His energetic DJ performances combined with his original production sound are making him a hotly tipped act and producer of the future. Starkey is co-owner of Slit Jockey Records and a member of the Seclusiasis and TROUBLE AND BASS crews. Following his recent success Stateside, Starkey was selected by Vex'd as one of seven new DJs for Radio 1's Mary Anne Hobbs' low end special Generation Bass and was the only non-UK DJ to be chosen. If you like grime, dubstep, hip hop and all things bass then Starkey's hard edged spaced out street bass is the sound for you  - Starkey is currently working on his second full-length album for Planet Mu, due early 2010.

 

How much digital production influences you when structuring tunes, and does it make it easier for you to be more creative?

I'm not sure if the kind of production really changes your approach to structuring a song. I do most of my production digitally, although I do some analog processing from time to time, just because it's what I have readily available to me. I think it's definitely faster, you have faster access to different synths and effects, but I think a lot of people get caught up on the amount of plug-ins they have when they should really be concerned with learning how to use them. To be able to create what you hear in your head and not rely on presets.

 

What's next for the dubstep and alt electronica scenes and what will keep them ahead of the game?

People doing their own thing and being original is the most important thing for music, period. Influences are influences but copycats are boring. Dubstep is in a funny place right now because there's a lot of tension within the scene. There are people who really don't want their particular niche or sound to be associated with the other types of sounds coming out of the genre. That's the problem with having a "genre" of music that really has no solid unifying factor except for a BPM and the longing for a good sound system. That's part of the reason why Dev79 and I started the Seclusiasis "Street Bass Anthems" series. It's our way of taking all of the different types of music we like and putting them under one umbrella. That's what our sets and the music we produce are like.

 

Finally, what are your thoughts on where the music industry is heading, particularly in the digital age?

Well, it's changing a lot. Like in the 40s and 50s crooner era, publishing rights and control are once again the most important way of controlling music for songwriters. It's becoming the most important aspect of the business because record sales are down all over. This will continue and people will have to figure out "new" ways of making money off the exploitation of their music.

 

www.starkey-music.com

www.myspace.com/starkey

 

Photography: Dan Wilton

 

• Starkey

Related Links:

• Production Q&A With Starkey
• Starkey Builds The Beat
• Free Starkey EP
• Starkey Returns With New LP For Planet Mu
• Starkey Interview

Like it? Share it!
Sign up for more with the Kmag weekly newsletter.