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Brian Wayne Transeau (born October 4, 1971), known by his initials as BT, is an American musician, DJ, singer, songwriter, composer and audio engineer. An artist in the
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
genre, he is credited as a pioneer of the
trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
and
intelligent dance music Intelligent dance music (commonly abbreviated as IDM) is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, defined by idiosyncratic experimentation rather than specific genre constraints.''"…the label 'IDM' (for avant-garde, 'intel ...
styles that paved the way for
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
,Tyler Gray
"Would You Want to Hear This New Circa News Sound Whenever News Breaks?"
''
Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
'', October 3, 2013.
and for "stretching electronic music to its technical breaking point." In 2010, he was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards — a ceremony that was established in 1958 — to recording artists for quality albums in the dance music and electronica genres. Honors in several cate ...
for ''
These Hopeful Machines ''These Hopeful Machines'' is the sixth studio album by American electronic musician BT. Released on February 1, 2010, the album sees collaborations with the likes of JES, Rob Dickinson, Christian Burns and Kirsty Hawkshaw, also featuring a cov ...
''.BT
"First-Time Nominee: BT (Part One),"
Grammy.com, January 18, 2011.
He creates music within a myriad of styles, such as classical, film composition, and bass music. BT holds multiple patents for pioneering the technique he calls stutter editing.Clayton Perry
"Interview: Brian Transeau – Singer, Songwriter and Producer,"
''
Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was foun ...
'', April 26, 2011.
This production technique consists of taking a small fragment of sound and repeating it rhythmically, often at audio rate values while processing the resultant stream using advanced digital processing techniques.Cosmin Lukacs
"Interview With BT aka Brian Transeau,"
Trance Sound, September 10, 2010.
BT was entered into the ''
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' for his song "
Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved) "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)" is a song by American musician BT, which contains vocals from American singer JC Chasez. It was released through Nettwerk in August 2003, as the lead single from BT's fourth studio album, ''Emotional Techno ...
", recognized as using the largest number of vocal edits in a song (6,178 edits).DJ Ron Slomowicz
"21 Records That Made Me Happy to Be a DJ,"
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
. Accessed August 3, 2014.
BT's work with stutter edit techniques led to the formation of software development company Sonik Architects, developer of the sound-processing software plug-ins Stutter Edit and BreakTweaker, and Phobos with
Spitfire Audio Spitfire Audio is an England, English technology company based in London that creates virtual instrument sample libraries used for music production. The company was founded in 2007 by professional composers Christian Henson and Paul Thomson (co ...
. BT has produced, collaborated, and written with a variety of artists, including
Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboar ...
, Howard Jones,
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
, Markus Schulz,
Armin van Buuren Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...
, Sting,
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...
,
Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
,
NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...
,
Blake Lewis Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-up on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. His major label debut album '' A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)'' was released on December 4, 2007, through ...
,
The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...
,
Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
,
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Paul van Dyk Matthias Paul (; born 16 December 1971), known professionally as Paul van Dyk () is a German DJ, record producer and musician. One of the first true renowned DJs, van Dyk was the first artist to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the newly a ...
, and
Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was ...
. He has composed original scores for films such as '' Go'', ''
The Fast and the Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
'', and ''
Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
'', and his scores and compositions have appeared on television series such as ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'', '' Six Feet Under'', and '' Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams''.Damon Fonooni
"Embracing BT,"
''Lunar'', 2002.
Steph Evans
"Earmilk Interview: BT,"
Earmilk, August 20, 2013.
He was commissioned to compose a four-hour, 256 channel installation composition for the
Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
-themed area at
Shanghai Disneyland Shanghai Disneyland (; Pinyin: ''Shànghǎi díshìní lèyuán'') is a theme park located in Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products ...
, which opened in 2016.


Early life and education

BT was born in
Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
on October 4, 1971. His father was an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
and
DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
agent, and his mother a psychiatrist. BT started listening to classical music at the age of 4Tim Bomba
"Home is where the art is,"
''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', November 14, 2006.
and started playing classical piano at an early age, utilizing the Suzuki method.Richard Buskin
"Brian Transeau: Emotional Experience,"
Sound on Sound ''Sound on Sound'' is an independently owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, a ...
, December 2001.
By the age of eight he was studying composition and theory at the Washington Conservatory of Music."BT Wears His Lab Coat for These Hopeful Machines,"
''
Keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
'', February 26, 2010.
Mark Small
"Berklee Today,"
Berklee.edu. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
He was introduced to electronic music through the
breakdancing Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...
culture and the
Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...
score for the film ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
'', which led him to discover influential electronic music artists such as Afrika Bambaataa,
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
, New Order and
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...
. In high school, he played drums in one band, bass in a
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
band and guitar in a
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
group. At 15, he was accepted to the
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied jazz and enjoyed experimenting, such as running keyboards through old guitar pedals.


Career

BT is a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, guitar, bass, keyboards,
synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
, sequencers, the
glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...
, drum machines and instruments he has modified himself. His process for creating songs typically starts with composition on basic instruments, like the piano or an acoustic guitar.


