Subtronics (Jesse Kardon) is a Philly-born bass producer whose dubstep leans playful but precise, shaped by years of real drumming. He grew from basement uploads to arena stages on the strength of bold sound design and collabs like Griztronics, plus his album Fractals and its companion ANTIFRACTALS. Expect a set anchored by Bunker Buster, Take Flight VIP, Cyclops Army, and a rowdy refresh of Griztronics, stitched with quick blends and fake-out drops.

Drums-in-the-DNA drops

The crowd tends to mix rail die-hards in hockey jerseys, kandi traders, and friends who prefer to dance mid-pack, all locked to halftime snares rather than four-on-the-floor kicks. You can feel the mood swing from goofy to gnarly within one transition, which suits his cartoonish sound effects and low-end punches.

Two neat tidbits

Trivia: he still finger-drums fills into his projects to keep grooves human, and he founded Cyclops Recordings to spotlight newer bass voices alongside his own IDs. He also likes to preview rough drafts in mixes months early, so you may hear unreleased edits that only the fan forums have named. For clarity, everything about the likely songs and stage touches here is an informed read, not a promise.

Subtronics Scene: Cyclops Army IRL

The scene around Subtronics skews friendly and nerdy about bass, with fans comparing ID names and swapping theories on which edit just played.

Jerseys, pashminas, eye motifs

Fashion mixes hockey jerseys, single-eye graphics, pashminas, and comfy sneakers, plus a few light gloves and LED fans near the back. You will hear Cyclops Army chants between songs and a crisp count-in before big walls of sound, a ritual that gives the rail a reset.

Rituals, not rules

Merch trends lean toward embroidered jerseys and beanies; DIY perlers and totems often riff on the cyclops logo or sly meme lines from samples. Dance-wise, headbanging rules the front while shufflers and flow artists find lanes mid-floor, and most people pace themselves for long, heavy arcs. The culture prizes courtesy—quick rotations at the rail, water hand-offs, and making space for shorter fans when the lasers dip.

How Subtronics Builds The Drop

Live, Subtronics favors brisk transitions that keep the energy high without smashing the dynamics flat. He builds drops like a drummer, letting the snare breathe, then snapping the bass in with tight gaps that make each hit feel bigger.

Drops with breathing room

Tempos hover around 140-150 BPM, but he will bump into drum-and-bass for a reset and sometimes slow-roll an intro to tease a double drop.

Edits that make sense

A neat behind-the-booth habit: he often re-pitches or trims intros so keys line up, which makes those surprise pairings sound meant-to-be instead of messy. The support crew leans into this with punchy subs and clean mids, leaving room for cartoon bleeps and scratch-like cuts he taps on pads. Vocals, when used, tend to be short hooks or chopped phrases, treated like percussion rather than sing-along leads. Visuals track the music, with strobes on snare cracks and laser sweeps that follow the wobble shapes instead of drowning them.

If You Like Subtronics, Try These

If you live for tectonic drops and a light-show that accents every bass squawk, Excision hits a similar nerve with wider, cinematic swells.

Neighboring bass territories

Fans of jagged, horror-tinged riddim often cross over with SVDDEN DEATH, whose stage energy and left-turn edits mirror Subtronics's chaos-with-a-grin approach. For wobble-forward grooves and cartoon-ish bass faces, Ganja White Night share that playful side while staying chest-rattle heavy.

Shared habits, different flavors

If you like genre-hopping and melody sneaking into the weight, Zeds Dead make sense, with sets that pivot from halftime to drum-and-bass the way Subtronics sometimes does. Listeners who prefer hypnotic midtempo darkness might drift to REZZ, since her minimalist pulses attract many of the same headphone nerds who appreciate sound design first.