Who is 12th Planet? 12th Planet Songs, Music, Discography & Artists Like 12th Planet
Adam has been locked into 12th Planet’s catalog for a long time. This is an LA dubstep producer who helped build the American bass music scene from scratch, mentored Skrillex, and kept releasing quality records for nearly two decades. The music hits hard and it is built to last.
4D4M is drawn to artists who operate from genuine conviction about their sound. 12th Planet is exactly that. He never chased radio moments. He stayed in the basement, built infrastructure through SMOG Records and Disciple Round Table, and let the work speak. If you want to understand where American riddim actually came from, start here.
Who Is 12th Planet?
12th Planet is an American DJ and dubstep producer from Los Angeles, California, active since 2006 and widely known as the General of the Riddim Gang. He started under the alias Infiltrata, producing drum and bass, then pivoted to dubstep and created the 12th Planet name, a reference to Zecharia Sitchin’s book of the same title.
He founded SMOG Records in 2007, transforming it from an event production company into one of the only American labels releasing gritty bass music that held up to the UK dubstep scene. Skrillex has publicly cited 12th Planet as a mentor, and the two collaborated on multiple tracks. He has played Electric Daisy Carnival, Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, SXSW, and Beyond Wonderland, and toured internationally across the US, London, Sydney, and Auckland.
In 2017, he signed with Disciple Recordings and launched Disciple Round Table as his personal sub-label. The Swamplex series, culminating in the full-length Swamplex: Next Level in 2020, showed his output only getting heavier and more focused over time.
12th Planet’s Sound Explained
The 12th Planet sound is built on weight. His dubstep drops hit hard, with wobbly basslines, deep sub pressure, and gritty textures that lean toward the original UK template. He pulls from jungle and drum and bass rhythmically, giving his tracks forward momentum that pure dubstep sometimes lacks.
His riddim work is built on minimalism and impact: locked grooves, hypnotic basslines, and sparse percussion. Sound design is central to everything he does. Every bass patch feels considered and every drop feels earned. That craft is part of why his music has stayed relevant across multiple cycles of what heavy electronic music is supposed to sound like.
Top Tracks by 12th Planet
We Don’t Play
A massive collaboration with Bandlez, Dirtyphonics, INFEKT, Modestep, MVRDA, and the full Disciple crew delivering five minutes of relentless bass energy.
Send It (feat. Barely Alive and PhaseOne)
The Disciple Round Table launch single: clean, punchy, and built for the main stage without sacrificing any low-end pressure.
Burst (feat. Skrillex and Kill the Noise)
One of the definitive records documenting the 12th Planet and Skrillex creative relationship, two producers pushing each other to go harder.
Bubzstep (feat. Barely Alive and PhaseOne)
Pure locked-in riddim with a relentless groove and a bass tone that is disgustingly good from start to finish.
Marine Iguana
A solo track that shows his minimalist side, dense and completely committed to the groove in just over two minutes.
Shipwreck’d
Dark, heavy, and submerged in low-end energy, designed for serious sound systems but effective on headphones too.
Majestic 12
Stripped-down and precise, with odd-angled patterns over bass pressure that feels like it comes from somewhere below the floor.
Clairvoyant
Opens with atmospheric texture before locking into the groove, showing range without abandoning what makes his sound distinctive.
How We Roll (Disciple Alliance)
A massive ensemble track with Samplifire, Modestep, Eliminate, Barely Alive, and the rest of the Disciple roster all showing up.
Freefall (Dirtyphonics feat. Julie Hardy, High Maintenance Remix)
A remix that pushes melodic source material toward darker territory without flattening the emotion of the original.
Smokescreen
One of his early SMOG Records releases that established his voice in the genre, raw but with the instincts already fully formed.
Reasons (feat. Juakali)
The track that earned a Scion A/V video and MTV 2 airplay, accessible without losing any core bass architecture.
Texx Mars (with Datsik)
Released in 2009 when both artists were still building their reputations, this sounds like two future genre architects sketching out the blueprint.
Right On Time (with Skrillex and Kill the Noise)
From the Bangarang EP, a collaboration that feels natural because the production instincts align despite different aesthetic surfaces.
Rubber Band Boiz (with Bandlez)
A later Disciple Alliance release with looser energy than his peak-pressure work, but still built on the same locked-in bass foundation.
