Kromestar is undoubtedly one of the most prolific producers in dubstep, and over the last few years has amassed a huge back catalogue of releases for a remarkable array of labels that includes Deep Medi, Hotflush, Southside Dubstars, Ringo Records and Dubstar, as well as working under a number of different aliases.

Now, with the dust having barely settled on his impressive debut album My Sound, released in March of this year, comes the release of The Other Syde LP on Dubstar.

There is no special secret to his high work rate though, it is nothing more than a genuine enthusiasm for music.

"It's always difficult to keep up the freshness of my sounds," he explains, "but I listen to so much music I end up hearing something and can't wait to recreate it and put my twist on. It's all about listening to as much music as possible to grab inspiration from."

Over the past few years Kromestar has managed to create one of the most iconic signature sounds in dubstep, one which has spawned numerous imitators but remains inimitable. His unique and inventive bass manipulation and the swagger of his drums mean that he remains head and shoulders above the new wave of half-step wobble dross that is currently saturating a lot of dubstep right now which has lost any of the scene's original sense of experimentation.

"I can tweak a sound for hours and I know that it is always going to sound like nothing else ever created," he says. "I have thousands of these unique presets and then I use a few favourites a few times over so that people can always tell it is me. The same goes for my drums, they have a very unique swagger to them."

Following the release of his My Sound LP, the new CD comes as a double CD package with one CD of some of his biggest previously released singles and also a mix done by Kromestar himself containing a number of those releases as well as some unreleased tracks.

The two albums provide an interesting counterpoint to each other, exploring different facets of his sound.

"My Sound was my debut album and I think that it is what an album is all about - chilled out listening music. This is really a mix compilation of all my more dance floor friendly work and some bangers as singles on the second CD, hence the title The Other Syde, as in the other side of My Sound."

The inclusion of the mix CD showcases brilliantly the context for which the tracks were predominantly designed and in which they work best, while also helping to make the CD more accessible:
 
"The mix CD is for the heads that don't DJ and just want to hear an hour or so of mixed up Kromestar business," he states. "As someone that doesn't DJ you don't always want to hear the intros and outros of all the tunes, you want it as a DJ set."

However, that is not to say that he doesn't cater for the DJs. It is often possible to spot exclusive Kromestar white labels and exclusives in independent records shops. He remains an avid supporter of dubplate and vinyl culture: "Vinyl is what it is all about - it supports what we do. The vinyl creates the DJs, the labels, shops and then the punter in the shop. Without vinyl, I wouldn't be able to do what I do."

Now, with the new LP yet to hit the shelves, Kromestar is already looking ahead and has tentatively started work on his next album. This is no surprise though for a man as inexhaustibly creative as him. As he says, "I make beats 24/7!"

Words: Sam Collenette

 

Kromestar-Badman

• Kromestar
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• Dubstar

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