British techno veterans James Ruskin and Mark Broom explore more abstract terrain as the Fear Ratio, blending fractured IDM rhythms with heavy bass. Debuting the project in 2011 with the glowing, prismatic Light Box, the duo continued releasing albums and EPs on labels like Blueprint, Skam, and Tresor, with Slinky arriving in 2022.

Ruskin and Broom have been collaborating on techno tracks and remixes under their own names since the 2000s. Interested in moving away from the conventions of techno and house, they released their first album as the Fear Ratio, Light Box, on Ruskin's Blueprint label in 2011. The single "Morning Blues" included remixes by Deadhand (the pair's hip-hop side project) and Plaid. Additional EP Skana followed in 2012. Refuge of a Twisted Soul appeared on IDM cult favorite Skam in 2015, and a limited 10" EP by the duo kicked off the label's Kasm series. The Fear Ratio delivered Live E.P. in 2018, and third album They Can't Be Saved arrived in 2020. Their first album as Deadhand, Meanwhile, was released by Seagrave in 2021, featuring lyrics by Sensational, scratches by Prime Cuts, and a remix by Etch. The Fear Ratio's fourth album, Slinky, expanded on their hip-hop influences, featuring guest verses by King Kashmere of Strange U. Issued by Berlin techno institution Tresor, the release was accompanied by an hour-long mixtape of fragments, sketches, and loops titled Ratio Sound Trials. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi