is an American dubstep and riddim DJ and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known for his song "Griztronics", a collaboration with Michigan-based electronic music artist GRiZ that peaked on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs at the No. 9 position in late 2019. Kardon peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart in September 2019.

Subtronics
Birth name	Jesse Kardon
Born	(1992-12-23) December 23, 1992 Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Dubstep riddim
Occupation(s)	Disc jockey record producer composer
Instruments	Digital audio workstation
Years active	2013–present
Labels	Cyclops Recordings Prime Audio SubCarbon Records Never Say Die Disciple Artist Intelligence Agency Kill Your Ego Blacklight Audio Uplink Audio Chronos Records Multikill Recordings Escence Audio Deadbeats
Associated acts	Dack Janiels Boogie T Ubur Midnight Tyrannosaurus PhaseOne MVRDA Zeds Dead
Website	subtronics.net

Kardon is known for his mixtape series Now That's What I Call Riddim. Originally released in February 2017, the series has grown to five volumes, with most containing mashups, exclusive mixes, and unreleased music as well as various riddim DJs and producers introducing themselves during interludes. The fourth alliteration, Now That’s What I Call Riddim Vol. 4, contains around 110 songs from a large number of artists. [1][2][3]. A fifth instalment was released in January 2020. Kardon marked it as the last in the mix series and included songs by Skrillex, Excision, Doctor P and Boogie T.[4]

Career

2017: "Revenge Of The Goldfish"

On April 28, 2017, Florida-based dubstep producer Midnight Tyrannosaurus collaborated with Kardon to release the song "Revenge Of The Goldfish" via Never Say Die's Black Label imprint.[5] The song was released for free as part of Never Say Die's sixth Black Friday compilation extended play and sampled a speech originally by Klaus Heissler during an episode of the American animated sitcom American Dad.[6]

2018: Wook Laser and SoundCloud

On April 20, 2018, Kardon released his seventh extended play Wook Laser via Never Say Die's Black Label sub-label. The 4-track extended play was well-received, with it being described as encapsulating "everything that is right in riddim at the current moment" by an EDM Sauce editor.[7]

On July 6, Canadian electronic music duo Zeds Dead and American DJ and electronic dance music producer Jauz released a remix album of their song "Lights Go Down".[8] Kardon's remix of the song was featured on the album, alongside remixes from by Sikdope, Duke & Jones, Gentlemans Club, Jarvis, Lick, Sqwad, Awoltalk, and Spirix.[9]

In mid-August, Kardon's SoundCloud account was hacked and as a result, had various unreleased and private songs stolen and published by the hacker. Before, he had received a message from Los Angeles-based dubstep producer Megalodon, asking him to repost a song uploaded by an unfamiliar account. After privately messaging him, Megalodon told Kardon that he was hacked and soon blocked him. The same account later published a song by Kardon that was previously only accessible from his hard drive and private SoundCloud account.[10]

On October 19, American record producer Herobust released a remix album of his previous song "WTF". The album, titled WTF VIP + Remixes, featured Kardon as a remix artist.[11]

In November, multiple riddim producers had most or all of their songs removed from online audio distribution platform and music sharing website SoundCloud for wrongful copyright claims.[12] Among these producers were Kardon, who had lost 23 songs due to these claims.[13]

2019: Cyclops Army, "Griztronics", and Wooked On Tronics

On April 17, 2019, Australian dubstep producer PhaseOne released "Demon Hunter", a collaboration with Kardon, as part of his album Transcendency via Disciple.[14] EDM.com's Phil Sclippa commented on the song whilst reviewing the album, stating that it featured Kardon's "insane sound design and riddim elements, along with some entertaining samples."[15]

On July 7, Kardon released his ninth extended play Cyclops Army via his record label Cyclops Recordings.[16] The four-track extended play included the songs "Cyclops Army", "Glitch Fight", "They Call Me", and "Loopholes", most of which were previewed in the fourth volume of Kardon's mixtape series Now That’s What I Call Riddim.[17][18]

On July 23 Canadian producer and DJ Excision released a remix album based on his fourth studio album Apex. Kardon was featured on the album with his remix of the song "Vault".[19] While reviewing the album, Jayce Ullah-Blocks of EDM Identity briefly touched on Kardon's remix, noting that he had retained elements from the original while "fully capturing Subtronics' diverse sound palate."[20]

