Shifted

Anonymity is nothing new in music, especially in techno, but for U.K. producer Shifted, it served as the perfect nom de plume to establish a new identity before removing the mask in 2014. When the first Shifted release, the Drained EP, appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:5BJa6TIqtoWm8QRRbfRmyt">Luke Slater</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mote+Evolver%22">Mote Evolver</a> in 2011, the rumor mills went wild guessing the identity of the mysterious producer, and all that was known was that he'd originally served ten-plus years as part of an electronic duo. When Shifted unmasked himself in 2014 as Guy Brewer, it was revealed that he'd originally been part of the successful drum'n'bass duo <a href="spotify:artist:6B7hlHWFBeEw2LGfcDM7OR">Commix</a>. After becoming disillusioned with the drum'n'bass scene, Brewer started experimenting with techno, with some tracks ending up in the hands of <a href="spotify:artist:5BJa6TIqtoWm8QRRbfRmyt">Luke Slater</a>. That initial release on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mote+Evolver%22">Mote Evolver</a> and two more releases in 2011 on his own Avian Records and <a href="spotify:artist:3IpcmkTQ2s6rMaKtbwBbVe">Sigha</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Our+Circula+Sound%22">Our Circula Sound</a>, saw his profile expand. A move to Berlin from Cambridge, U.K. saw Brewer immerse himself in the already popular techno scene in the German city, propelled by the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:51CANyDEIfgYt0mwLKCpZ6">Sandwell District</a> and the infamous Berghain nightclub. Brewer rounded out 2011 with another release, the Control EP, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mote+Evolver%22">Mote Evolver</a> as well as an EP for Syndrome Z. Early 2012 saw the producer deliver his debut album, Crossed Paths, which received positive reviews for its take on the deep, drone-infused techno sound; it was preceded by a split single with Finnish DJ and producer <a href="spotify:artist:5UVeKRyD2EOSsARHXrWaAF">Samuli Kemppi</a>. Another release, Sickness by Means of Clairvoyance on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Our+Circula+Sound%22">Our Circula Sound</a>, appeared toward the end of 2012, along with another EP, Razors, for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mote+Evolver%22">Mote Evolver</a>. With remixes and DJ slots taking precedence, as well as work under the <a href="spotify:artist:1XwAo9UCt90soyw5V7U6LV">Alexander Lewis</a> and Covered in Sand guises, 2013 was reasonably quiet for Shifted releases. The beginning of the year saw the release of The Cold Light, Pts. 1 & 2 on Brewer's own Avian Records, while a meeting with Dominick Fernow (<a href="spotify:artist:00NwpiTtYKYzE6yEhSbFIk">Prurient</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1b6p8KZ14dw35fuIuDWQNV">Vatican Shadow</a>) saw the release of the second Shifted album, Under a Single Banner, on Fernow's own <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Bed+of+Nails%22">Bed of Nails</a> label at the end of the year. Brewer once again remained reasonably quiet on the production front throughout 2014, with just a handful of remixes seeing the light of day, and the two-part EP Arrangements in Monochrome appearing at the end of the year on Avian. Continuing to DJ and perform live throughout 2015, Brewer returned in 2016 with the three-track EP Six Steps to Resurgence on his own label, Avian. Previously unreleased tracks also appeared on the label Drifting Over, which Brewer set up to release his own productions. A third Shifted album, Appropriation Stories, came at the end of 2016, once again on Dominic Fernow's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hospital+Productions%22">Hospital Productions</a>. ~ Rich Wilson, Rovi