This is the archived SXSW 2012 schedule. Please see the current schedule here.

Blaqstarr

#sxsw #Blaqstarr

219

BLAQSTARR
Blaqstarr, the Baltimore born DJ, producer, and artist extraordinaire, is a talent that comes around once in a lifetime. Writing, producing, and arranging all his material, Blaqstarr’s worldly sound has no boundaries, grabbing elements from every genre.

He is well-known for his songwriting and production work on M.I.A.’s 2007 album Kala and 2010’s MAYA.  Over the past few years, Blaqstarr has released 2007's Superstar EP (on Diplo’s Mad Decent label),  the Divine EP (his first release through Interscope, with N.E.E.T's imprint) and Blaqstarr: The Mixtape (a free online download that has made game-changing impact), as well as tours such as "Rock The Bells" and others with Diplo and M.I.A.
Constantly evolving as an artist, Blaqstarr is "living" in the studio to craft the masterpiece he wants the world to hear as his debut album. In his words: “I go up into the clouds and grab all the bits and pieces of my dreams and experiences and put them in the air. There are no bounds for my music, so expect to experience every one of your best feelings when you listen to it.”

Diplo was recently quoted stating, "Blaqstarr could be this generation's Isaac Hayes". Rolling Stone's interpretation of the Blaqstarr sound is that "His gauzily processed production shrouds falsetto come ons and playalistic mumblings in a skeevy haze, perfect for torpid, booming tracks that deploy anything from layered girl-chirps to distorted guitars to a pilfered Cameo beat in service of massaging his psychedelic freak." Spin.com raves, “Blaqstarr builds his lo-fi hip hop sound by adding in touches of R&B (glossy piano cadences, soulful, melismatic vocals)- imagine Prince re-making Sign O’the Times as a banging Baltimore Club record on a beat up four track recorder.” Fader praises his song “Oh My Darling,” calling it “a simple loop with Blaqstarr’s melancholy plea, something between Kanye, Prince, and Robin Thicke — direct and driving.”

With the upcoming release of his full-length album, Blaqstarr is set to become a household name across the world, taking music to places no one has dreamed possible... yet those places will seem as if they have always and will always exist in the hearts and souls of all. Prepare to be enlightened.

Our Awesome 2012 Sponsors
Plat_sponsor1