Nero

London's Nero came together around producers Dan Stephens and Joe Ray plus vocalist Alana Watson, beginning life as a pure drum'n'bass project before expanding into richer territory that fused dubstep rhythms with vintage house melodies and vocal lines. Established in 2004, the trio inked a deal with Formation Records that same year and went on to issue a run of drum'n'bass 12-inch singles that carried them through 2008. During that year Audio Freaks put out the single "This Way," signaling their turn toward dubstep.

Breakthrough arrived in 2009 via the group's own hit "Act Like You Know" and a successful remix of the Streets' "Blinded by the Lights." Further remixes followed for Daft Punk, Deadmau5, and La Roux, and Beatport crowned them Best Dubstep Act 2010. Late in 2010 they appeared in the Top 15 of the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. August 2011 brought the debut album Welcome Reality, an ambitious concept piece framed as the score to an imaginary film; it topped the U.K. album chart. Toward year's end the single "Reaching Out" surfaced, featuring guest vocals from Daryl Hall.

In 2012 their remix of Michael Jackson's "Speed Demon" appeared on the 25th-anniversary reissue of Bad, while Welcome Reality was expanded and reissued as Welcome Reality + with two new tracks plus a Skrillex remix of the U.K. number-one single "Promises." That remix earned the 2013 Grammy for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. Nero's "Into the Past" landed on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Near the close of the year the group revealed plans for a second album slated for 2014. Its opening single, "Satisfy," emerged that May, yet the title and release date were not disclosed until the following year. Between II Worlds finally arrived in September 2015.