Skee Mask

Operating under the moniker Skee Mask, Munich native Bryan Müller crafts bass-heavy experimental techno. In contrast to the brighter, more accessible style of his SCNTST output, Skee Mask material leans heavier and more cerebral, emphasizing intricate yet insistent rhythmic patterns. The project began anonymously through a pair of deep, dubby white-label EPs that surfaced in 2014. Over time it grew hazier and more melodic, absorbing greater influence from mid-'90s IDM and jungle, most notably on the widely praised 2018 album Compro and the 2021 release Pool. In 2023 Skee Mask explored grime on the Patchworks, Vol. 1 EP, while Resort, the project's fourth studio album, emerged in 2024.

Bryan Müller, born in 1993, grew up in Emmering, a small village near Munich. During his youth he performed in rock bands and appeared in a musical at age ten. In 2010 he taught himself electronic production with Ableton Live and began generating tracks at a rapid rate. As SCNTST he posted electro-house and techno pieces online, quickly attracting the notice of Boys Noize, who signed the producer to his own label. The debut single "Monday" arrived in 2011, followed by the first album Self Therapy in 2013. While continuing SCNTST activity, Müller developed more experimental work; after connecting with the Zenker Brothers he began issuing material on their Ilian Tape imprint under the Skee Mask pseudonym. The project was initially presented without a name attached because Müller had grown weary of journalists emphasizing his age and preferred the music to stand alone.

Skee Mask's first EP, Serum, appeared in 2014 and blended swirling distortion, choppy breaks, and distorted kick drums. After the 2015 release Junt, the debut full-length Shred arrived in 2016, a hazy fusion of atmospheric breakbeat techno that positioned the enigmatic artist as the breakout talent on the Ilian Tape roster. Two further EPs followed in 2017, 2012 and ISS002, both reflecting stronger jungle influences. Less than two weeks after the third SCNTST album, Müller issued Compro in May 2018; the second Skee Mask full-length earned immediate recognition from Pitchfork and Resident Advisor as one of the year's strongest dance records. Subsequent EPs included 808BB, ISS004, and ISS005, centered on breakbeat-driven techno and electro, while ISS006 focused on ambient works. In 2021 the eclectic Pool appeared, an eighteen-track set spanning ambient dub to atmospheric drum'n'bass.

Two collections of previously unreleased material from 2015, titled A and B, surfaced in 2022. That same year brought the ambient ISS007 and the club-oriented ISS008. The jungle-leaning ISS009 arrived in 2023, followed later by Patchworks, Vol. 1, an EP recorded with grime producer MJK and emcee Riko Dan. Early 2024 saw the release of C, another volume of unmastered tracks drawn from the producer's archive. Resort, a mellow and refined full-length, came out on Ilian Tape in June 2024.