Sound Advice: Subtronics

Join Subtronics on Sound Advice, the weekly interview series covering artists’ journeys and their creative process. In this episode, we discuss Subtronics’s two-part ‘Fibonacci’ concept albums, live tour, Cyclops Recordings label and more.

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Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything SoundCloud offers to elevate their sound, get heard and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.

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Dubstep DJ/producer Jesse Karden, better known as Subtronics, is on this episode of Sound Advice to talk about the latest installment of his two-part opus, ‘Fibonacci.’ The pair of albums draw inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence, a natural mathematical pattern which forms the basis of everything from art and architecture, to quantum computing, algorithms and the structure of things in nature. Following along from his previous albums, like ‘TESSERACT’ and ‘FRACTALS,’ his ‘Fibonacci’ project takes listeners on a wild, spiraling ride of top-level sound design and emotional velocity, all while fusing dubstep with elements of house, techno, drum & bass, indie rock, fantasy and science. 

Whether he’s blitzing audiences with giant, genre-bending bass anthems, like “Lock In” and “Gangstas,” or exploring influences from Crystal Castles to Radiohead, on melodic tracks like “Oblivion” and “Infinity” (feat. Grabbitz), Subtronics is constantly building ornate, intricate worlds for fans to escape to. We caught up with Subtronics as he was preparing for six, sold-out nights at the landmark Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in early December for an in-depth conversation about his creative vision, how he’s built up his sound and style, his plans for 2026 and his Cyclops Recordings label. 

Subtronics also shares the pivotal role that SoundCloud has played in his career, from becoming a part of the early quarternote community and collaborating with artists across the globe to building a fanbase with his ‘NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL RIDDIM’ series and his current place as one of dubstep’s most innovative producers. Whether you’re a diehard fan or new to Subtronics’s sound, this episode offers a behind the scenes look at the artistry and passion that drive him. For more storytelling on the music of ‘Fibonacci,’ listen to Subtronics’s exclusive track-by-track commentary on Voice Notes.

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LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE FEATURING SUBTRONICS

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LISTEN TO ‘FIBONNACI’ BY SUBTRONICS

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LISTEN TO EXCLUSIVE VOICE NOTES FROM SUBTRONICS ON SOUNDCLOUD

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Things We Talked About In This Episode of Sound Advice

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The Inspiration Behind Subtronics’s ‘Fibonacci’ Two-Part Album, and Advice For Fellow Producers on Album Creation

• We begin the conversation by hearing about Subtronics’s latest album, the second installment of his double album, ‘Fibonacci.’ The music draws inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence — and for Subtronics, it’s an apt theme for this current stage of his musical evolution, sharing how it “represents a totality; an all-inclusive mathematical equation for all of reality.”
• As a producer who’s always trying to put on display what inspires him as much as possible, and to defy expectations and genre boundaries with each release, he finds the concept broad and detailed enough to encapsulate his sound and creative processes. He’s “making his inner child happy,” he says. Here, he talks about how this concept plays out in the music, and how he’s been inspired by acts like Tame Impala and Fred again.. lately.
• On the album, Subtronics features a wealth of vocal collaborators. It’s a shift in focus that’s been very fruitful for him. “My brain tells me that vocals are another instrument in the song,” he explains. Here, he talks more about the impact and value of a vocal in his music, and how he’s been increasingly directed by feeling and melody in the studio.
• When it comes to writing albums specifically, Subtronics is well versed, with four albums released in as many years, starting with his debut, 2022’s ‘FRACTALS’ on his own label, Cyclops Recordings. When it comes to giving advice to fellow producers who want to write an album, but perhaps don’t know where or how to start, Subtronics suggests beginning with singles and going from there with what feels right to your own process. Expanding on this further, he reflects on the differences between the two formats and how they fulfill different purposes creatively, explaining how singles tend to have a “big impact on the scene and culture” of dance music, while albums create “open gaps to fill with different kinds of flavors.”

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How Subtronics Came Up on SoundCloud Through the Quartenote Dubstep Community