On August 2, English dubstep producer Rusko collaborated with Kardon to release the song "Bounce" via the latter's record label Cyclops Recordings. The song debuted during Kardon's DJ set at Electric Forest Festival and Rusko's set at Camp Bisco earlier in the year.[21] Writing for Dancing Astronaut, Chris Stack noted the song's influence from earlier dubstep works, utilising Kardon's "stellar syncopation and sound design" alongside Rusko's "signature elated wobbles and groove."[22]

On August 14, American songwriter and electronic producer GRiZ released his second extended play Bangers[2].Zip via Deadbeats.[23] A collaboration between GRiZ and Kardon was released as one of the three songs featured on the extended play, titled "Griztronics"; a portmanteau of the two artists names.[24] The song debuted during Kardon's DJ set at Electric Forest Festival.[25] Writing for Dancing Astronaut, Chris Stack described the song as appealing even to "the most stubborn of dance fans".[26] During October, the song became popular on video-sharing app TikTok, becoming the top trending song on the platform with over 259 million views in total. The song was associated with the hashtag #tastesdifferent, a similar wording to the song's pre-drop vocal "Ooh, this shit be hittin' different".[27]

On September 10, Quebec-based vomitstep producer Snails released "Snailclops", a collaboration with Kardon, via his record label Slugz Music.[28] In the week of September 14, 2019, Kardon peaked at number 10 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart.[29]

On October 2, Kardon released his tenth extended play Wooked On Tronics via his record label Cyclops Recordings.[30][31] The extended play features 5 songs, including a collaboration with English music producer Moody Good.[32]

Discography

Albums and extended plays

Title	Details
Panic Attack EP	Released: May 4, 2015 Label: Prime Audio Formats: Digital download
Impact	Released: January 18, 2016 Label: Blacklight Audio Formats: Digital download
Cyclops EP	Released: December 6, 2016 Label: Prime Audio Formats: Digital download
20K EP	Released: June 8, 2017 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download
Depth Perception[33]	Released: January 15, 2018 Label: SubCarbon Records Formats: Digital download
Thermal Expansion EP	Released: February 23, 2018 Label: Disciple Formats: Digital download
Wook Laser EP[34]	Released: March 4, 2018 Label: Never Say Die Formats: Digital download
Pashmina Death Sauce EP[35]	Released: September 26, 2018 Label: Kannibalen Records Formats: Digital download
Cyclops Army[36]	Released: June 7, 2019 Label: Cyclops Recordings Formats: Digital download
Wooked On Tronics[37]	Released: October 2, 2019 Label: Cyclops Recordings Formats: Digital download
Scream Saver[38]	Released: April 10, 2020 Label: Cyclops Recordings Formats: Digital download

As a featured artist

Title	Details
Genius by JPhelpz	Released: May 19, 2014 Label: Prime Audio Format: Digital download
20K EP by Bommer	Released: May 5, 2015 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download
Ripper EP by Creation	Released: October 10, 2015 Label: Uplink Audio Format: Digital download
Double U EP by Ubur	Released: June 15, 2018 Label: Never Say Die Format: Digital download
Soul'd Out[39] by Boogie T	Released: October 23, 2017 Label: SubCarbon Records Format: Digital download
Junkworld EP[40] by Svdden Death	Released: February 26, 2018 Label: Never Say Die Format: Digital download
2KFO[41] by Boogie T	Released: June 15, 2018 Label: Drama Club Recordings Format: Digital download
Transcendency[42] by PhaseOne	Released: April 17, 2019 Label: Disciple Format: Digital download
Bangers[2].Zip[43] by GRiZ	Released: August 14, 2019 Label: Deadbeats Format: Digital download

Charted songs

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		US Dance [44]
"Griztronics"[43]	2019	9	Bangers[2].Zip

