Tittsworth

• Genre: Electronica/Dance
• Hometown: Washington

About

Jesse Tittsworth hails from Washington, D.C., but his musical allegiances lean toward neighboring Baltimore, whose native club-music scene -- helpfully called "Baltimore club" -- offers a homegrown variant of regional scenes like Miami bass and Detroit ghetto-tech. When attention from artists like Diplo (and a little TV show called The Wire) helped raised B-more's profile in the mid-'00s, Tittsworth, a DJ and promoter who had spent a decade following the Charm City scene, was poised to present his own version of Baltimore club. Beginning in 2006, he released a slew of singles for labels like Vicious Pop, New York's Plant and his own T'n'A, run with DJ Ayres. His debut album, 12 Steps, brought together rappers like Kid Sister and Pitbull over beats that drew upon Kraftwerk, acid house, electro and more far-flung styles like dancehall and reggaeton. Rough-cut breaks, grinding synths and down-and-dirty vocals give Tittsworth's music its incendiary charge. If you need to get the party started, here's your TNT.

- Philip Sherburne