American dubstep producer Starkey has spoken exclusively to ClashMusic about his music appearing on mainstream radio.
Born in the soundsystems of London, dubstep has long been associated with tribal areas. Brixton and Croydon are the home of the scene, with even forays to Bristol seeming like another world.
Yet somehow, dubstep has become an international form. Philadelphia based producer Starkey has become a favourite with bass heads in the UK, and recently created a track live on Radio One.
Invited onto Mary Ann Hobbs’ show, Starkey produced a blinding slice of bass action which was even played during the day on Radio One. Only the second dubstep track to achieve this feat, the producer revealed that he was stunned by the move.
“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!”
With his second album due for release shortly, Starkey told ClashMusic his aims in creating music. “I want it to stand the test of time, to use a clichéd phrase; I want it to sound like a cohesive unit” he explained.
“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.”
Read the entire interview with Starkey HERE.
