bt was born in rockville, maryland on october 4, 1971. his father was an fbi and dea agent, and his mother a psychiatrist. bt started listening to classical music at the age of 4 and started playing classical piano at an early age, utilizing the suzuki method. by the age of 8 he was studying composition and theory at the washington conservatory of music. he was introduced to electronic music through the breakdancing culture and the vangelis score for the film "blade runner", which led him to discover influential electronic music artists such as afrika bambaataa, kraftwerk, new order and depeche mode. in high school, he played drums in one band, bass in a ska band and guitar in a punk group. at 15, he was accepted to the berklee college of music in boston, massachusetts, where he studied jazz and enjoyed experimenting, such as running keyboards through old guitar pedals. bt is a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, guitar, bass, keyboards, synths, sequencers, the glockenspiel, drum machines and instruments he has modified himself. his process for creating songs typically starts with composition on basic instruments, like the piano or an acoustic guitar.