Starkey

***Received an 8.0 rating from Pitchfork. Orbits is the latest thrilling installment in STARKEY’s "street bass" odyssey. The Philly producer draws on grime, hip-hop, electro, bass music, and beyond to blast off with his most accomplished and fully realized album yet. Starkey has carved out a unique space in electronic music. His explorations in the unnamed airspace between grime and dubstep have earned respect from both camps, despite being predominately British pursuits from an American outsider whose music isn't solely confined to either. Starkey's intricately crafted, sci-fi inspired tracks escape the intro-drop-breakdown-drop formula of most dance music thanks to a more expansive and ambitious approach. Epic opener "Renegade Starship" paves the way for the heavy-hitting "Command," which, along with remixes by PLASTICIAN, DRUMS OF DEATH, and others, is the album's lead single. The album continues to straddle straight club tracks (see "The Shuttle," "Dystopia") and more ambient offerings ("Crashing Sphere," "Synchronize") throughout. Huge drums, southern rap style hi-hats and Vangelis-like fizzing synths are deployed to dramatic effect, and the energy and aggression of grime pervade the record.