Photos by Aaron Richter

Words by Andrew Parks

First it was a mask. Then a samurai helmet. And finally, after days of deliberation, a simple sunglasses-and-snowcap ensemble for Steve Goodman—the DJ, producer and Hyperdub founder best known as Kode9—to wear to his self-titled photo shoot. Simply put, Goodman prefers not to have his picture taken, but after stopping by our office for an interview, the genteel Scotsman relented on the condition of maintaining a sliver of anonymity in his image.

Call it finicky, but such controlling behavior is fitting for the man behind the post-apocalyptic dance tracks of Black Sun, a.k.a. Kode9′s second album alongside the Spaceape. Available next month through Hyperdub, it’s an otherworldly listen that unfolds like a paranoid film adaptation of Philip K. Dick, brimming with chest-caving bass lines, radioactive synths, and beats that riddle the pockmarked countryside like swiftly sprayed bullets.

It’s also his most fully realized musical vision yet…