SBTRKT returns to Miami—and this time, the mask comes off

Among the dozens of acts taking the stage at this year’s tenth anniversary III Points festival—including a handful of under-the-radar, can’t-miss performances—is the return of a certain enigmatic masked artist. After seven years away from the spotlight, SBTRKT (the English musician and producer Aaron Jermone) is set to unmask and let his true sound blast through this weekend in Miami.

More than a decade since his breakout track "Wildfire" put him on the map, SBTRKT’s original works still feel as fresh as that inaugural spark. But if his early sound was marked by its beautiful simplicity and stripped-down beats, his latest offering, 2023’s The Rat Road, is nothing short of a layered expression, a cinematic soundscape that maps out his odyssey as an artist. 

And, of course, there are the collabs—some with long-time friends like Sampha and Little Dragon, others entirely new, like with Toro y Moi, Teezo Touchdown and Leilah. 

Beneath the persona, beats and melodies, SBTRKT hopes to reveal a deeply connected artist who creates from a place of authenticity. As we gear up for his III Points set (scheduled for Saturday, October 21 at 9:25pm on the Sector 3 stage), expect not just a performance but a boundary-pushing experience meant to spark emotion and take us on a sonic adventure through SBTRKT’s musical evolution. 

RECOMMENDED: Guide to III Points Music Festival Miami 2023

Time Out: The Rat Road is your first album in seven years. What have you been up to in that time period? What did you learn—about your craft, about yourself? 

SBTRKT: It definitely was a long time! I didn't want to release music that wasn't feeling like I was moving forward or creating something I hadn't achieved before. I never want to repeat myself or stick to a formula. I produce, mix and manage all my collaborators myself, so things take time to come together. I also had to find the right label to work with. 

I'm often experimenting too, just to try and teach myself new skills, whether it’s the way I mix my records, learning instruments or trying new genre spaces that I hadn't before. I think I've grown as a writer and a producer a lot in this time, though, and spent literally years improving. I can now create records in a way that I didn't have the ability to on my earlier records.

How would you say your sound has evolved from your first two albums to now? 

My first album was especially stripped back, whereas I'm now more comfortable layering sounds without them ending up sounding messy. My second album was pushing my boundaries further and showcasing a wider set of influences. I think I've learned to not be afraid to make music that doesn't fit within certain boxes. I just don't see the point of doing something that an artist has already done better before. And that goes for working with collaborators, too. I think whatever I create has to sit in a unique space of its own, and if I work with someone, what we make has to sound unique.

The Rat Road listens like a movie score. What’s the narrative or storyline you’re trying to get across? 

I definitely got to a point where I felt it made sense to sequence the album like it was a score. I wanted to showcase my journey throughout the last seven years. I’ve always been told my music has a very visual, emotive quality to it, and I generally create music by following a feeling rather than thinking about it functionally…Conceptually, I wanted it to be authentic rather than expressing one repetitive feeling or idea across the record. I wanted it to distill the complexity and serenity and ups and downs of life; we are quite complicated creatures and we have set up the world to be quite a hostile place.

What collaboration on the album were you most excited about? 

It's often hard to know how another artist will react when you hit them up, whether they will be interested in collaborating or be a mutual fan, and whether they will be on the same wavelength in musical vision. I was so happy when Toro y Moi responded to my message and we met up in Oakland. I’d been a massive fan since his early releases and have always been very inspired by his wide genre-ranging recording output. Working together was pretty effortless!

We are no longer in the era where you can be at a distance from your audience.

Now that the mask is off, what do you want your fans to know about you—as a person and as an artist? 

The mask was great when I started out in giving me the freedom to just get on with the music, bypassing the gatekeepers. But I also felt it became a hindrance in actually being connected to myself and not just a faceless producer with collaborators. The mask itself also strangely meant I didn't really get to have a voice. Every song and influence stems from something that’s deeply connected to me, and I'd like people to recognize that part of my identity as an artist. 

We are also no longer in the era where you can be at a distance from your audience. I'm trying to balance both being more open and not necessarily being a person who wants to be in front of the camera 24/7. 

It’s also been seven years since you played a festival in the U.S. What makes performing here different from anywhere else in the world? 

I've just played in New York this weekend for the first time in over seven years, so I didn't know what to expect. People reacted way more to the new songs than I might have expected in other cities. Perhaps fans here are more aware of some of my newer U.S. collaborators like Toro and Teezo Touchdown, too.

U.K. festivals are pretty renowned for the vibe: Green fields and lots of rain are what I think of when I picture a festival. But I think the U.S. has some pretty contrasting things you just don’t see anywhere else. One of the first festivals I played was in a forest at 5am in Arkansas with these giant colorful bugs flying around. And I remember how hot it was at Bonnaroo. 

Let’s switch to Miami. You debuted here in 2012 and played during Art Basel 2014. Is there anything that stands out to you about being or performing here? 

I've enjoyed the variation of performing in Miami. I've DJ’d in small clubs and once played this festival with Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper and Virgil Abloh. I played at Ultra when it was dubstep and EDM heavy. And the last time [I played here] live was at Art Basel/III points event with A$AP Ferg supporting.

There’s a lot of freeform performance in the way my live shows play out.

This is a wild city. Do you have any interesting or crazy Miami stories to share? 

The last time I was here was for Art Basel. I was supposed to debut a lifesize art piece, which was a 3D zoetrope based on the creature that was on my second album cover art (and in the new drop New York video). But the whole thing got stuck in U.S. customs and to this day I’ve never seen it in person. I believe it ended up staying in Miami in a lockup. One day it might be found!

Where can we find you when you’re not performing at III Points? 

I’m just excited to see some clear blue skies and hopefully see the ocean for a bit! Hopefully, I’ll catch some other acts on the III points bill, too.

Let us in on what we can expect from your set at III Points. Can you hint at any surprise guest appearances? 

I’ve been really enjoying performing over the summer. My latest band is myself and three others and I have all my studio synths and drum machines on tour. I try to make every show different, so there’s a lot of freeform performance in the way my live shows play out.