Darren J. Cunningham, better known as Actress, is a British electronic musician from Wolverhampton, currently residing in London. He is the owner and director of the Werk Discs imprint. Before getting involved with music, Cunningham was a professional footballer, playing in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion. At 19 he was forced to retire from football because of an injury, and he started dedicating himself to music. In 2002 he started the Werk parties with his friend Gavin Weale, inviting artists like Modeselektor or Anthony “Shake” Shakir without announcing them beforehand. In 2004, Werk became a label. Cunningham's first release was the EP “No Tricks”, in 2004. In 2008 he achieved some success with his album “Hazyville”. In 2010, Actress released his second LP, “Splazsh”, seen as his best work to date and a landmark record in the latest wave of British electronic music. The Wire magazine named it the best album of 2010. In 2011, Actress released the EPs “Harrier ATTK / Gershwin” and “Rainy Dub”, in addition to remixes for the likes of Panda Bear, Shangaan Electro and Radiohead (using the alias Thriller). In 2012, “Hazyville” will be reissued on vinyl for the first time, and his third album, “R.I.P.” will also be released.

Selected discography

“Hazyville” (Werk Discs, 2008)

“Paint, Straw And Bubbles EP” (Honest Jon's, 2010)

“Splazsh” (Honest Jon's, 2010)

“Harrier ATTK / Gershwin” (Nonplus, 2011)