1989–1994: Early career

In 1989, after dropping out of
Berklee Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
, BT moved to Los Angeles, where he tried, unsuccessfully, to get signed as a singer-songwriter. Realizing he should focus on the electronic music he was more passionate about, he moved back to Maryland in 1990 and began collaborating with friends Ali "
Dubfire Ali Shirazinia ( fa, علی شیرازی‌نیا), commonly known by his stage name Dubfire, is an Iranian American house and techno DJ and producer. Prior to his solo career, Dubfire made up half of the duo Deep Dish. Dubfire's style is noti ...
" Shirazinia and
Sharam Sharam Tayebi ( fa, شهرام طیبی, born August 12, 1970), better known as Sharam, is an Iranian techno and house DJ and producer. Born in Tehran, Iran, he emigrated to Washington D.C. at the age of 14. A mainstay of the Washington underg ...
Tayebi of Deep Dish. Together they started Deep Dish Records. Early in his career, BT worked under a variety of musical aliases, including Prana, Elastic Chakra, Elastic Reality, Libra, Dharma, Kaistar and GTB.


1995–1996: ''Ima''

In the early years of BT's career, he became a pioneering artist in the trance genre, this despite the fact that he does not consider himself a DJ, since he infrequently spins records and comes from an eclectic music background. When he started out, such common elements as a build, breakdown and drop were unclassified. BT's was a unique interpretation of what electronic music could be.Rafael De La Torre
"EDM Interview: Magnetic Catches Up With BT To Discuss New Album,"
''Magnetic'', June 14, 2013.
His first recordings, "A Moment of Truth" and "Relativity", became hits in dance clubs in the UK. His productions were not yet popular in the US, and he was initially unaware that he had become popular across the Atlantic, where UK DJs like Sasha were regularly spinning his music for crowds. Sasha bought BT a ticket to London, where BT witnessed his own success in the clubs, with several thousand clubbers responding dramatically when Sasha played BT's song. He also met
Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mass ...
, playing him tracks that would make up his first album. He was quickly signed to Oakenfold's record label, a subsidiary of
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
. BT's 1995 debut album '' Ima'', released on Oakenfold's label, was a progressive house effort. The opening track, "Nocturnal Transmission", was featured in ''
The Fast and the Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
''. The album also featured a song called '
Loving You More "Loving You More" is a song by American electronica artist BT, featuring vocals by Vincent Covello. It was released on September 4, 1995 through Perfecto and East West Records as the fourth single from his debut studio album, '' Ima''. On relea ...
' with Vincent Covello. Blending house beats with sweeping New Age sounds, ''Ima'' helped to create the trance sound.Geoff Boucher
"He's Breaking the Spell of Trance Music,"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', August 20, 2000.
"Ima (今)" is the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
word for "now". BT has stated that it also means many other things and that the intention of the album is to have a different effect for everyone. Following the release of ''Ima'', BT began traveling to England regularly. It was during this time that he met
Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
. They would collaborate on his song "Blue Skies", which reached the number one spot on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine's Dance Club Songs chart in January 1997. This track helped expand BT's notability beyond Europe, into North America. He soon began to remix songs for well-known artists such as Sting,
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
,
Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
,
Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
,
NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...
,
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
and
Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
.Ravi Baskaran, "Beatific," ''Broward/Palm Beach New Times'', July 13, 2000.


1997–1998: ''ESCM''

BT's second album, '' ESCM'' (acronym for ''Electric Sky Church Music''), released in 1997, features more complex melodies and traditional harmonies along with a heavier use of vocals. The tone of the album is darker and less whimsical than ''Ima''. The album, as a whole, is much more diverse than BT's debut, expanding into drum and bass, breakbeat, hip-hop, rock and vocally-based tracks. The biggest hit from ''ESCM'' was "Flaming June," a modern trance collaboration with German DJ
Paul van Dyk Matthias Paul (; born 16 December 1971), known professionally as Paul van Dyk () is a German DJ, record producer and musician. One of the first true renowned DJs, van Dyk was the first artist to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the newly a ...
. Van Dyk and BT would go on to collaborate on a number of works, including "Namistai" (found on the later album ''
Movement in Still Life ''Movement in Still Life'' is the third studio album by American electronica artist BT. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 8, 1999, and a different version released in the United States in 2000. A transition towards hip hop, it ...
''), as well as van Dyk's remix of BT's "Blue Skies" and "Remember". "Remember" featured
Jan Johnston Jan Johnston (born 13th October 1968, Salford, England) is an English professional singer & songwriter, best known for collaborating with some of the world's top trance music DJs and producers. Career In the early 1990s, she was signed to Co ...
on vocals, and reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart. BT and Van Dyk also remixed the van Dyk classic "Forbidden Fruit" as well as
Dina Carroll Geraldine Carroll (born 21 August 1968) is an English singer. She had a string of hits during the 1990s, including the UK top ten singles, " It's Too Late" (1991), " Don't Be a Stranger" (1993), "The Perfect Year", (1993), and "Escaping" (1996 ...
's "Run to You", and BT collaborated with
Simon Hale Simon Hale is a British composer, arranger, and keyboardist. Life Hale was born in Birmingham, England in 1964, being dually raised there and in South Manchester before moving to London, where he studied popular music at Goldsmiths College, Uni ...
on "Firewater" and "Remember."


