Headstash

David Starfire Interview: Cleansing The Masses Through Music

Photo Courtesy of David Starfire's Facebook

David Starfire is a busy man. Between his own solo project and his collaboration with FreQ Nasty with The Dub Kirtan All-Stars, Starfire has become a festival stalwart over the past decade – and for good reason. 

His unique and introspective style of electronic music is as deep and well thought out as the man himself. With influences rooted in many different genres of music and a penchant for using sounds for more than just making heads bob, Starfire is one of the more underrated producers out there today.

[FIND news, downloads and tour dates via David Starfire's official website.]

Headstash Magazine recently had a chance to sit down with the prolific producer and chat about his musical roots in Zydeco jazz, his ideal festival atmosphere and cleansing the audience through the healing power of music.

--

Headstash Magazine: Tell me a little bit about your musical influences growing up.

David Starfire: My parents were from New Orleans and that was my second home, so I was heavily influenced by Dixieland jazz. My grandfather was a well-known sax and clarinet player and was part of the Onward Brass Band. I would hear him play all the time and my parents frequently had jazz records playing in the house.

Then, in my early teens I discovered rock and roll and was into bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. It wasn’t until high school that I really got into electronic music and loved the hybrid of humans making music with computers.

[LISTEN to David Starfire's music via SoundCloud.]

Years later, I started listening to world music and was so intrigued by the depth of the songs, the complexity of the instrumentation and the texture of the sounds.

HM: Very cool. So it seems like your interests have really evolved over time.

DS: Yeah, I think that it’s probably natural for most people’s tastes to change while growing up. I like all types of music and being a musician, I really appreciate live music, too.

Photo Courtesy of David Starfire's Facebook

I like the feel of machines, but also think the sound of organic instruments played by a real human is important and I try and have both components in my productions.

HM: With summer festival season really starting to hit its stride, could you describe your ideal festival experience as a performer?

DS: I really like connecting with the audience by taking them on a journey with sound vibrations and sonic bass frequencies. I want people to escape their lives and sweat out their problems like a cleanse so they can move past any troubles they may have.

[FOLLOW David Starfire on Facebook.]

I really think you can help people to heal through music and sound. Some of my favorite fests have been in a natural setting such as a forest or a desert. Burning Man has a vibe like no other, but the elements can sometimes be a bit harsh. Then there are smaller festivals in a beautiful forest with a lake, and those are usually epic.

The audience, to me, is the main component that can make the vibe of the fest, but the setting is also important.

HM: You recently performed at Symbiosis Gathering in Nevada. How was that?

DS: Symbiosis was amazing on so many levels and I believe that the eclipse really made a big difference on the vibe of the fest. I had a great set on Sunday night at the Earth Stage, and the audience was really feeling the music.

It was such a great stage to play on, and I did a hybrid live set where I played the bass and drums along with the music. I also had beautiful belly dancers performing with me. It was great to see the crowd react to some newer tracks as well.

HM: In addition to doing your own set, you did one with the Dub Kirtan All-Stars as well. Could you walk us through what that kind of performance is like?

DS: I’m definitely blessed to be a part of that. It’s comprised of FreQ Nasty and I along with amazing musicians and singers performing live. We have about eight people on stage including singers, a percussionist, a sitar/guitar player and two temple yoga dancers.

[FIND complete lineups, ticketing information and analysis via our 2012 Festival Guide.]

Photo Courtesy of David Starfire's Facebook

FreQ Nasty and I produce the music and then collaborate with the other members to create the tracks. The main component behind the vocals in the project is from Kirtan, which is the call and response interaction with the audience members. Kirtan comes from an Indian tradition where they chant to certain deities to bring about things they want in life. We’re currently working on an EP and hope to have it out by fall.

HM: Awesome. When you’re collaborating with another producer who has their own unique style like FreQ Nasty, does it present some hurdles in addition to the opportunities for co-creation?

DS: When you’re collaborating with someone else, there will always be compromise. He and I have been friends for some time and have worked on music for years now, so it’s easy when we produce together. You really have to trust others’ opinions and be open for changes and things that you normally wouldn’t do.

I think a little bit of tension and ideas from others are great ways to come up with unique production and songs. There are so many ways to produce music and you always learn new tricks and different ways of doing things when working with others.

HM: I saw that you’ve got a new single called “Jumpin Off.” Tell me a little bit more about that.

DS: It’s a glitch-hop party track that was produced in collaboration with Koian with vocals by iCatching. The track has a catchy vocal hook and I made the bass line really big for the dance floor, but still nice to listen to in a car or just hanging out at home.

[FOLLOW Headstash on Facebook.]

There are awesome remixes by Sidecar Tommy [of Beats Antique] and Samples as well as the instrumental track. It’s an exclusive on Beatport for now and then will be on iTunes and other music sites. I have the songs streaming on my SoundCloud for people to check out, too.

HM: I’ve always wondered, as an artist, what are the advantages of releasing something exclusively through something like Beatport?

DS: The biggest thing is that it gets spotlighted on the site with banners and promoted more than if it were just a regular track. That way, it gets seen more and will hopefully sell more so that it goes up in the charts.

HM: That makes a lot of sense. So what else do you have coming up in the next few months?

DS: I have several festivals that I’m performing at like Enchanted Forest, Gaia, Mystic Garden Gathering and others. I’ll also be finishing up my new album. It’s long overdue and I’ve been working on it for quite some time, so I’m excited that it’s almost done.

It’s a collaborative album with lots of other artists, but it’s difficult to work on music together when you don’t live in the same city and everyone is so busy. It’s a great accomplishment when an album comes together while working with people from
around the globe.

HS: Thanks again for the time, David – really enjoyed the conversation.

DS: Thanks so much for the interview.

--

David Starfire’s next performance is Wednesday, June 20 at Zanzibar in Santa Monica, CA For a complete list of tour dates and more information on Starfire, check out his official website.