- "Faster, faster, faster," Lady Starlight said in a recent RA feature. "To me that is techno." Just how fast did she mean? On her untitled debut release, it turns out that 140 is her go-to BPM. A track's tempo could seem inconsequential, but in this case it's key. There might be a sense of novelty at play here—most modern techno falls well below this BPM. But the speed of these four tracks elevates their simple composition.
It's a style Starlight honed in the live environment. After she was finished messing with Lady Gaga fans (she supported the pop megastar on her ArtRave tour), she went on to forge a solo career and has been playing improvised live shows with Surgeon. The same straightforward, direct approach of those performances informs this EP for Stroboscopic Artefacts.
Each track is a variation on an idea. Starlight establishes a basic pattern of drums and synths and gently twists the arrangement as she goes. "E12" is menacing. "E2.2" and "E3.2" are a shade lighter and reminiscent of Robert Hood. "F8" oddly reminded me of the kuduro DJ Marfox makes. In each case, the sheer force of will and clarity of the productions should make these tracks highly effective on a dance floor—provided you don't slow them down too much.
TracklistA1 E12
A2 E3.2
B1 E2.2
B2 F8