1999–2002: ''Movement in Still Life''

In 1999, BT released his third album, ''
Movement in Still Life ''Movement in Still Life'' is the third studio album by American electronica artist BT. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 8, 1999, and a different version released in the United States in 2000. A transition towards hip hop, it ...
'', and continued his previous experimentation outside of the trance genre. The album features a strong element of
nu skool breaks Nu skool breaks (or nu breaks as it is sometimes referred) is a subgenre of breakbeat originating during the period between 1998 and 2002. The style is usually characterized by more abstract, more technical sounds, sometimes incorporated from other ...
, a genre he helped define with "Hip-Hop Phenomenon" in collaboration with Tsunami One aka Adam Freeland and Kevin Beber. Along with trance collaborations with Paul van Dyk and
DJ Rap Charissa Saverio (born 7 December 1969), and better known as DJ Rap, is a British drum and bass, house and progressive electronic music producer and DJ. While the majority of her work is in the jungle style, her more successful work is ...
, ''Movement'' includes pop ("Never Gonna Come Back Down" with M. Doughty on vocals), progressive house ("Dreaming" with Kirsty Hawkshaw on vocals) and hip hop-influenced tracks ("Madskill – Mic Chekka", which samples
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Kidd Creole (not to be confused with Kid Creole), Keef Cowboy, S ...
's " The Message", and "Smartbomb", a mix of funky, heavy riffs from both synthesizers and guitars woven over a hip-hop break). "Shame" and "Satellite" lean toward an alt-rock sound, while "Godspeed" and "Dreaming" fall into classic trance ranks. "Running Down the Way Up", a collaboration with fellow electronic act
Hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
, features sultry vocals and acoustic guitars heavily edited into a progressive breakbeat track. "Dreaming" and "Godspeed" reached number 5 and number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart, respectively, "Never Gonna Come Back Down" reached #9 the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart and number 16 on ''Billboards Alternative Songs chart, and the album reached number 166 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album charts. Long interested in branching out into film scoring, BT got the opportunity when director
Doug Liman Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), ''Jumper'' (2008), ''Edg ...
asked him to score '' Go'', a 1999 film about dance music culture. Shortly after creating the score, BT moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in order to further pursue film scoring. He also began writing music for string quartets to prove his capabilities beyond electronic music. He was then hired to score the film '' Under Suspicion'' with a 60-piece string section. For ''The Fast and the Furious'', BT's score featured a 70-piece ensemble, along with polyrhythmic tribal sounds produced by orchestral percussionists banging on car
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
. In 1999, BT collaborated with
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
on the album '' OVO'', the soundtrack to the
Millennium Dome Show The Millennium Dome Show was a multimedia theatrical performance created to commemorate the year 2000 in the Millennium Dome in London, England. The show was directed by Pixar executive Pete Docter, who wrote the show alongside English musician ...
in London. In 2001, he produced
NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...
's hit single " Pop", which won a 2001
Teen Choice Award The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
for Choice Single, won four
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
, and reached number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 9 on the UK Singles chart. In 2002, BT released the compilation album ''
10 Years in the Life Brian Wayne Transeau (born October 4, 1971), known by his initials as BT, is an American musician, DJ, singer, songwriter, composer and audio engineer. An artist in the electronic music genre, he is credited as a pioneer of the trance and intel ...
'', a two-disc collection of rarities and remixes, including "The Moment of Truth", the first track he ever recorded.


2003–2005: ''Emotional Technology''

BT's fourth studio album, released on August 5, 2003, featured more vocal tracks than his previous fare, including six with vocals by BT himself. ''
Emotional Technology ''Emotional Technology'' is the fourth studio album by electronica artist BT. Transitioning towards a more pop music oriented sound, the album features some of BT's more commercially successful releases, including "Somnambulist (Simply Being L ...
'' was his most experimental album to date, exploring a range of genres; many consider it the "poppiest" of all his work. ''Emotional Technology'' spent 25 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Dance/Electronic Albums chart, reaching the top spot, and it reached number 138 on the ''Billboard'' 200 charts. The biggest single from the album, "
Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved) "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)" is a song by American musician BT, which contains vocals from American singer JC Chasez. It was released through Nettwerk in August 2003, as the lead single from BT's fourth studio album, ''Emotional Techno ...
", draws heavily from the breakbeats and new wave dance of New Order and Depeche Mode, whom BT has cited as major influences. "Somnambulist" holds the
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for the largest number of vocal edits in a single track, with 6,178. It reached number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart and number 98 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. BT ventured into television production for ''
Tommy Lee Goes to College ''Tommy Lee Goes to College'' is an NBC reality television show that began broadcasting on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 and on VH1 on Friday, August 19, 2005. It features Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee attending the University of Nebraska and attem ...
'' for
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
in 2005. It starred
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
drummer
Tommy Lee Thomas Lee Bass (born October 3, 1962) is an American musician and founding member of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem and has pursued solo musical ...
. He executive-produced the reality television series, the idea for which he developed and sold to NBC. BT worked with Sting on his album ''
Sacred Love ''Sacred Love'' is the seventh studio album by Sting. The album was released on 29 September 2003. The album featured smoother, R&B-style beats and experiments collaborating with hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and sitar player Anoushka Shanka ...
'', co-producing the track "Never Coming Home".


