News Star Slinger

There’s no shortage of people regurgitating the lessons of early 00’s hip hop ad-infinium and hoping for their big break these days. Rather than having to assemble any expensive equipment or learn their craft through sweat and toil at a turntable, all it takes is a quick mediafire search for some pirated production software, a little bit of trial and error and the ability to sign up for a bandcamp account. So how do you stick out in this saturated scene?

Well, as ever, being obscenely talented is always a start. And anyone who has chanced across any of Star Slinger’s numerous demo recordings would be hard pressed to deny that he’s got skills in abundance. Clearly taking notes from J Dilla, everything that he touches seems to turn into a shimmering, glamorous hip-hop beat, honey coated and over spilling with ideas.

Seeming to come out of nowhere, Star Slinger is the work of one Darren Williams, who started the project back in the spring of 2010. Assembling a library of samples through vintage vinyl he’s collected, and popping out his first full length release online within a couple of months. Continually atop the rankings on Bandcamp (which is awash with his various remixes, too) and continually featured on the more on-the-pulse areas of the Radio 1 schedule, ‘Volume 1’ is an album that never seems to lose its appeal, regardless of how many repeat listens it’s given.

The labels thrown upon him are always ill-fitting and uninspired, but that always seems to be the case when anything this awe=inspiring comes along. Each track is delicious, a feast of found sounds and stolen recordings patchworked together into something sickeningly sweet. Any wannabe producers out their listening should see this as a warning call – up your game or give up. Wither way, it’s probable that Star Slinger’s going to better you – but what a way to be beaten.