Apashe

Apashe is the stage name of John De Buck, a Belgian-born producer who built his career in Montréal. His early releases came through the city's Kannibalen Records, where he worked mainly in dubstep and electro, with a taste for theatrical sound design.

His album Renaissance pushed that taste furthest. It puts live orchestral writing at the centre, with strings, choirs and brass carrying the themes before heavy bass drops take over, so the tracks play more like film cues than club tools. The brass-led "Majesty", featuring the rapper Wasiu, became one of his most widely played tracks and set the template for the larger, orchestra-backed shows he has staged since.