Sinistarr‘s release on (the supernatural) none60 draws you in holistically + opens the door to an approach that is – to be plain – peerless.
Hey how’s it going, what’s new for you this year?
Going well, thank you! It’s been quite a busy year of new music.
Details?
Had a follow-up collaboration on Hospital come out in March, an EP on Exit Records that dropped last month, a track for Ivy Lab for the 20/20 compilation out soon, some new D&B on Prestige Music, some different tempo things on Grandcity and of course this release from none60.
How did you and the Silent Dust link up… you are of course no stranger to their world.
So we met in 2012, not sure who hit whom up first, but we got to talking and they were into the 160 BPM sounds I had going, and asked me to put out some music with them, and ‘I Am Not Invincible’ was the first track they picked.
This remix is basically a redux the guys did that made the original more dancefloor and was more aligned with what the three of us have been listening to in the past few years – a little (good) pop, a little jungle, all hip hop!
What are the everyday things in life that inspire you, and this could be good and bad things… things you witness, see, hear about…
In this day and age, it’s really been about human interactions more than anything for me. Having conversations with people about life has been a common inspiration with me throughout my travels, but in these changing times, and as I get older, I start to realize that taking the dialogue deeper is important to really gain some perspective on where you are right now – then taking what you learned into the studio.
Visually, art and aesthetic is still king, especially things from 10-20 years ago, in what was considered the “future” – we embraced it in a really clunky, bubbly manner and it’s only really starting to become more archived by people that lived in the era or by those that found interest in this era that were too young to experience, so looking at that aesthetic and getting ideas for music are really fun.
Take us into ‘Regrets’ with Brownstudy, it’s a wonderful tune.
Thank you… I made the tune back in 2012 while I was living in Denver. That tune is actually an idea I had for a really long time, kind of a classic-house-meets-footwork track… I never really knew how to process it into a more traditional drum & bass sound at 170 BPM without it sounding too hasty or tightly packed together… I think the shift from making tunes from 170 to 160 really helped because it gave me more space in the tracks, and when I tried it, all the arrangements fit perfectly.
I sat on it for a few years and then contacted my friend Brownstudy to work on a few things, this being one of them. He’s known for his spoken-word and his broken beat productions in house and hip-hop so I thought that this would be the best track for him to bless the mic with. He did pretty good I must say.
Do you regret much? Sorry for cheezy connection but it’s more about how we process the past…
Not as much as I used to. I realize now that some of the things you regret are sometimes the fault of your own choices and the other part simply out of your control, or just pure irony – the third one I’ve had happen a lot in terms of music, which leads to a world of regret.
I don’t know the other path my life would have taken had I chose the opposite, signed that tune to x label, went to that city, dated that person or whatever it is, because it didn’t happen, it may not ever, and there’s really no use dwelling over it.
However my pathway ended up led me right here, right now so I’m pretty grateful for where I am now and keep looking towards what the next thing for me will be.
Could you name some tracks that are doing the damage to your soul, old and new?
These tracks I listen to when I am travelling or looking for a boost, and inspire me musically…
Obey City ft. Kelela – Airy (Jensen Sportag Remix)
Sampha – Indecision
Jay Rock – Money Trees Deuce
SBTRKT – Never Never (feat Sampha)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5IcHm0vLqg
Frank Ocean – Acura Integurl
What is a great memory of a night you’ve played or attended?
I’d say the 20/20 night in London at the Silver Bullet a few years ago… it was me, Fracture, Ivy Lab (of course), Tim Parker and El Train on the bill.
I think the craziest thing was it not only being my first gig in London, after the show we all retreated down to the basement for post-show hangout, and I looked around the room and I basically saw not just everyone that I was friends with via music – these were people whose records I had been buying and mixes I had been listening to since I started the journey in drum & bass.
It was a definite moment of clarity for me.
I Am Not Invincible (Silent Dust Remix) / Regrets ft Brownstudy