Why 4D4M Vibes With 12th Planet
There is a specific kind of respect that comes from watching someone hold their lane for two decades. 12th Planet has been making heavy bass music since before it had a mainstream moment, through the mainstream moment, and well after the casual fans moved on. The catalog is there. The labels are there. The influence is documented by every artist who cites him.
Running SMOG Records, then building Disciple Round Table, these decisions reflect how serious someone is about the music they claim to love. That kind of institutional commitment to a sound resonates deeply with 4D4M. The underrated dubstep tracks that shaped 4D4M’s bass education often trace back to artists who came up through the 12th Planet orbit. The ripple effect is enormous.
12th Planet Discography
| Release | Year | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokescreen EP | 2008 | EP | SMOG 001 |
| Texx Mars EP (with Datsik) | 2009 | EP | SMOG 005 |
| Reasons EP | 2010 | EP | Bullet Train Records |
| Westside Dub (with Plastician) | 2011 | Single | SMOG 007 |
| The End Album | 2012 | Album | SMOG 023, debut LP |
| Transitions EP (with Protohype) | 2013 | EP | SMOG 035 |
| Gully Squad EP | 2016 | EP | SMOG 074 |
| Let Us Prey EP | 2017 | EP | Disciple Recordings debut |
| Swamplex Terrestrial EP | 2018 | EP | Swamplex series pt.1 |
| Swamplex ExtraTerrestrial EP | 2019 | EP | Swamplex series pt.2 |
| Swamplex: Next Level | 2020 | Album | Disciple 215 |
12th Planet Live and Touring
12th Planet has toured globally since the early days of US dubstep expansion. Major festival appearances include Electric Daisy Carnival, Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, SXSW, Nocturnal, and Beyond Wonderland. He has also played in London, Sydney, and Auckland. His sets are physical experiences built around sound system pressure, with the same low-end energy he constructs in the studio translating directly to the live context. As the head of Disciple Round Table, his festival presence also represents the wider label roster.
12th Planet FAQ
Who is 12th Planet?
12th Planet is an American DJ and dubstep producer from Los Angeles, active since 2006. He is known as the General of the Riddim Gang, founded SMOG Records, and heads Disciple Round Table under Disciple Recordings. Skrillex has publicly cited him as a mentor and credited him with influence on his own development as a producer and artist.
What genre is 12th Planet?
12th Planet works in dubstep and riddim, with roots in drum and bass and jungle from his earlier alias Infiltrata. His sound leans toward heavy, sub-bass-driven electronic music on the more underground end of the spectrum. He has consistently focused on heavier, stripped-back approaches rather than melodic or mainstream dubstep.
What label is 12th Planet on?
12th Planet is signed to Disciple Recordings and heads the Disciple Round Table sub-label, launched in 2017. Earlier in his career he founded and ran SMOG Records, one of the earliest American labels dedicated to dubstep and heavy bass music. He has also released material on Never Say Die and OWSLA.
Did 12th Planet collaborate with Skrillex?
Yes. They worked together on Needed Change, Father Said, Burst with Kill the Noise, and Right On Time from the Bangarang EP. Skrillex described 12th Planet as a mentor at Ultra Music Festival. The two had a genuine creative relationship during the period when both were building their profiles in the US bass music scene.
What is SMOG Records?
SMOG Records is the label founded by 12th Planet, relaunched as a music imprint in 2007. It was one of the earliest American labels dedicated to dubstep and heavy bass music, releasing solo material, collaborations, and compilations. SMOG was central to building US dubstep culture in its formative years.
What is Disciple Round Table?
Disciple Round Table is a sub-label of Disciple Recordings, launched by 12th Planet in 2017 when he signed with the parent label. It operates as his personal imprint within the Disciple family, releasing his own productions alongside material from artists he signs. The Knights of the Round Table series has featured artists from the label alongside the wider Disciple roster.
Where is 12th Planet from?
12th Planet is from Los Angeles, California, specifically South Los Angeles. He has been based in the LA area throughout his career. Los Angeles was one of the first US cities to develop a genuine dubstep scene, and 12th Planet was a central figure in building that community from the beginning of his career in 2006.
Listen to 12th Planet
12th Planet Online
| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| Official Website | 12thplanet.komi.io |
| Spotify | 12th Planet on Spotify |
| SoundCloud | 12th Planet on SoundCloud |
| @12thplanet | |
| Twitter/X | @12thplanet |
| 12th Planet on Facebook | |
| YouTube | 12th Planet on YouTube |
| Discogs | 12th Planet on Discogs |
