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Written by Ben
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26 Jun 2008 |
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Lately I’ve found little in music to really get excited about. This happens now and then and makes me long for tube journeys, dead batteries and minor ear infections. Thankfully I heard something yesterday that supplied my lobes with some well needed light relief. The track was “Dead 2 Me” by Darkstar, a relatively small Dubstep producer with only a handful of releases to date. The latest being on Kode9’s hyperdub label. What made Darkstar standout is his ability to take the Dubstep blueprint and use it to create real songs that combine emotive Burial esque textures with melodies and vocals that are beautifully solemn, and dare I say mainstream. This has led to comparisons with Portishead, with the most apparent reference being the lo-fi vocal of “Dead 2 Me”. However later tracks show more varied influences such as “Need You” (grime and 2-step), and “Lilyliver” (electro pop). It is this progression that I find most exciting, giving the impression that Darkstar is far from the finished article. The hope is that this progression will continue and in-turn provide Dubstep with it’s first real crossover artist. Someone just needs to give him an album, then again I would be surprised if Kode9 hasn’t already.
The Myspace
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