Other singles

Title	Year	Album	Label
Childs Play VIP	2015	data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Suspekt (with Dack Janiels)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Artist Intelligence Agency
Madness (with SampliFire and Zaita)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Artist Intelligence Agency
Nightmare	2016	data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	DirtySnatcha Records
Spasm		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Astrofang		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Saw Blade (with Ecraze)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Trendz (with Dack Janiels, featuring GloGangTwins)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Pete's Song (with Ubur)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Spasm VIP[45]		Cyclops EP	Prime Audio
Wonderwall		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Shredder (with Emilian Wonk)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Shank	2017	data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Kill Your Ego
Negative Space		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
LDA (with Run DMT)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Kill Your Ego
Liberator VIP		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Revenge Of The Goldfish (with Midnight Tyrannosaurus)[6]		Black Friday Vol. 6	Never Say Die
Two Faced (with Skenz)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Hallucination Dub		Loud Speaker, Vol. 1	SubCarbon Records
Particle Meme Weapon		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Shock Value		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Thunderdome (with Squnto)	2018	data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Self-released
Omega Robot (with Space Jesus)		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Deadbeats
Headband (with Ganja White Night)	2019	data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	SubCarbon Records
Bounce (with Rusko)[46]		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Cyclops Recordings
Snailclops (with Snails)[47]		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Slugz Music
Step Aside (with Midnight Tyrannosaurus)[48]		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Bassrush
Braincase (with Kayzo)[49]		data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Welcome Records / Cyclops Recordings
Bumpy Teeth (with Zeds Dead)[50]		We Are Deadbeats Vol. 4	Deadbeats
Nuclear Bass Face (with Nghtmre)[51]	2020	data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single	Ultra Records

Remixes

Title	Year	Artist	Label
Brooklyn Go Hard	2013	Jay-Z	Self-released
Genius	2014	JPhelpz	Self-released
Thief	2016	Ookay	Self-released
The Wonky Song	2017	Monxx and Walter Wilde	Self-released
Walls	2018	Eliminate	Disciple
2FKO		Boogie T	Drama Club Recordings
Lights Go Down[8]		Zeds Dead and Jauz	Bite This & Deadbeats
WTF[52]		Herobust	Busted Records
Vault	2019	Excision	Excision Music
GodLovesUgly (with Zeds Dead)[53]	2020	Atmosphere	Deadbeats & Rhymesayers

Awards and nominations

Accolades

Year	Publisher	Country	Accolade	Rank
2019	Billboard	United States	Next Big Sound[29]	10