2006–2009: ''This Binary Universe''

BT's fifth studio album, ''
This Binary Universe ''This Binary Universe'' is the fifth studio album by the composer and electronica artist Brian Transeau, BT. It was released on August 29, 2006. The album was a significant about-face for Transeau, largely abandoning the Progressive electronic da ...
'', released on August 29, 2006, is his second album released in 5.1 surround sound, the first being the soundtrack to the 2003 film ''
Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
''. The double album highlights a mix of genres, including jazz, breakbeats and classical. Three songs feature a full 110-piece orchestra. Unlike his previous two albums, which featured vocals on almost every track, this album is entirely instrumental. The tracks change genres constantly. For example, "The Antikythera Mechanism" starts off almost lullaby-like, complete with a piano, acoustic guitars and reversed beats; halfway through the track, it explodes with a 110-piece orchestra, followed by a section of breakbeats and ending with the de-construction of the orchestra. Animated videos created by visual effects artist
Scott Pagano Scott Pagano is a Los Angeles-based video artist, filmmaker, and motion graphics designer, who constructs videos by re-mixing images of architecture, daily life, and intricate CG graphics. Pagano studied photography and graphic design at the Rhode ...
to accompany each song were included in a DVD packaged along with the CD. ''This Binary Universe'' reached number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Dance/Electronic Albums chart. BT's company, Sonik Architects, built the drum machine (the first in surround sound) used on the album. ''
Keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
'' magazine said of the album, "In a hundred years, it could well be studied as the first major electronic work of the new millennium."Stephen Fortner, "The Mind Of BT," ''
Keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
'', December 2005.
''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' called it an "innovative masterpiece."Curtis Silver
"BT Talks These Hopeful Machines, Math and Inspiration,"
''Wired'', February 2, 2010.
In November and December 2006, BT toured the album with
Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...
opening. The concert featured a live slideshow of images from
DeviantArt DeviantArt (historically stylized as deviantART) is an American online art community that features artwork, videography and photography, launched on August 7, 2000 by Angelo Sotira, Scott Jarkoff, and Matthew Stephens among others. DeviantArt, ...
as a backdrop. All the shows were done in 5.1 surround sound, with BT playing piano, bass and other instruments live, and also singing on a cover of "
Mad World "Mad World" is a 1982 song by British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Bo ...
" by
Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...
. Earlier in 2006, BT performed with an orchestra and conductor and visuals for an audience of 11,000 at the
Video Games Live Video Games Live (VGL) is a concert series created by Tommy Tallarico and originally founded by Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized light ...
concert at the
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
in Los Angeles.


2010–2011: ''These Hopeful Machines''

BT's sixth studio album, ''
These Hopeful Machines ''These Hopeful Machines'' is the sixth studio album by American electronic musician BT. Released on February 1, 2010, the album sees collaborations with the likes of JES, Rob Dickinson, Christian Burns and Kirsty Hawkshaw, also featuring a cov ...
'', was released on February 2, 2010. The double album features dance-pop, trance, house, breaks, soundscapes, orchestral interludes, acoustic guitar and stutter edits. With BT spending several years perfecting the album, mathematically placing edits and loops to create "an album of ultimate depth and movement," each of the songs went through a lengthy recording process. BT has estimated that each song on the album took over 100 sessions to record, adding that " Every Other Way" took 2 months to write and record, working 14 to 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. ''These Hopeful Machines'' was nominated for a 2011
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards — a ceremony that was established in 1958 — to recording artists for quality albums in the dance music and electronica genres. Honors in several cate ...
. The album features guest appearances from and collaborations with
Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...
of
The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...
,
Kirsty Hawkshaw Kirsty Hawkshaw (born 26 October 1969) is an English electronic music vocalist and songwriter. In addition to her work as a solo artist, she is known as the lead vocalist of early 1990s dance group Opus III, and her collaborative work with oth ...
("A Million Stars"), JES ("Every Other Way" and "The Light in Things"),
Rob Dickinson Robert Dickinson (born 23 July 1965) is a British musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter previously of the band Catherine Wheel.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 664-5 Dickinson was raised ...
("Always" and "The Unbreakable"),
Christian Burns Christian Anthony Burns (born 18 January 1974) is an English singer. He is the son of Tony Burns of The Signs, a Liverpool-based rock band signed to Decca Records in the 1960s. Career Burns was a member of the popular British band BBMak, ...
("Suddenly", "Emergency" and "Forget Me") and
Andrew Bayer Andrew Michael Bayer (born 1987) is an American DJ and Grammy-nominated music producer. He is best known for working with Anjunabeats as a multi-genre artist and English deep house sublabel Anjunadeep. Born in Washington, D.C., Bayer was pia ...
("The Emergency"). It contains the most singles released from any BT album, with 8 of the 12 tracks released as singles. Official remixes were made by
Armin van Buuren Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...
and
Chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
. It reached number 6 on the ''Billboard'' Dance/Electronic Albums chart and number 154 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album charts. The singles "Emergency" and "Rose of Jericho" reached numbers 3 and 5 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart, respectively. A remix album, titled ''
These Re-Imagined Machines ''These Re-Imagined Machines'' is a remix album by American electronic musician BT, composed of remixed versions of songs from his album ''These Hopeful Machines ''These Hopeful Machines'' is the sixth studio album by American electronic musici ...
'' was released in 2011. '' These Humble Machines'', an un-mixed album featuring shorter "radio edit" versions of the tracks (similar to the US version of ''Movement in Still Life'') was also released in 2011.Danny Turner, "Interview: BT," ''Future Music'', September 2010.