• Since his very early days as an artist, Subtronics has developed a devoted fanbase and community of DJs and producers online through SoundCloud. Here, he talks about how the platform worked as a vital meeting place. He shares how he made connections with artists from around the world who shared his musical taste and ideas, and felt encouraged to upload his earliest tracks. Here, he talks about how SoundCloud features like track comments and track reposts allowed him and his fellow producers to push their music wider.
• Speaking honestly, Subtronics also says that it took years for his music to get the kind of wider attention that he really was striving for. Wrapping this up in advice for up-and-coming producers, he shares that when he sent his early music out to labels and got rejected, he took it hard. But now, he realizes that his music “just wasn’t good enough yet,” and that he needed to spend more time shaping his sound before trying to get it signed. 
• As he explains, he was “sending bad songs to labels for seven or eight years straight and never got a reply, but I loved making so much that if I didn’t get a reply, it didn’t matter. The excitement of making a good song is the highest high in life.” With hard work, luck and a community on SoundCloud, Subtronics grew his career to the stage it is today.
• In 2025, Subtronics has a broad range of tracks in his arsenal to pull from, from live bangers to incite a mosh pit, to more reflective tracks that draw on emotional stories. Here, he talks about a selection of tracks from ‘Fibonacci’ — “Anxious,”“Infinity,”“Antidote (Midnight Coffee),”“By A Thread” and “Fuck Up” — and why they’re all satisfying to him right now.

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The Evolution of Cyclops Recordings and SoundCloud’s Role in Label A&R 

• All of Subtronics’s albums, including ‘Fibonacci,’ came out on his own record label, Cyclops Recordings. Over the years, he’s grown the label into one of the most respected taste-making imprints in his scene, releasing a crossover of dubstep and other styles across EDM. Here, he talks about how he likes to run the label, how he approaches finding new artists to release and the types of sounds he’s interested in curating. 
• Subtronics is passionate about using the label as a platform to amplify young talented artists who may not otherwise get signed. Here, he talks about how there’s a “talent equality gap” and how there’s a “downright sickening amount of talented kids who just rip every headliner to shreds,” and wants to give them opportunities to be heard. As someone who feels lucky to be in the position that he’s in today, he sees it as giving back to the musical communities that raised him. 
• As the label has grown, Subtronic’s relationship with SoundCloud has evolved, too. Here, he talks about how the platform plays a vital role in his discovery of new music and getting demos from artists, and his strategy for getting into the flow of the platform’s algorithm and likes-based recommendations to find the best new tracks. He explains how SoundCloud is “the primary central meeting point, especially for more grassroots, underground music” and how part of that is due to how track comments are a crucial part of cultivating community on the platform.

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Subtronics Shares Advice on Creativity and Collaboration, and Celebrates His Sold Out Shows

• If you’re a young artist today, trying to get a break in the industry, it can be tough to know which path to take in order to be heard. Here, Subtronics passes on some words of wisdom to anyone on this journey right now. As a young producer, he says, “I was emulating the music I liked” — and in this deep learning period, he realized you shouldn’t send every song you make to labels, DJs and promoters. 
• Instead, he suggests, emulate those musical heroes in your production practices, but also “feed your brain with a diverse diet of ideas” and slowly “add things to your inspiration reservoir” he says. That way, “your output will become more unique.”
• Subtronics has worked with a wide variety of vocalists and producers — like Grabbitz, GRiZ, Excision and Zeds Dead, to name a few — and has developed a keen sense of what makes a collaboration flow smoothly. Here, he shares some sage advice on how to communicate with other artists in productive ways, especially if you are working online or don’t even speak the same language. The key, he says, is to keep ideas flowing until you both get excited musically. From there, the collaborative process will take off much more quickly and organically.
• To mark the release of the ‘Fibonacci’ albums, Subtronics performed on one of the biggest runs of shows he’s ever done. He sold out six nights at the Shrine Auditorium, aka LA’s The Shrine — and showcased a fresh look and feel for his fans. Here, talks about switching up the standard main stage dance set-up — “I want to make the whole venue the stage, and fill the space — and how the visual language of ‘Fibonacci’ is a two-headed beast that he credits to working closely with his visual creative director, Ray Elemento. For details on Subtronic’s upcoming dates and tickets, you can find out more here.

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Links and Extras

Follow Subtronics’s journey on SoundCloud.
Press play on Subtronics’s latest, two-part album, ‘Fibonacci Part 1: Oblivion’ and ‘Fibonacci Part 2: Infinity.’
Follow Subtronics’s label, Cyclops Recordings.
Hit play on some of Subtronics’ 2025 collaborations, like “Friends” with Linney, and “Lock In” with Wooli.
Go back to where it all began with one of Subtronics’s earliest SoundCloud uploads, 2015’s “Diabolical.” 
Explore some of Subtronics’s wide-ranging, recent influences, including Flux Pavilion, Tame Impala and Fred again.., to name a few. 
Listen to the Jump-Up D&B playlist on SoundCloud.
Never miss an episode and follow the official Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.

Getting The Most Out of SoundCloud

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Learn more about getting heard with SoundCloud’s updated algorithm, available to Artist and Artist Pro subscribers.

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_{CREDITS Host: Vivian Host, Executive Producer: Mike Spinella, Producer: KC Orcutt, Audio Engineer: David “DibS” Shackney, Coordinator: Trevor McGee, Editorial Associate: Lauren Martin}