Protostar is the stage name of UK-based drum-and-bass producer Alex Mallows, whose full name is Alexander John Mallows. He first experimented with electronic music production at school and began releasing music with Monstercat in 2013. His early work included glitch hop before he shifted toward drum and bass, a genre he became interested in through Pendulum’s music. Mallows studied mechanical engineering at university and has said that his understanding of physics helps with sound design and audio production. His 2013 Monstercat single No Fire, made with MakO, reached number one on Beatport’s dubstep chart.
Protostar’s Monstercat work includes the singles Galaxies and There and Back, along with collaborations with Pixel Terror on Andromeda and hayve on Isolation. He also worked with MUZZ on Meltdown. His official remixes include work for C418, Darren Styles, Delta Heavy, Nurko and Dabin. His remix of C418’s Aria Math was the first official remix of a track from the Minecraft soundtrack.
Protostar’s music has appeared in Rocket League and Fortnite. New Horizons has also featured in Rocket League. His releases include music on RAM Records, High Tea Music and bitbird, as well as Monstercat. In 2023, he collaborated with Slushii on Eclipse for Pilot; Stay followed on Liquicity Records in 2024. In 2025, he joined Blooom and Purple Velvet Curtains for SIGNAL (feat. Purple Velvet Curtains) on DnB Allstars, then released All For You on Bassrush Records.
In 2026, Protostar released Ozymandias on Protostar.