Sinistarr is on fire right now. There’s been a whole host of sweet remixes from the Detroitian maestro and a killer double A on None60. Damian B gave him a call to see what’s going down. It seems he’s just joined a super group!
Read on for full details on triplets, jungle, cyberpunk and loads more. It starts with Gaiden…
Let’s chat about Gaiden…
I realised that slowing down my tempo allows me to have more room to grow and work in, and I wanted to take a darker but more focused on the floor approach to my productions, so Gaiden is the epitome of that.
Hold up… Gaiden sounds really fast!
The mood of the song seems really fast, but it actually clocks in at 165BPM. It’s all about the arrangements; having the slower tempo allows me to set more of a scene than it just being fast and having a mood. I can add more emotion, if you will.
I Am Not Invincible… What influenced that?
I was watching a ton of cyberpunk films at the time, like Strange Days and movies of the like. I wanted to do the same thing, keep it haunting and contemplative… but still be accessible for the dancefloor.
Job done. What is it with producers and cyberpunk films? It’s like you’re not a true junglist unless you can quote Bladerunner back to front…
It’s the only style of film that encapsulates the sound of the genre, without it being too over the top. Remember when everyone at one point in D&B history tried to garner a metal influence? That didn’t last very long. Cyberpunk does exactly what it says on the tin – dark vibes and sci-fi elements to boot.
True dat. what’s your favourite cyberpunk film?
Strange Days. Not so much for the film, but the amazing soundtrack – Skunk Anansie FTW!
Hey… If you were invincible, tell us three things you would do!
1) Fall off of the tallest building
2) Learn how to flip over cars
3) Grab a sword and find other invincible people to get my McLeod on with (Highlander reference).
Nice. Moving on… Are you spontaneous when you DJ?
It’s almost always spontaneous; I say almost because I plan the first three tracks. Not gonna say why, but that’s how I work.
Okay… Does your environment find its way into your work… your city for example?
Easily. Spending time in two different cities within the past year and a half really helped me bring influences from around the areas and pick up all sorts of ideas and work it into my music now.
Which two cities are you based in? And what ideas do each of them give you?
For now I rep Detroit and San Diego – Detroit for my influence, and San Diego for my future endeavours… And where I currently lay my head — sunsets give you plenty of ideas!
They do! So what are 5 music moments that are not far from your mind as we speak.
The 2-step explosion happening right now
The fact that jungle is coming back – more breaks!
Everyone in hip hop is emulating the 90s culture
The fact that everyone has stopped using the ‘post’ prefix
The use of triplet arrangements in tunes, especially footwork tunes
We love triplets too…. what’s the best example of a triplet in footwork/juke right now, then?
Don’t know how long it’s been out, but Clent’s Knee Deep by DJ Clent NAILS it. The way he flipped the first 32 bars of Not Just Knee Deep by Funkadelic is insane!!
And what’s the best new jungle influenced tune you’ve heard lately?
Ginseng Smash by Stray…. EASILY! The way he flips the vocal sample sounds like an alternate jungle version of Black Mags by the Cool Kids. Too fresh.
Biggest question… What’s coming up next?
I’ve just joined a group called Urban Tribe. The members are DJ Stingray, Carl Craig, Moodymann, Shake Shakir, and now me. Working on an album with Stingray and the crew, more details to come with that.
Wow… what a bombshell to end on! Can’t wait to hear it.