Towcester, UK · dubstep

Flux Pavilion

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Circus Records co-founder whose 'I Can't Stop' riff became one of dubstep's most-sampled moments — even Jay and Kanye borrowed it.

Joshua Kierkegaard Grant Steele, born in January 1989, began performing as Flux Pavilion in 2008, citing The Prodigy and Rusko among his influences. He grew up in Towcester, Northamptonshire, before building a career as a producer, DJ and occasional singer-songwriter.

In 2009 he co-founded Circus Records with childhood friend Doctor P, backed by drum and bass figure DJ Swan-E and UB40's Earl Falconer. The label became a hub for a heavy, melodic strain of British dubstep, built on lurching mid-range bass and drops designed for large rooms.

His 2010 track 'I Can't Stop', from the release Lines in Wax, spread well beyond dance music: Chiddy Bang freestyled over it, it soundtracked the Kony 2012 campaign and a Rush film trailer, appeared in the video game SSX, and was sampled by Jay-Z and Kanye West on 'Who Gon Stop Me'.

'Bass Cannon' reached number 56 on the UK Singles Chart in 2011 and earned a place on the BBC Radio 1 A-list, the same year he and Doctor P released the Circus One compilation and Steele was named on the BBC Sound of 2012 longlist. He also began singing on his own productions, including 'Voscillate' and 'The Scientist'.

Later releases included the Blow the Roof EP in 2013, whose track 'Double Edge' featured in the game Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and Freeway the same year with Steve Aoki and Turin Brakes. Disney commissioned a remix of the Star Wars Rebels theme from him in 2014, ahead of his debut album Tesla in 2015 and a second album, .wav, in 2021.

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dubstep