Global TV & Streaming Experts Clubbing TV announce Production Partnership with Starsky
Online tutorials have grown ten-fold in popularity and prevalence since covid took hold. Ardent fans, however, will no doubt note that most of these simply aren’t worth their salt. One that most definitely is however, is Starsky’s videos for Clubbing TV. In a nutshell, it shows viewers how they can replicate the sounds of some of the world’s foremost artists, all the while showcasing how to use some of the world’s coolest new machines. We caught up with Starsky recently, as he gave us an insight into his life in music and the production of the shows…
Hi, can you please introduce yourself and describe your occupation?
I’m Starsky and I’m a musician and producer and currently have a Youtube channel and weekly show on Clubbing TV demoing music tech and production techniques
That sounds like a great role. Is this something you always dreamed of doing? Or how did it come about?
I’ve always been into music since I can remember. Once I started writing and producing tracks when I was in my teens I’ve had an interest into music technology, not because of the technology itself, but because it’s a way to help you as a musician to bring your ideas to life. I remember buying my first 4 track tape recorder and synth, purely as a way to record my ideas… but the more you understand the technology, the more creative you can be.
And can you tell us about your alias — it it a Starsky and Hutch thing?
Starsky and Hutch definitely played a part – but it was a nickname that stuck. I’ve had quite a few cats called Starsky which was a bit of a joke.. I thought the ‘S’ sound was attractive to them … SSStarsssky – and there I am always thinking about the sound!.. And I’m allergic to cats!!
Do you see yourself as having to educate a younger audience? Or what do you see as the main idea behind the videos?
Haha, I can educate old people as well! But it’s not about educating anyone, just helping out. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when starting out, and everything I know was self taught. I started my YouTube channel just to give a helping hand to the music community. I use YouTube for everything from changing a light bulb in my car to fixing a synth and realised there were things I could do to give back. The videos got quite a good response, so I did a couple more.. and built up a reputation of making easy to follow, but knowledgeable demos and comparisons that are also a bit of fun.
So you’ve done some really great videos, showing people how to get a Daft Punk or kINK sound for example. What is it about these artists that excite you so much?
They are two great examples of something that’s actually quite simple once you know how to do it, but creating the idea in the first place was a stroke of genius. Taking the Daft Punk example, the Da Funk track is ridiculously simple, and anyone with a computer and some software can recreate it, but it takes real creativity to come up with the idea in the first place. It’s the same with KiNK.
And do you understand their genius even more when you try and replicate what they do?
Absolutely. What KiNK does is essentially pretty simple, but the way he does it is so effortless. Try and do it yourself over an few minutes and you’ll see how many hours must have gone into honing those skills into a fluid set. It’s the same with Daft Punk, take the same equipment and ideas and try to write something as good. A classic drum loop, a single note on a bass, nasty lead and a bit of acid on top. That’s it, but it all comes together to create a classic. Anyone hearing a single note of that synth sound instantly knows the track. Thousands of people have that synth, there’s an infinite number of sounds you can make on it.. but that one sound is instantly recognisable and unique.
Are you a producer yourself? And who do you look to for inspiration yourself?
I produced, remixed and wrote tracks professionally for years, and made a decent living with stuff in the charts etc, and love all sorts of music. If you like a wide range of styles and have the tools to create whatever you like it’s difficult to pick a single artist or genre, but if I had to pick one stand out artist I’d say Sasha’s tracks pretty much encompass everything I like all rolled up into a single package. Great musicianship, really inventive and creative ideas, all produced flawlessly. If he could only get a bit of Echo and the Bunnymen in there it would be perfect!
Have you released on any labels then? What’s the best thing about putting music out do you think?
I’ve got a stack of 12” records I made for loads of labels including Mute, Distinctive, Multply, Xtravaganza, 3 Beat, and all Around the World.. all dance labels you’ll notice! The best part is hearing them in the background when you’re out and about, or driving the car, and you’ll hear something familiar and be humming along then suddenly realise why you recognise it. Of course, seeing thousands of people jumping up and down is pretty cool too.
So tell us a bit about Clubbing TV and covid 19. Has it affected what you’re doing much? Or does the format remain the same?
COVID has meant I’ve actually had more time to spend thinking about the episodes, and having a bit more fun with them. Adding a few comedy moments is great fun, but you need to take a step back to see where you may be taking things too seriously or where there’s a glaring bit of irony. Having a bit more time on my hands has made this much more of a feature than I’d originally anticipated. Like sampling a famous street rather than using a famous sample of a street in the Daft Punk episode. It took a whole morning to record everything – all for a few seconds of footage, but hopefully it takes the format somewhere most others don’t.
How do people tune in to your videos?
The show is broadcast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings on Clubbing TV and is then uploaded to our “From the Studio’ playlist on the ClubbingTVOfficial YouTube channel. My own youtube videos can be found on the StarskyCarr youtube channel.
What’s next for you that you’re really excited about?
I’m really excited to see where the Clubbing TV show can lead. It’s a bit of an unknown to me, and I always like taking a jump into something new to see where it leads.
Keep up with Clubbing TV on Facebook and Instagram and tune in to Starsky show on Clubbing.tv
