Touching Bass: Star One

Siding with one of your siblings to make beats must definitely have its perks and serious setbacks. I’d definitely be tempted to just mess with my little brother’s creations and use some far-gone, brotherly tiff as a motive. Star One have managed to put that sort of thing aside in order to become an all-genre encompassing duo. The project dates back to 2011, a year in which they were hailed as some of ‘the most exciting producers to emerge’ by Red Bull Music Academy, no less. Tuck into this week’s rollercoaster ride through garage, hip hop, grime and drum and bass.

Noisey: Hey guys, how's it going? Where are you in the world and what are you up to at the moment?

Adam: All good in the hood! Right now we are in our parents garage come studio laying down some bass on a new track for our new mixtape with an old school friend - Getting Funky!

What's it like to work alongside your brother all the time?

Adam: It's good I suppose, our parents like that we're doing stuff together. He's quite grumpy at times though.

Joe: it's alright. You’re very annoying at times.

Who was the most troublesome in the household when you two were growing up?

Adam: Definitely Joe, I'm the nice one.

Joe: Yeah, probably me. Less said about that the better!

Funniest moment you two have shared?

One of the funniest that comes to mind recently is that we've been renting a studio in London down a dark, private road. We were locking the gate late at night and accidently locked a prostitute and client in the road and they had to shout at us to come let them out. Highly awkward (read: amusing) especially when we saw the client at the train station 5 minutes later!

Who has the best dress sense?

Adam: I think we're about even at the moment? We've managed to blag a lot of free clothes over the last year so I think we're both looking alright at the moment!

Joe: No, no , no. I dress alot better than you!

I see that you guys don't let genre get in the way of what you make. How important do you feel it is to be versatile these days?

Adam: Yeah we're strict advocates of the no genre restriction. I think it’s important to be versatile as that is a true reflection of us. In some ways it’s a hindrance as I think it’s sometimes easier to build a fan base if people associate you with a certain sound and know exactly what they are going to get.

Joe: We're just hoping to combine everything and make our own genre.

What's the story behind you getting into music?

Adam: I've gone the listener - DJ - Presenter - Producer route. To make it in the DJ game, you have to be a producer and vice versa really. It's a strange industry!

Joe: I was a rapper and then started making beats to spit on and then the rapping kinda stopped and production just kept going.

What was the first record you ever bought?

Adam: My first tape is quite cool, Warren G – “I Shot the Sheriff”. Swiftly followed by Spice Girls to take the cool factor away.

Joe: Snoop Dogg – “Snoops Upside Your Head” for me.

How about vinyl, are you still buying it and if so, what's been your favourite recent purchase?

Adam: I bought Bilal "Soul Sista" because I wanted the acapella and couldn’t find it online. Other than that it's been a while. I got CDJs in 2007 and haven't really bought any vinyl since. Still have a sick UK hip hop and garage collection though.

Joe: Most of which you stole from me.

Biggest pet hates when DJing in the club?

Adam: Stupid requests! Please just let us do our thing and try enjoy it.

What's your studio set up like?

Adam: We currently work out of 3 studios (or 5 if you include our bedrooms). The garage at our parents’ house, a studio called Space Eko which we rent out once a week and we also record a lot of vocalists at SAE institute which is a very plush studio!

Joe: All we really need is a MIDI keyboard and Maschine though.

What software are you using and why?

Adam: Logic 9 and Native Instruments Maschine. Gonna upgrade to Logic X soon though.

Joe: Maschine lets you get down ideas really quickly which is good but I’ve been on Logic for a while and I’m still learning new tricks.

Finally, what vibe have you gone for on the mix?

Adam: We called it a RollerCoaster mix because that’s basically what it is. A rollercoaster through garage, hip hop, grime and drum and bass. All pretty upbeat stuff. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Follow Errol on Twitter: @Errol_And