Darkstar first coalesced in the underground, electronic thrum of London’s nascent grime and dubstep sphere in the middle 2000’s, growing from attending the early FWD club nights to releasing a pair of game-changing 12” singles on Kode 9’s fledgling Hyperdub label. These fused unique sonic futurism with an avant-garde pop sensibility that immediately set the duo of Aiden Whalley and James Young apart from the many producers emerging at the time. What followed was the crucial introduction of vocalist James Buttery to the fold and finally the release of their debut full-length North to wide acclaim.
After touring North across the globe, Buttery, Young and Whalley decamped to a house in the countryside of West Yorkshire to write. Subsequently, the album that News From Nowhere, released on Warp Records became a reflection of the time they spent there.
Read moreIn 2014, vocalist Buttery took leave from the band meaning that Darkstar once again embarked on establishing a sound distinct to their reinstated duo status. The British re- election results of 2015 coupled with visits back home to Northern England sparked a realisation that the social climate was changing. The topic of austerity inspired the duo’s writing sessions, and they began a three-month project, talking to and documenting the local young people in nearby Huddersfield. From this, their third studio album, Foam Island was created and released on Warp. The lyrics and the electronic sound palette for Foam Island were shaped by the people and emotions they encountered in this town.