Arky Starch Releases Long Awaited Debut EP Dub Faith – Press Release
Press Release: Belgium artist Arky Starch releases his long-awaited new EP, “Dub Faith”
After a journey filled with both joy and tragedy, Belgium-based artist Arky Starch has realised his vision: a debut EP. The project is a sum of his life’s parts, and showcases this up-and-coming artist’s exciting talent perfectly.
Dub Faith, a self-released project, sees Arky Starch hone the considerable experience he has accumulated across several decades. Completely self-produced by Arky and mastered in the Renegade Studio by the legendary Dubmatix, the project consists of six tracks. And it demonstrates this innovative musician’s broad and eclectic influences and tastes.
The EP’s opening track is Maximize The Bass, and sees Starch create a deep-dive into Dub territory from the off. With its infectious horn riff and funky guitar line, it sticks in your head and refuses to move – and the breaks across the track are well-placed. Panic In Da System takes Dub Faith into more brooding, unsettling territory. The use of high-passed, almost 80’s Synthwave guitar and horn lines gives the track a dystopian feel – and there’s a brilliant improv bridge which signals a move into an even darker musical space.
Only He Will Judge sees Starch pursue a more Roots sound which is still punctuated by stripped-back breaks. The electronic keys cement this vibe, with their sharp, staccato bubble rhythm. But listen carefully, and the drum line is not all that it seems – hinting at Starch’s seeming love for another genre. Next up, and Pull Off The Strings heads further down a Roots path but still maintaining a grounding in Dub. The arrangement is intricate and rich, with a broadening use of percussion and melodic devices across the instrumentation.
Dub Faith once again moves into a restless place with Passing The Border. Starch shows his rhythmically inventive side across the track, interspersing more traditional Roots and Dub devices with some complexity across the bridge, making for a disconcerting and thought-provoking experience. The EP finishes with The Last Glimp, which showcases the artist’s ability to use musical anthropomorphism to match the subject. It feels like a shimmering column of light, piercing through Dub Faith and offering a ray of hope after the thematic storm.
Starch shows his heady abilities across the EP, at both music production but also the building of a narrative. All the tracks could work extremely well as riddims for other artists to bounce off – and are sympathetically arranged to allow embellishment if required. There’s also a clever narrative running across Dub Faith – represented in both the music and the song titles. And the projects overall mastering is wholly progressive Dub – a keen mix of attention to detail on the varying kHz, ensuring the vibe is authentic while still being innovative.
The EP is a perfectly-pitched introduction to this accomplished and already forward-thinking artist. Starch has delivered a project with multiple facets, which would sit as easily at home in any Dub collection as it would in a DJ booth. Dub Faith is one of the most exciting debuts of the year. And the EP will cement Starch’s blossoming career and draw him a new audience. Belgium’s finest has arrived.
Dub Faith Download & Stream Links
Read more about Arky Starch on his biography page: Arky Starch Biography
Download Dub Faith via this link: MP3 Download
Stream Dub Faith via this link: Dub Faith Stream
Press release by Mr Topple / Pauzeradio PR (9th August 2020).
