Originally posted on the School of Remix
All the way from Philly we have Starkey. Big name in the grime game. Here he goes into his gear, a bit about his sound and whats on the come up for the new year. Get familiar.
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You are Starkey aka Stark Bot. Where are you right now and where you from?
I’m in Philly… I’m from Philly.
Years of age?
30
Where or how would you categorize your music?
street bass
Whats makes Street Bass street?
weapons and asphalt
How long have you been producing and what got you into it?
I’ve been producing seriously since I was about 19 years old. Before that I was playing in lots of bands… piano, singing, bass… from jazz to hardcore. I got into producing through going to college for production and needing to make my own music to practice working on the things I was learning in school… eq’ing, compression, etc. So since I wasn’t a guitarist / singer-songwriter, I started making music with my keyboard and some drum machines. I was into a lot of trip hop, downtempo and post-rock stuff… along with a lot of Warp, Ninja Tune and Planet Mu artists at the time… so the music I was making was kind of like a mixture of Aphex Twin and Mogwai. What I’m doing now isn’t too far away from that either. I guess this was before grime, so it had less of that influence in there.
Any specific influences that gravitated you towards your sound as it is today?
Grime 100%. That was the music that changed my way of thinking about producing and how to develop sounds.
Any software or hardware that help make your sound is what it is? Give us something to listen for in your music.
I’m known for lots of epic synths for the most part. I do a lot of pitch bent / portamento stuff with layered parts…. think Vangelis x 12. I use mostly soft synths nowadays, but I do have a Juno 60 and Korg N1 at home. I pretty much use the N1 as a midi controller though because it’s 88 keys and fully-weighted. It’s also all about having the right eq’s and compression to work with… that makes up a ton of the sound, particularly when you’re talking about big dancefloor tracks.
Is there a piece or two specific gear you’d like to add to your own repertoire?
I’d like to get some better speakers… like the Barefoots or something with a nice low end. Planning to do that this year. Then it’s all about having a good interface / A/D… so I’d like to get an Apogee Ensemble or a Prism Orpheus.
Where has your music been best received by an audience?
It’s hard to say…. around Belgium’s always been a lot of fun, as well as San Francisco and Denver. They’re usually the most consistent crowds. But recently some shows in Georgia and North Carolina were sick as well…. so you never really know who’s down or what to expect. Moscow was great this past year as well. They seemed really into my sound.
What was you take on Vancouver’s scene during your time here?
It seems cool. I’ve known a few producers out there for a minute, like Taal Mala, who’s cool…. so it’s always fun to come out there to play. I like the city and hope I get back there again soon.
Just this morning I learned about Serato Video and wondered if this is something you’d considered using. I’ve always found your music pretty vibey and though it would be complimented well by custom or specific visuals.
I’ve thought about it…. but it’s something that has to be planned out and executed the right way. I hate doing things half ass, so if you’re going to do video… it better be sick. I’ve been happy with all the music videos we’ve put out, because there’s a lot of care in making sure that it’s professional and fits the overall vibe of the track. The directors I’ve worked with were all amazing as well. It’s definitely something I’m looking into though. For now, I’m just concentrating on putting on the best show I can as a dj.
You’ve got some crazy video’s out already, are there are any directors out there that you haven’t worked with and would like to?
No one specifically comes to mind. I rate all the directors I’ve had the pleasure to work with so far… and just want to continue to keep the quality high. In today’s immediate society, it’s very easy to just do something because you can. Like I could make a video myself and upload it to youtube, but it would look dumb. You need to have quality control with everything you do as an artist.
With whom do you share ownership of Seclusiasis and Slit Jokey Records?
Seclusiasis is owned by me and Dev79… the El Carnicero is also a partner in Slit Jockey.
Sduk just dropped ‘Anything Could Happen’ via Slit Jockey (and is available for purchase on Amazon, Beatport, iTunes, Amazon and Bookmat), what kind of new new can we expect from Starkbot and your labels in the new year?
We have a lot dropping. For Seclusiasis we’ve got a new DNAEBEATS mini-album, an Aquadrop single, as well as another Knight Riderz release, plus I’m gonna drop something on Seclusiasis this year most likely. For Slit Jockey, we’ve got some stuff from DS1, a Sduk remix single, a Mella Dee ep, a MIK ep…… loads of stuff. There’s tons more. We’re really excited about the stuff we’re putting out right now… it’s been a great start to the new year.
I’m currently working a new album… and will be dropping that hopefully this Summer. There will be some tracks I’ve produced for other people dropping this year as well. Gonna be a busy one.
Top 3 producers your listening to right now.
That’s hard… I’ll say Swindle, DS1, Darq E Freaker. Everything I hear of theirs is exciting right now.
Have you voted for the Dubstep Forum 2012 awards?
no