2012: ''If the Stars Are Eternal So Are You and I'' and ''Morceau Subrosa''

On June 19, 2012, BT released ''
If the Stars Are Eternal So Are You and I ''If the Stars are Eternal So are You and I'' is the seventh studio album by composer and electronica artist BT, and was released on June 19, 2012, in tandem with '' Morceau Subrosa'', BT's eighth studio album. Development First announced in M ...
'', along with '' Morceau Subrosa'', his seventh and eighth studio albums. ''If the Stars Are Eternal So Are You and I'' was an about-face from BT's previous album ''These Hopeful Machines'', utilizing minimal beats, ambient soundscapes, and glitch music, as opposed to the electronic music style of ''These Hopeful Machines''. ''Morceau Subrosa'' is very different in style compared to most of BT's previous works, favoring ambient soundscapes and minimal beats.


2013–2014: ''A Song Across Wires'' and radio shows

BT's ninth studio album, ''
A Song Across Wires ''A Song Across Wires'' (promoted by the hashtag #ASAW) is the ninth studio album by composer and electronica artist BT, released on August 16, 2013. This album features more vocal tracks and a plethora of guest artists as part of his alternate ...
'', was released worldwide on August 16, 2013. Blending elements of trance, progressive house and electro, the club music-oriented album reached number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and features four
Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that can be used ...
No. 1 trance singles: "Tomahawk" (with Adam K), "Must Be the Love" (with
Arty Arty may refer to: People * Arty (Queen), 8th century BC wife of Pharaoh Shebitku * Arty (musician) (born 1989), Russian record producer and DJ born Artem Stolyarov * Arty Ash, stage name of British actor Arthur Richard Dodge (1895–1954) * A n ...
and Nadia Ali), "Skylarking" and "Surrounded" (with
Au5 Austin Collins (born September 18, 1992), better known as Au5 ( ), is an American electronic musician from New Jersey. Au5's music encompasses a range of electronic genres such as dubstep, house, trance, drum and bass, drumstep and ambient, and ...
and Aqualung). On the album, BT also collaborates with Senadee,
Andrew Bayer Andrew Michael Bayer (born 1987) is an American DJ and Grammy-nominated music producer. He is best known for working with Anjunabeats as a multi-genre artist and English deep house sublabel Anjunadeep. Born in Washington, D.C., Bayer was pia ...
, Tania Zygar,
Emma Hewitt Emma Louise Hewitt (born 28 April 1988) is an Australian singer. Biography Hewitt was the lead singer of the Australian rock band Missing Hours, with whom she released an eponymous debut album in October 2008 through Sony Australia. The ban ...
, JES, Fractal,
tyDi TyDi (; born Tyson Illingworth, 31 May 1987) is an Australian songwriter, record producer and DJ specializing in electronic dance music. Originally from Queensland, TyDi was signed by Armin van Buuren's Armada label at 17 and was ranked at No ...
and
K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
singer
Bada Bada (stylized as bada; Korean: ) is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Samsung Electronics for devices such as mid- to high-end smartphones and tablet computers. The name is derived from " (bada)", meaning "ocean" or "sea" in ...
. In 2012, he released the mix collection ''Laptop Symphony'', based on his laptop performances on his
Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
radio show, which range from dubstep to drumstep to progressive to trance.Gary Graff
"BT's Busy 2012: Mix Set, 'Quiet' EP & a Follow-Up to 'Machines',"
''Billboard'', March 1, 2012.
In 2013, he started a new Sirius XM radio program, ''Skylarking'', on the Electric Area channel.


