With his technically impressive DJ sets and innovative productions, U.K. producer Ben Sims is a favorite among techno fans, although he began his career playing hip-hop, acid, and house. With those genres, Sims launched his career in the '90s by spinning DJ sets around East London. By late in the decade, his focus had turned primarily to techno. Sims' first official mix CD, Theory of Interpretation, landed in 2001. The first volume of his Escapism mix series followed a year later, with a second volume landing in 2008. In 2011, his first album of new productions arrived when Smoke & Mirrors dropped on the Drumcode label. Sims partnered with the Fabric family in 2013 for the mix CD Fabric 73. ~ David Jeffries