Wiley

Leading light of the UK grime scene, producer/MC Wiley refers to his abstracted, mutant music as "eski beat" (from "Eskimo") and maintains that his sound often owes more to rapid-fire computer games than the U.K. garage that spawned it. Since 2001, the former member of the influential Pay As U Go cartel and Roll Deep crew has churned out a slew of weird tracks thematically linked by a penchant for the cold, the winter, and the glacial. His 2004 album TREDDIN' ON THIN ICE, on XL Recordings, was a triumph of minor key minimalism which impressed critics. After its release Wiley returned to DIY status, prompting the release of a string of 12-inch singles before a major label return with 2008's SEE CLEAR NOW.

• dance
• hip hop/rap