2015–2019: ''Electronic Opus'', All Hail the Silence, _ and ''‡''

On November 10, 2014, BT announced a
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
project with
Tommy Tallarico Tommy Tallarico (born Thomas Andrew Tallarico; February 18, 1968) is an American video game music composer, musician, sound designer, television personality, live show creative director and producer. He and his company, Tommy Tallarico Studios ...
to produce ''
Electronic Opus ''Electronic Opus'' is a remix album by trance DJ BT, released on October 12, 2015. Background On November 10, 2014, BT announced a Kickstarter project with Tommy Tallarico and TanZ Group to produce ''Electronic Opus'', an electronic symphonic ...
'', an electronic symphonic album with re-imagined, orchestral versions of BT's songs. The project reached its crowd-funding goal of $200,000. A live orchestra played during Video Games Live on March 29, 2015, while the album was released on October 12, 2015. On March 7, 2012, it was announced that BT and
Christian Burns Christian Anthony Burns (born 18 January 1974) is an English singer. He is the son of Tony Burns of The Signs, a Liverpool-based rock band signed to Decca Records in the 1960s. Career Burns was a member of the popular British band BBMak, ...
had formed a band called
All Hail the Silence All Hail the Silence is an electronic music duo comprising American electronic musician BT and English singer-songwriter Christian Burns. The band was informally announced on March 8, 2012, but live shows and project announcements did not commen ...
, with encouragement from
Vince Clarke Vincent John Martin (born 3 July 1960), known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously ...
. They released their first unofficial single, "Looking Glass", online in 2012. On July 21, 2014, Transeau and Burns announced that their band would be touring with
Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...
in the fall of 2014 for the album ''
The Violet Flame ''The Violet Flame'' is the sixteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released by Mute Records on 22 September 2014 in the United Kingdom and on 23 September 2014 in North America. Overview The album contains original tracks writt ...
''. On August 24, 2016, the band announced that they would release a limited edition colored 12"
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
collectible
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
entitled '' AHTS-001'' with
Shopify Shopify Inc. is a Canadian multinational e-commerce company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Shopify is the name of its proprietary e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. The Shopify platform offers online ret ...
on September 19, 2016. On September 28, 2018, the band released their first official single, "Diamonds in the Snow", along with its accompanying music video. They released the music video for "Temptation" in December 2018. The band's first album, ''
Daggers A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use def ...
'' (stylized as ''‡''), was released on January 18, 2019. On December 14, 2015, BT disclosed news to ''
DJ Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...
'' about a new album to come by early 2016. Similar to ''This Binary Universe'', BT explained that "the entire record is recorded in a way 'venever recorded anything before," and that it has a "modular, ambient aesthetic". The album, '' _'', was released digitally on October 14, 2016, and physically on December 2, 2016, via Black Hole Recordings, along with an accompanying film. Due to the restrictions of most music sites, which forbid blank album titles, BT chose to name the album the underscore character "_". BT has admitted that this title has resulted in complaints from fans about difficulties in finding the album on popular services due to the inability of most search engines to handle the "_" character. On January 17, 2017, BT released ''_+'', an extended version of ''_''. On October 10, 2019, BT announced on
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
that two new albums were slated for release in the Fall of 2019: ''Between Here and You'', an ambient album consisting of ten tracks, and '' Everything You're Searching for Is on the Other Side of Fear'', a 17-track album with sounds akin to those from ''This Binary Universe'' and ''_''. ''Between Here and You'' was released on October 18, 2019 and reached the number 1 spot on the Electronic Albums Chart on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
. ''Everything You're Searching for Is on the Other Side of Fear'' was released on December 13, 2019.


2020–present: ''The Lost Art of Longing'', Genesis.json and ''Metaversal''

On June 19, 2020, BT released the single "1AM in Paris / The War", which featured singer Iraina Mancini and DJ Matt Fax. On July 17, 2020, another single, "No Warning Lights" was released, featuring
Emma Hewitt Emma Louise Hewitt (born 28 April 1988) is an Australian singer. Biography Hewitt was the lead singer of the Australian rock band Missing Hours, with whom she released an eponymous debut album in October 2008 through Sony Australia. The ban ...
on vocals. It was later announced that ''
The Lost Art of Longing ''The Lost Art of Longing'' is the thirteenth studio album by electronica artist BT. Two singles for the album, "1AM in Paris / The War" and "No Warning Lights", were released on June 19 and July 17, respectively. The album was announced on July ...
'' would be his thirteenth album, released on August 14, 2020. In May 2021, Transeau entered into the world of
NFT A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital identifier that cannot be copied, substituted, or subdivided, that is recorded in a blockchain, and that is used to certify authenticity and ownership. The ownership of an NFT is recorded in the ...
s by composing music for a digital artwork piece entitled "DUNESCAPE XXI", and soon afterwards auctioning off a digital artwork piece entitled "Genesis.json", which includes 24 hours worth of original music that contains an Indian
raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...
and 15,000 hand-sequenced audio and visual moments. The artwork is programmed to give a special message on the owner's birthday and is the "only work of art that puts itself to sleep" on a certain time. In September 2021, BT announced his 14th album ''Metaversal'', which was created and programmed entirely on a
blockchain A blockchain is a type of distributed ledger technology (DLT) that consists of growing lists of records, called ''blocks'', that are securely linked together using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a ...
for release on September 29. The album was released publicly on November 19.


