Apex
Birth nameRobert Dickeson[1]
Also known as
  • Robert Oaks
  • Midnight Lamp
  • Unknown Error
Born16 August 1981
Dartford, Kent, England[2]
OriginMaidstone, Kent, England
Died30 September 2017 (aged 36)[3]
GenresDrum and bass, house
Occupation(s)
  • DJ
  • record producer
  • musician
Instrument(s)
Years active2005–2017
Labels

Robert Dickeson, (16 August 1981[4] – 30 September 2017)[3] known by his stage names Apex and Robert Oaks was a British drum and bass music producer and DJ from Kent, England.

Early life

Dickeson was born on 16 August 1981 in Dartford, England, and raised in Maidstone, Kent, England.[3] Dickeson was a multi-instrumentalist with the guitar as his primary instrument which he had played since the age of 12.[2]

Career

2005–07: Unknown Error

Prior to his solo career, Dickeson was a producer and DJing member of drum and bass duo Unknown Error.[5] Their 2005 first release, "Shadows", entered the BBC 1Xtra D&B charts at the 8th place, and was featured on the Hardware Chronicles (Volume 4) EP[6] and the Guerrilla Warfare compilation.[7]

This was followed by releases on the labels Renegade Hardware, Horizons, and the Moving Shadow EP Heaven and Hell which was selected as Mixmag's D&B release of the month.

2007–16: Apex

After departing from Unknown Error he started up his solo alias Apex, with the first release, "Space Between" (featuring Ayah), released in April 2007 on Hospital Records, immediately hitting the BBC Radio 1 D&B Top Ten. It was included in the Andy C's mix CD D&B Arena Mix[8] and Hospital Records' Weapons of Mass Creation 3.[9]

In the same year Apex was part of establishing the label Lifted Music with Chris Renegade, Spor, Evol Intent, and Ewun. In the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008 he toured around the world with a series of parties from the label Lifted Music Recordings. In February 2008, he released his solo EP Wall of Sound on Lifted Music which was extremely well received. In 2008 he won the Beatport D&B track of the year with his remix of Bachelors of Science's "Strings Track".

In June 2009 his remix of "Just One Second" from London Elektricity's Syncopated City album was released to great acclaim and was also featured on the Hospitality Drum & Bass 2010 compilation by Hospital Records. This track was very well received and even a few years after its release, in 2016, it was chosen by record breaking explorer Ben Saunders on the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs as one of his favourite tracks to listen to on his expeditions.[10] This track was also used to promote and feature on the soundtrack of Gran Turismo 5.[11]

2016–17: Robert Oaks

In December 2016 and early 2017 he released four tracks through mau5trap under his new alias Robert Oaks which focuses on techno and house. His track "On The Run" was played by deadmau5 on his BBC Radio 1 residency show and also featured on the Mau5trap '16 compilation.[12]

He released under the name Robert Oaks and also another experimental alias Midnight Lamp, through which he released a debut album, Coming Home, on 20 July 2017. His debut EP as Robert Oaks, My Shadow, was also released in July 2017. A posthumous release, The Beating Heart EP, was released on his Bandcamp account on 5 January 2018.[13]

Death

Dickeson died on 30 September 2017.[3][14] The cause of his death is not certain,[15] however sources close to Dickeson, have alleged that his death was the result of suicide.[16][1]

Discography

As Apex

Extended plays

  • Wall of Sound (2008)
  • Omega Point (2012)

Singles

  • "Falling" / "Weeping Willow" (2008)
  • "By the Way" / "The Yearning" (VIP) (2008)
  • "Breathe" / "Emo Funk" (2008)
  • "Entrapment" (2010)
  • "Inner Space" / "Energy Lines" (2010)
  • "Disconnected" (2011)
  • "Echoes" (2018)

As Robert Oaks

Extended plays

  • My Shadow (2017)
  • The Beating Heart (2018)

As Midnight Lamp

Studio albums

  • Coming Home (2017)

References

  1. 1 2 "Drum & Bass Legend Apex Has Reportedly Committed Suicide". EDMSauce. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Drum and Bass Legend APEX Passes Away - Noiseporn". www.noiseprn.com. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Drum'n'Bass Mourns the Death of Visionary Producer Rob 'Apex' Dickeson". Billboard.
  4. ↑ "Apex - Posts". Facebook.com. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  5. ↑ "Unknown Error". discogs. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Various – Hardware Chronicles (Volume 4) (Vinyl)". discogs. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Various – Guerrilla Warfare (Vinyl)". discogs. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Andy C/Grooverider – Drum&BassArena (CD)". discogs. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Hospital Records – Shop – Various Artists â€" Weapons of Mass Creation 3". Hospitalrecords.com. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  10. ↑ "HospitalityDNB Review: Lovebox 2012". Hospitality. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "Key of Knife notches up 3 tracks on Gran Turismo 5". Songs in the Key of Knife. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  12. ↑ "'Mau5trap '16' van Various Artists op Apple Music" (in Dutch). iTunes Store. 30 December 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "The Beating Heart EP by Robert Oaks". Bandcamp. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Influential drum 'n' bass producer Apex has passed away". mixmag. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Drum and Bass Producer Apex has Reportedly Passed Away". Magnetic Mag. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "BREAKING: DnB legend Apex has reportedly committed suicide". Dancing Astronaut. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
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