At 13, Culprate, the stage name of John Hislop, was learning guitar; growing up in Watford, Hislop first played rock and metal before moving into electronic production and drum and bass. Hislop is a British producer based in Bristol, and started making electronic music at college. Squarepusher, Amon Tobin, Noisia, Pink Floyd and Radiohead are among the artists Hislop has cited as influences. Early EPs on Dubsaw Recordings and Inspected Records, released between 2010 and 2013, helped establish Culprate in the UK dubstep scene.
In 2014, Culprate founded Open Outlets to put out the crowdfunded album Deliverance. The record marked a turn towards more experimental music. Open Outlets initially served as a home for Hislop’s own work, then began accepting releases from other artists in 2017. Culprate’s 2018 EP Others came out on Inspected. The releases have also appeared on Never Say Die Records, OWSLA and Upscale, alongside Dubsaw Recordings, Inspected Records and Open Outlets.
Culprate’s work spans dubstep, drum and bass, IDM and electronica. Hislop has said he generally produces in the box, using Ableton’s Operator and Analog for sound design. Collaborators include Modestep, Phace and KOAN Sound; an Inspected Movember track also brought Culprate together with KOAN Sound, Asa and Reso. The Unity Project featured Skope, The Widdler, Chee, Signal and Joe Ford. In 2022, Culprate released the album αριθμός τέσσερα, which features live instrumentation and complex sound design.
The album Normal followed in 2024 on Inspected. That year, Culprate also played the Bang Face Weekender at Butlin’s Skegness Resort. Hislop founded Open Outlets as a way to release his own music, and the label’s move to accepting work from other artists gave it a wider remit from 2017. Culprate’s releases have ranged across Dubsaw Recordings, Inspected Records, Never Say Die Records, OWSLA, Upscale and Open Outlets.