Artemis: Biography, Discography and More | EDM Encyclopedia

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Introduction

Artemis is a drum and bass producer whose output during the late 1990s documented the atmospheric and progressive ends of the genre. Active from 1997 onward, the artist carved out a space in electronic music with a series of vinyl singles and one extended play. The confirmed discography spans a relatively compact window: 1997 through 2000. During that period, Artemis released music through labels specializing in underground dance music, contributing to a broader movement of producers exploring melody and texture within the high-tempo framework of drum and bass.

The name Artemis carries associations with the ancient Greek goddess of hunting and the wilderness, though the producer’s chosen moniker reflects a personal or aesthetic decision rather than any documented thematic connection to mythology. What remains verifiable is the music itself: a catalogue of singles and one EP that map a clear creative trajectory over roughly three years of activity.

Artemis belongs to a generation of electronic artists who emerged when drum and bass was diversifying beyond its early hardcore and jungle roots. Producers were increasingly experimenting with ambient pads, jazz-influenced chord progressions, and intricate breakbeat programming. Artemis operated within this expanded palette, releasing music that sat comfortably alongside the work of contemporaries exploring similar territory. The artist’s first confirmed release arrived in 1997, and the most recent verified output dates to 2000. Whether Artemis continued producing beyond that year remains unconfirmed by available sources.

Genre and Style

Artemis operated squarely within drum and bass, a genre characterized by breakbeat-driven rhythms at tempos generally ranging from 160 to 180 BPM. The producer’s approach leaned toward the atmospheric and melodic end of the spectrum, a style sometimes associated with labels like LTJ Bukem’s Good Looking Records and related imprints during the same period. Track titles such as Elysian Fields, Inner Worlds, and Sun Stars suggest an interest in expansive, ambient-influenced soundscapes layered over rolling percussion.

The drum and bass Sound

The confirmed output points to a producer attentive to mood and space. Names like Reflections, Secret Portraits, and Desert Traveller evoke imagery consistent with introspective or cinematic drum and bass, where synth pads and sustained tones often take equal prominence alongside the rhythmic elements. This approach contrasts with the more aggressive, techstep-oriented sound that dominated certain corners of the genre during the same years.

Artemis released exclusively in single and EP format, which aligned with standard practice for drum and bass producers of the era. Vinyl was the primary medium, with tracks pressed onto 12-inch records for DJ use. The producer’s work typically featured multiple tracks per release, allowing for both dancefloor-oriented cuts and deeper, more contemplative material within the same package. The pacing of releases suggests consistent studio activity: at least one or two singles per year from 1997 through 2000, with the Silver Dawn EP arriving in 1998 as the sole extended play in the catalogue.

Key Releases

The confirmed discography consists of one EP and five singles released between 1997 and 2000. Each entry below represents a verified release.

  • 1997
  • Elysian Fields / Desideradi
  • Elysian Fields / Desideradi / Reflections / Secret Portraits
  • 1998
  • Silver Dawn EP

Discography Highlights

1997 saw the arrival of two singles. Elysian Fields / Desideradi introduced Artemis with a two-track offering. A second single, Elysian Fields / Desideradi / Reflections / Secret Portraits, expanded on the same session with four tracks, packaging the initial pair alongside two additional compositions.

1998 produced the sole extended play: Silver Dawn EP. That same year, Artemis also issued the single Inner Worlds / Sun Stars, a two-track release exploring continued atmospheric territory.

1999 brought the single Fairlight / Desert Traveller, maintaining the producer’s pattern of two-track vinyl releases with titles suggesting evocative, landscape-inspired themes.

2000 marked the most recent confirmed output: the single Revival / Silver Dawn. The B-side title Silver Dawn echoes the name of the 1998 EP, though whether the track is a direct reissue, EDM remix, or alternate version remains unspecified in available documentation.

Famous Tracks

Artemis released a steady stream of drum and bass singles throughout the late 1990s and into 2000. Their earliest confirmed output arrived in 1997 with Elysian Fields / Desideradi, a single that saw multiple pressing variations. One version included the additional tracks Reflections and Secret Portraits, expanding the release to a four-track offering that provided listeners a broader sample of the artist’s production approach during this period.

1998 marked the arrival of the Silver Dawn EP, along with the single Inner Worlds / Sun Stars. These releases continued Artemis’s presence in the drum and bass scene, demonstrating their commitment to the paired-track format that characterized much of their output. The EP format allowed for slightly more extended exploration of their sonic palette beyond the constraints of a standard single.

The year brought Fairlight / Desert Traveller as a 1999 single. The artist’s confirmed discography concludes with Revival / Silver Dawn in 2000. This final single notably revisits the title “Silver Dawn,” which had previously served as the namesake of the 1998 EP. Whether this represents a remix, reissue, or reinterpretation remains unspecified in available documentation, but the callback suggests the track held particular significance within Artemis’s body of work.

Live Performances

Information regarding Artemis’s live performance history remains largely undocumented in publicly available sources. Unlike many electronic artists of the late 1990s drum and bass scene who built their reputations through club residencies, pirate radio appearances, and festival slots, Artemis’s confirmed activities center primarily on studio output rather than documented stage shows or DJ sets.

Notable Shows

The absence of widely circulated live recordings, documented venue bookings, or bootleg material in circulation suggests the project may have operated primarily as a studio endeavor. This focus on production over performance aligns with certain approaches within the electronic music landscape, where some artists channel their creative energy exclusively into recorded material rather than live interpretation or club rotation.

Without confirmed festival djs appearances or venue residencies to reference, assessing Artemis’s impact through the lens of live performance proves difficult. Some electronic acts of this era built their almost entirely through physical releases, letting the music speak through turntables rather than venue sound systems. Their legacy, as it exists in documented form, resides entirely within their vinyl releases from that concentrated period of activity between 1997 and 2000.

Why They Matter

Artemis represents a specific strand of late 1990s drum and bass production, active during a period when the genre was diversifying and establishing distinct sub-styles. Their discography, spanning from 1997 to 2000, captures a window of activity that coincides with significant developments in electronic music’s broader landscape, including the transition from vinyl-only culture toward early digital distribution.

Impact on drum and bass

The consistency of their release schedule across those three years demonstrates a focused approach to production. With at least one confirmed release each year from 1997 through 2000, Artemis maintained a regular presence without flooding the market. This measured output allowed each single and EP to stand as a distinct entry in their catalog rather than competing for attention among excessive inventory.

The track titles themselves offer glimpses into thematic concerns: Elysian Fields, Inner Worlds, Desert Traveller, Sun Stars. These names suggest an interest in evoking landscapes, both external and psychological, a common thread in atmospheric drum and bass of the era.

The limited scope of Artemis’s confirmed discography, fewer than ten distinct tracks across multiple singles and one EP, positions the project as a concise rather than prolific contribution to drum and bass. This brevity works in their favor: each release carries weight precisely because the catalog resists dilution.

Their tracks remain artifacts of a productive period, offering listeners today a chance to explore beyond the genre’s most widely documented figures and into the catalog of a producer who operated with deliberate intention across a concentrated span of years.

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