Darkstar are silent, presumed working. Breaking cover from their aural laboratory, the Warp-aligned duo have agreed to play a one off show at London’s Village Underground. Freed from the shackles of the studio, Darkstar intend on giving fans a treat, unearthing a few gems from the rather more hidden regions of their catalogue.
“We used to like be quite selfish from a performance perspective, I think,” laughs James Young. “Before, we used our live sets as springboards for new ideas, but now we definitely cater towards pleasing people. I think it’s one of those things you through – you have to evolve, don’t you and understand exactly why you’re there, rather than your self-indulgence.”
The duo have emerged as one of the most engaging live acts in UK electronica, continually teasing out and exploring new elements of their music. “What we’ve found as well is that they just kind of take on a whole new life and evolve. The record sounds better live, to be honest!” he says, half in jest. “We’ve toured pretty heavily since September so we’re kind of at a point now where it’s just its own thing rather than replicating the record.”
Darkstar’s third album ‘Foam Island’ was a staggering achievement – at once hugely varied and uniquely unified, it matched distorted electronics to a social conscious that unpicked the tattered fabric of austerity Britain. It was a bold statement, but creatively the duo feel that traveling in a fresh direction is a necessity.
“I think we’ve said enough in terms of how specific we were with ‘Foam Island’,” he explains. “I don’t think there’s much more to go in on. I think it was an observation, and I think we set out to do what we wanted to do, and we completed that in a way that in a subtle way. We didn’t want to be preachy with it. I think it will be one of those records that will be like a pinnacle point in us evolving as artists.”
The artistic success of ‘Foam Island’, he believes, has much to do with timing. “I felt being a general election year, and the climate in the country back when it came out, it was quite a poignant time. I’m sure there’ll be a hint of it or subconsciously it bleeds into everything we do. So, we’ll see.”
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Darkstar seem to swing between conceptual-heavy releases – 2011’s ‘North’ for example – and rather more straight-forward album projects. “’Foam Island’ is probably one of the most conceptual pieces of work we’ve ever done, and it takes it out of you to not only write tunes but try and fit a narrative that resonates with you. It’s a deeply personal record. Moving on next time it might just be we want to focus on production, and getting back to what we think we’re the best at.”
Of course, this isn’t just idle talk – James Young has stolen a few moments from the studio to speak to Clash, escaping the rigors of working on new material. “It’s all new this time round,” he says. “I mean, we’re just about to sign a new deal with Warp so we’re taking loads of ideas from the tour. I think we’ll take all that from what we’ve been doing live, certainly.”
“I think we’ll probably need like a little bit of time just to feel out where we want to go,” he continues. “We definitely want for people to be able to listen to it as an album, but also I think there’s definitely an emphasis on trying to translate it a live scenario quicker than we did the last record. (‘Foam Island’) took us a while to get the live set right because it was so nuanced”.
After the strenuous, hugely involved sessions for ‘Foam Island’, Darkstar seem eager to move quickly. “I mean ideally we’d like to write this before summer, if we can, and just be a bit more reckless in the approach. We take our time and maybe sometimes it’s a bit too detailed; this time, I think we just want to have more fun within the recording procedure.”
There’s a human element to Darkstar’s work that seems to translate in live performance – it’s there in those ‘Foam Island’ spoken word samples, for sure, but it’s also there in the sub-zero synth pop of ‘North’. Something – no matter what is – seems to connect.
And connect is certainly what they’re going to have at the Village Underground. “It’s something we’re getting better at I think. For us, it’s a blessing to be able to go and perform in front of people.”
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Darkstar are set to play the Art Of Patron's event at Village Underground, London tonight (April 14th). Neneh Cherry will be on the decks, while other names on the bill include CKtrl, James Massiah, FAM, and Rita Maia.
Fancy heading along? Entry is free, simply RSVP to [email protected]
