On his second album, the US dubstepper widens the lens to show an impressive vision.
Ostensibly an underground artist, Starkey, AKA Paul J Geissinger, threatened to cross over in the UK when he created a track in two hours on Mary Anne Hobbs’ Radio 1 show. ‘Building The Beat’, was played on daytime as well as emerging top of the pile on their review show. “I wasn’t really expecting that. Beating out tracks from Alicia Keys, being on daytime radio, it was just kind of crazy for a song that we did in an hour. I’d like them to hear a song I spent a couple of months on!”
The accessibility of both song and concept was an ideal way to herald PJ’s second album, ‘Ear Drums And Black Holes’. Building on the grimey foundations of his début, it layers triplet arpeggios in the mould of Zomby with Joker’s sense of funk melody to provide real ‘pop’ moments over the unfettered magnitude of the bedrock. Vocals are prominent, from MCs to melody, and it’s interesting to note that PJ speaks in terms of “songs” throughout – one senses that banging out tracks isn’t sufficient; a tangible musicality and use of binary song structure are evident even on instrumentals.
“I want it to stand the test of time, to use a clichéd phrase; I want it to sound like a cohesive unit. There are moments where things jump out at you as something that will sound great on the dancefloor, but it’s not all about that – I want the album to sit well on headphones, to sound great in your car at night, to be an album that crosses different situations and is enjoyable in all of those situations. A remix is singular, you’re thinking about one outcome, one idea, and having it sit by itself. With the album it was about trying to see which ones worked together. There are songs that we had to cut that I loved; some are coming out as B-sides, others might not see the light of day. It was just about fitting the right songs at the right amount of time.”
Having recorded “more straightforward, clubby and 4/4” styles as Moves!!!, as well as composing experimental concert music under his given name, what now defines the Starkey sound? “The Starkey stuff is branching out; it’s becoming a fine line of ‘what is it?’ and that’s fine with me. If it has a specific character then I may call it a Moves!!! track but the Moves!!! stuff is structurally simpler and it’s more about straight dancefloor. It’s not as song-based.”
He refreshingly doesn’t posture about entering the studio with a concrete notion of what’s to come: “The music either happens or it doesn’t; I don’t know what the outcome’s going to sound like. I think I get inspired by one particular sound and I try to develop the music around that idea; build everything around some sonic, harmonic or melodic element; then the song then just takes shape.”
The future holds DJ tours to promote ‘Ear Drums…’ as well as an attempt to square the circle of the live electronic paradigm; his intention is to create a “hybrid live/DJ set”, emphasising interactivity and live vocals as prime ingredients. He also hints at forging a production dynasty comparable to a Timbaland or a Darkchild by working with hip-hop and RnB artists: “I like being an artist, I like being Starkey, but my heart’s really in production, so I really want to let my music shine with other artists.”
Starkey in the charts? Sounds like that crossover is only a matter of time.
Starkey Essentials:
Just A/Million (Rwina)
Miracles (Jamie Vex’d refix)/Creature (Planet Mu)
Stars feat Anneka (Planet Mu)