Film, TV and video game scores

BT began scoring films in 1999 with '' Go''. Since then he has scored over a dozen films, including ''
The Fast and the Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
'', ''
Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
'', '' Gone in 60 Seconds'', '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' and ''
Catch and Release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...
''. His soundtrack for '' Stealth'' featured the song "She Can Do That", with lead vocals from
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
. BT produced the score for the 2001 film ''
Zoolander ''Zoolander'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the '' VH1 Fashion Awards'' television ...
'', but had his name removed from the project. His tracks for the film were finished by composer
David Arnold David Arnold (born 23 January 1962) is a British film composer whose credits include scoring five James Bond films, as well as ''Stargate'' (1994), '' Independence Day'' (1996), ''Godzilla'' (1998) and the television series ''Little Britain'' ...
. BT also composed music for the
Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...
animated short film ''
Partysaurus Rex ''Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex'' is a 2012 American computer animated short film written and directed by Mark Walsh. It was first screened ahead of the 3D theatrical re-release of ''Finding Nemo'' as the third and final short in the trilogy ...
'', released in 2012 alongside the 3D release of ''
Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was writ ...
''. He has scored the video games '' Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas'' (2000), '' Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions'' (2002), ''
FIFA Football 2002 ''FIFA Football 2002'', commonly known as ''FIFA 2002'' and known in North America as ''FIFA Soccer 2002: Major League Soccer'', is a football simulation video game released in 2001, produced by Electronic Arts and released by EA Sports. FIFA 20 ...
'' (2002), '' Need for Speed: Underground'' (2003),
Burnout Revenge ''Burnout Revenge'' is a racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360. Similar to its predecessor '' Burnout 3: Takedown'', ''Revenge'' focuses on a mixture of racing in th ...
(2005), Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005) and ''
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 ''Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005'' is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions, Headgate Studios for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X versions, Sensory Sweep Studios for the Nintendo DS ...
'' (2004). He made the official second-long alert tone for the Circa News app. In 2013, he scored ''
Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Ofte ...
'', a 13-episode drama on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. In 2014, BT was selected by
Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
executives to score the music for the
Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
-themed area at
Shanghai Disneyland Shanghai Disneyland (; Pinyin: ''Shànghǎi díshìní lèyuán'') is a theme park located in Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products ...
, which opened in 2016. He spent more than two years on the project, writing more than four hours of music that are played out of more than 200 speakers spread throughout Tomorrowland. BT called the undertaking "one of the most thrilling experiences of my life."


Software


Sonik Architects

During the production of ''This Binary Universe'', Transeau wanted to program drums in surround sound, and found that software tools to accomplish this weren't readily available. He decided to develop his own, forming his own software company, Sonik Architects, to create a line of sound design tools for the studio and another line of tools and plug-ins designed for live performance. The company's first release was the drum machine surround sound sequencer BreakTweaker, a PC plug-in. In 2009, Sonik Architects released Sonifi, a product for the iPhone,
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
and
iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...
that enables musicians to replicate BT's stutter edit effect live.Mark Milian
"Sonifi iPhone app lets your fingers remix music,"
''Los Angeles Times'', November 17, 2009.
BT himself has used it during live shows. In December 2010, Sonik Architects was acquired by software and music production company
iZotope iZotope, Inc. is an audio technology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. iZotope develops professional audio software for audio recording, mixing, broadcast, sound design, and mastering which can be used in wide range of d ...
, and at the Winter
NAMM Show The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...
in January 2011, the Stutter Edit plug-in, based on BT's patented technique of real-time manipulation of digital audio, was released by iZotope and BT. In 2020, Transeau released an upgraded version of his Stutter Edit plug-in with iZotope, called Stutter Edit 2. This version includes more sound effects, more presets, and new features such as Auto Mode and the Curve editor.


Other software

In his early career, BT used Voyetra Sequencer Plus Gold to create music. Transeau is a user of digital audio workstation
FL Studio FL Studio (previously known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is avail ...
and he was included in the Power Users section on Image-Line's site in 2013. In 2014, BT collaborated with Boulanger Labs in creating the
Leap Motion Leap Motion, Inc. (formerly OcuSpec Inc.) was an American company that manufactured and marketed a computer hardware sensor device that supports hand and finger motions as input, analogous to a mouse, but requires no hand contact or touching. ...
app Muse, a device that allows users to compose their own ambient sounds using gestural control. He also developed a standalone plugin synthesizer called BT Phobos for the music software company Spitfire Audio, which was released on April 6, 2017. BT created presets for the synth plugin Parallels, released by Softube in 2019. He also created analog synth tone patches for the synthesized Omnisphere 2, created by ILIO. In 2022, BT released the
reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...
Tails with Unfiltered Audio and the synth plugin Polaris with Spitfire.


Personal life

BT lives with his daughter in Maryland. In 2008, he was involved in dispute about his daughter's custody with the child's mother, Ashley Duffy. He is an avid
scuba diver Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
, and supports the preservation of sharks. In February 2014, BT partnered with EDM lifestyle brand Electric Family to produce a collaboration bracelet for which 100% of the proceeds are donated to the
Shark Trust The Shark Trust is a charitable organization founded in the United Kingdom in 1997. It is dedicated to promoting the study, management and conservation of sharks, skates and rays (elasmobranchs) in the UK and internationally. TheTrust works on ...
. On October 19, 2014, BT was married to Lacy Transeau (née Bean).