References

1. Selbe (2019-01-08). "Subtronics Releases "Now That's What I Call Riddim Vol. 4"". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
2. Yopko, Nick. "Subtronics' "Now That's What I Call Riddim 3" OUT NOW". EDM.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
3. "Subtronics - NOW THATS WHAT I CALL RIDDIM VOL. I". By The Wavs. 2017-02-15. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
4. Cameron, John. "Subtronics Shares Final Installment of Now That's What I Call Riddim Mix Series". EDM.com. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
5. "Midnight Tyrannosaurus & Subtronics - Revenge Of The Goldfish". By The Wavs. 2017-05-04. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
6. Reis, Sean (2017-05-05). "Midnight Tyrannosaurus & Subtronics Drop Dark and Dirty Dubstep Collab". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
7. Erik (2018-04-20). "Subtronics Drops Brutal New EP Off Never Say Die Black Label - 'Wook Laser'". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
8. "Zeds Dead and Jauz release destructive 'Lights Go Down' remix EP". Dancing Astronaut. 2018-07-07. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
9. karsoowuttt (2018-07-08). "Zeds Dead & Jauz Serve Up Phenomenal "Lights Go Down" Remix Pack". Your EDM. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
10. Smith, Cody (2018-08-18). "Two of Bass Music's Rising Stars Were Just Hacked, Music Stolen". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
11. "PREMIERE: Herobust Unleashes "WTF" Remix EP Featuring Mastadon, HEKLER, And More". Run the Trap. 2018-10-19. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
12. Meadow, Matthew (2018-11-16). "SoundCloud Responds After Scores of Takedowns On Major DJ Accounts Anger Fans & Artists". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
13. Erik (2018-11-15). "Rogue SoundCloud User Gets Dozens Of Riddim Producer's Tracks Wrongfully Taken Down". EDM Sauce. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
14. "PhaseOne - Transcendency". By The Wavs. 2019-04-17. Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
15. Scilippa, Phil. "PhaseOne's "TRANSCENDENCY" Transcends Genre". EDM.com. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
16. Watts, Nick (2019-06-07). "Subtronics - Cyclops Army EP". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
17. Parker, Olivia (2019-06-10). "Subtronics Brings the Heat on New EP 'Cyclops Army'". EDM Identity. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
18. Selbe (2019-06-18). "Subtronics Drops Killer New EP "Cyclops Army"". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
19. Meadow, Matthew (2019-07-24). "Excision Drops Star-Studded Remix Album for Apex with BTSM, SLANDER + More". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
20. Ullah-Blocks, Jayce (2019-07-24). "Excision Drops 'Apex: The Remixes' Featuring Mastadon, BTSM, & More!". EDM Identity. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
21. Schmidt, Sean (2019-08-02). "Rusko & Subtronics Team Up for Wobbly New Single 'Bounce'". River Beats. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
22. "Rusko teams up with Subtronics for a contemporary dubstep heater, 'Bounce'". Dancing Astronaut. 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
23. Brown, Jovaughn (2019-08-15). "Griz drops new EP 'Bangers[2].zip' just in time for PNW tour stops". Dance Music NW. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
24. karsoowuttt (2019-08-15). "GRiZ Drops New Bangers EP with Highly Anticipated Subtronics Collab". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
25. ago, Jeanette Kats • 3 months. "GRiZ Unleashes Coveted 'Bangers[2].Zip' EP on Deadbeats". Noiseporn. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
26. "GRiZ goes hard on new Deadbeats EP, 'Bangers[2].Zip'". Dancing Astronaut. 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
27. karsoowuttt (2019-10-22). "EDM's Biggest Dubstep Track of 2019 Went #1 On TikTok". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
28. "Snails Enlists Subtronics For New Banger "SNAILCLOPS"". Run the Trap. 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
29. "Next Big Sound". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
30. ago, Ben Yi • 1 month. "Subtronics Drops Five-Track EP 'Wooked On Tronics'". Noiseporn. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
31. Watts, Nick (2019-10-02). "Your EDM Premiere: Subtronics - Death Wish". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
32. Christina (2019-10-07). "Subtronics Goes Off The Rails With New "Wooked On Tronics" EP". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
33. Fulkerson, Nicole (2018-01-15). "Subtronics drops "Depth Perception" EP and we have the exclusive interview". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
34. Ullah-Blocks, Jayce (2018-04-20). "Subtronics Gets Gross and Unleashes Swampy 'Wook Laser' EP". EDM Identity. Archived from the original on 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
35. Ullah-Blocks, Jayce (2018-09-26). "Subtronics Blends Savage Riddim & Intricate Soundscapes in 'Pashmina Death Sauce'". EDM Identity. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
36. "Subtronics Gets Nasty On "Cyclops Army" EP". Run the Trap. 2019-06-14. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
37. Stone, Katie. "Prepare to be "Wooked On Tronics" with the New Subtronics EP". EDM.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
38. Watts, Nick (2020-04-10). "Subtronics – Scream Saver EP". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
39. Fulkerson, Nicole (2017-10-26). "Boogie T Drops 'Soul'd Out' EP on SubCarbon Records". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
40. "SVDDEN DEATH Makes His Mark On Never Say Die With 'Junkworld' EP". Run the Trap. 2018-02-26. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
41. "Boogie T releases '2KFO' remix album, announces BOOGIE T.RIO debut at Electric Forest". Dancing Astronaut. 2018-06-17. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
42. Meadow, Matthew (2019-04-17). "PhaseOne Drops Groundbreaking Metal + Bass Hybrid Album, "Transcendency"". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
43. "Griz Drops Three-Track EP of Heavy Stage Favorites: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
44. "Griz Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
45. "Subtronics - Spasm VIP". By The Wavs. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
46. Sunkel, Cameron. "Rusko and Subtronics Want To See You "Bounce" with New Single". EDM.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
47. "Subtronics and Snails connect for monstrous joint effort, 'SNAILCLOPS'". Dancing Astronaut. 2019-09-12. Archived from the original on 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
48. Selbe (2019-10-22). "Subtronics and Midnight Tyrannosaurus Release Earth Shattering New Track "Step Aside"". EDM Sauce. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
49. {{Cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/8545348/kayzo-subtronics-braincase |title=Kayzo & Subtronics' 'Braincase' is a fun grab bag of rhythms and noise: Exclusive |last=Bein |first=Kat |date=2019-12-04 |website=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212043609/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/8545348/kayzo-subtronics-braincase |archive-date=2019-12-12 |accessdate=2019-12-21}
50. Mao, Jessica (2019-12-18). "Zeds Dead recruit Subtronics for forceful unveil of 'Bumpy Teeth' [Stream]". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
51. Goldenberg, Ross (2020-06-01). "Nghtmre, Subtronics and Boogie T fuse dubstep and reggae on 'Nuclear Bass Face'". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
52. karsoowuttt (2018-10-19). "Herobust Drops Massive "WTF" VIP, Remix Pack & Talks All Things "WTF"". Your EDM. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
53. Heffler, Jason (2020-06-23). "ZEDS DEAD AND SUBTRONICS RELEASE STUNNING DUBSTEP REMIX OF ATMOSPHERE'S "GODLOVESUGLY"". EDM.com. Retrieved 2020-07-09.