Awards and nominations


Grammy Awards


International Dance Music Awards

, - , style="text-align:center;" , 2012 , "Must Be the Love" ,
IDMA The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs is an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards have been held every year since the conference's creation in 1985 ...
Award for Best Trance Track , , - , rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;", 2013 , "Skylarking" , IDMA Award for Best Trance Track29th Annual International Dance Music Award Winners
Winter Music Conference. Accessed August 3, 2014.
, , - , BT , IDMA Award for Best North American DJ , , -


Beatport Music Awards

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A Song Across Wires ''A Song Across Wires'' (promoted by the hashtag #ASAW) is the ninth studio album by composer and electronica artist BT, released on August 16, 2013. This album features more vocal tracks and a plethora of guest artists as part of his alternate ...
'' ,
Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that can be used ...
Award for Album of the Year , , -


''Computer Music'' Awards

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Computer Music Computer music is the application of computing technology in music composition, to help human composers create new music or to have computers independently create music, such as with algorithmic composition programs. It includes the theory and ap ...
'' magazine Innovative Award , , - , ''Computer Music'' magazine Performance Award , , -


BMI Film & TV Awards


Discography

Studio albums * '' Ima'' (1995) * '' ESCM'' (1997) * ''
Movement in Still Life ''Movement in Still Life'' is the third studio album by American electronica artist BT. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 8, 1999, and a different version released in the United States in 2000. A transition towards hip hop, it ...
'' (1999) * ''
Emotional Technology ''Emotional Technology'' is the fourth studio album by electronica artist BT. Transitioning towards a more pop music oriented sound, the album features some of BT's more commercially successful releases, including "Somnambulist (Simply Being L ...
'' (2003) * ''
This Binary Universe ''This Binary Universe'' is the fifth studio album by the composer and electronica artist Brian Transeau, BT. It was released on August 29, 2006. The album was a significant about-face for Transeau, largely abandoning the Progressive electronic da ...
'' (2006) * ''
These Hopeful Machines ''These Hopeful Machines'' is the sixth studio album by American electronic musician BT. Released on February 1, 2010, the album sees collaborations with the likes of JES, Rob Dickinson, Christian Burns and Kirsty Hawkshaw, also featuring a cov ...
'' (2010) * ''
If the Stars Are Eternal So Are You and I ''If the Stars are Eternal So are You and I'' is the seventh studio album by composer and electronica artist BT, and was released on June 19, 2012, in tandem with '' Morceau Subrosa'', BT's eighth studio album. Development First announced in M ...
'' (2012) * '' Morceau Subrosa'' (2012) * ''
A Song Across Wires ''A Song Across Wires'' (promoted by the hashtag #ASAW) is the ninth studio album by composer and electronica artist BT, released on August 16, 2013. This album features more vocal tracks and a plethora of guest artists as part of his alternate ...
'' (2013) * '' _'' (2016) * ''
Between Here and You Brian Wayne Transeau (born October 4, 1971), known by his initials as BT, is an American musician, DJ, singer, songwriter, composer and audio engineer. An artist in the electronic music genre, he is credited as a pioneer of the trance and intel ...
'' (2019) * '' Everything You're Searching for Is on the Other Side of Fear'' (2019) * ''
The Lost Art of Longing ''The Lost Art of Longing'' is the thirteenth studio album by electronica artist BT. Two singles for the album, "1AM in Paris / The War" and "No Warning Lights", were released on June 19 and July 17, respectively. The album was announced on July ...
'' (2020) * ''Metaversal'' (2021) With
All Hail the Silence All Hail the Silence is an electronic music duo comprising American electronic musician BT and English singer-songwriter Christian Burns. The band was informally announced on March 8, 2012, but live shows and project announcements did not commen ...
* ''
Daggers A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use def ...
'' (2019)


See also

*
List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States) This is a list of number-one dance hits as recorded by '' Billboard'' magazine's Dance Club Songs chart – a weekly national survey of popular songs in U.S. dance clubs. It began on October 26, 1974, under the title ''Disco Action'' chart. It is ...
*
List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on ''Billboard magazine's'' Dance Club Songs chart. ''Billboard'' began ranking dance music on the week ending October 26, 1974, and this is the standard music popularity chart in th ...
*
Granular synthesis Granular synthesis is a sound synthesis method that operates on the microsound time scale. It is based on the same principle as sampling. However, the samples are split into small pieces of around 1 to 100 ms in duration. These small pieces ar ...
* Stutter edit


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bt 1971 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American composers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers American electro musicians American electronic musicians American film score composers American male film score composers American television composers American trance musicians Berklee College of Music alumni Black Hole Recordings artists Electronic composers Electronic dance music DJs Living people Male television composers Musicians from Rockville, Maryland Nettwerk Music Group artists Progressive house musicians Record producers from Maryland Singers from Maryland Technicians Trance singers Video game composers