Up & coming producer Adam Spears takes some time out to talk to i:Vibes about Crayons, producing, the future, ... We will hear more from him in the future!

Today, we had an interview with Starkid aka Adam Spears, one of the up & coming producers at the moment.
His first release ‘Crayons’, is being supported by all the big jocks like Nick Warren, Sasha, James Holden, …


Hi Adam, let’s start start with the interview.


i:Vibes: could you tell us a bit more about yourself? Who you are, hobbies, work or study, girlfriend, pets, ...
Adam Spears: I'm Adam Spears from Texas... basically my only hobbies are music and writing, reading books, pushing people down, getting gold caps on my teeth, things like that
I'm studying Sociology at the moment but am planning on going into music law eventually
No girlfriend at the moment, my dad has some pet fish, but no pets for me.
I've got a cool little brother, his name is Will, he's 12. He's sort of like a pet but talks louder, quite a fun kid.

i:Vibes: Starkid - Crayons is your first release right?
Adam Spears: Yes, first and only so far.

i:Vibes: You got it released, because Nick Warren had it on his GU compilation?
Adam Spears: Well... I'd like to think that it was picked up for reasons other than that but I think that has a lot to do with it, I know the Release people had been playing it for a month or two before they asked to sign it, so they obviously enjoyed the tune regardless. I got several rejections even after the Warren compilation so it's not a guaranteed release sort of thing, but it certainly helps. People had been playing the track out before it was announced to be on the cd though, and all that initial support really meant a lot to me, especially coming from people like James Holden and Smight.

i:Vibes: You couldn't have wished for a better start for your musical career. Your first release is being played by the top jocks, Nick Warren, James Holden, ... Licensed to Global Underground, this must mean a lot for you as an aspiring producer
Adam Spears: It did mean a lot in some ways, like having people I really respected enjoy my music. There's something about having someone you look up to enjoy your music that you can't get from anyone else. As far as the GU (Global Underground) thing goes it never really struck me as being that big of a deal. I mean I owned a few of the cd's that I really enjoyed but it just never hit me until later on. It's nice to be successful and all but I think I'm capable of much better music now so I almost sort of wish that I'd been able to kick off with something that I personally would be incredibly proud of. Not that I'm unhappy about it or anything... :-)

i:Vibes: What does the future have in store for you? More releases? Maybe some Starkid remixes?
Adam Spears: I should have a few things out before the end of this year. I'm doing a pair of tracks for a really great label in Holland, Deep Records. They are really forward looking people. The tracks aren't anything like "Crayons" though, not your floor filling wave your arms in the air sort of things, but I really enjoy it and it's great to see labels looking out for real music instead of just what will please DJ * at any given moment. Another label here in the States is going to be releasing a few tracks, two with a friend of mine, Danny Moore, and probably two of my own, but I'm not sure when and in what order, etc blah blah. I'm just trying to make sure now that I can release things that will stand out and not be forgotten within six months like so many other records. If that takes time to do, so be it, because I'm not going to do it any other way.

i:Vibes: Deep Records is a great label, it recently released Petter – These Days (which was tune of the week also)
Yes, it's run by Peter Van Hal, he's a really excellent guy, some really great releases off of their lately, the Matthew Dekay record is amazing, he's an incredible producer.

i:Vibes: Do you DJ yourself?
Adam Spears: I've never tried DJ'ing, I guess I could buy turntables and spin in my room and for my two friends who might actually dance and enjoy it, but it seems silly to do so, so I just focus my energy into producing, and playing with my. Weirdly enough though I do buy records so they just sort of sit on my shelves and look pretty. I've tried buying two turntables but they BOTH broke as soon as I got them out of the package. Damn the bad luck, but I'll try again soon as I just bought some stuff that I don't have on CD so I'd really like to listen to it.

i:Vibes: Your band?
Adam Spears: Haha yes, my band. We're called Babylumalotoroony and the Jerry Lewis Bone-A-Thons featuring Athena. It's basically just one of those things were two of my best pals came together and everything just sort of worked. It's really excellent to work away from the computer in a live setting. A totally different experience is had doing something like playing in a band rather than spending hours micro-editing in front of a screen, and it's something everyone should give a shot at. We're sort of avant slo-core, which is a halfway made-up genre. I think bands may also help lead the way as far as the electronic scene goes in the future too. Look at Grayarea, Infusion, classics like Underworld, these people have a good impact and the live show thing does quite a bit to pump an audience if done right.

i:Vibes: Are you serious about the names?
Adam Spears: Yes, my friend and guitarist Zach Jones is Babylumalotoroony, I'm the Jerry Lewis Bone-A-Thons and the keyboard player / distortion whore, and my friend Evelyn Malinowski is the drummer Athena, and she drums in Spanish.


i:Vibes: Who do you look up to in the scene?
Adam Spears: Who do I look up to? Wow, that's an easy question and a totally hard one at the same time. My interests lie way, way outside of progressive sorts usually so they are quite wide. I really look up to people like James Holden, Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel / The Postal Service / Figurine), Underworld, the entire Morr Music label, Richie Hawtin. People like this are people who look at music differently than a lot of others. They release and support music that is going to stand up against time instead of stay in a DJ's chart for a few weeks and then go away. They do singles that end up everywhere and albums that change things, and that for me is a great thing to look up to.


i:Vibes: Then you must be really excited that James Holden is supporting your song?
Adam Spears: For damn sure, he's an excellent guy. Him and his girlfriend have helped me through a lot of things. It was totally reassuring to see such excellent people that stuck away from negativity and are looking to treat people right. His new label, Border Community, is going to be an incredible label, really something to look out for.
i:Vibes: Yeah, James Holden is one of the few that dares to takes risks, play songs that no one else would play.

i:Vibes: What is your favorite song at the moment?
Adam Spears: Hmm, picking one song is damn impossible so I'll just give a few. There's this band, the Microphones, who are really out there but with a nice set of musical ability, they've got this excellent song from a couple years ago called "The Pull" which is sort of a controlled yet against the grain thing that has been quite inspiring. As far as club things go.. there's the new Matthew Dekay stuff like one called Time to Think that is great, and some new stuff by Greg Benz. Maybe my favorite though is one by Styrofoam called "A Heart Without a Mind", great stuff to the max.

i:Vibes: Where do you see yourself in say 5 years?
Adam Spears: I'm not going to answer that question because I absolutely hate it. Who ever knows? Why make a plan? Hopefully I'll be alive and happy, and able to make someone else happy. That's all that really counts.

i:Vibes: Where do you want to go in the future? (musically)
Adam Spears: Hopefully I can do an album, I'm not sure when or of what style, but it will be done. I'm not really aspiring to make a career out of this, it's a brilliant escape from life and I'd like to keep it that way for now. If ever it comes down to it that I can live comfortably from it, I'll take the opportunity in a heartbeat, but I don't want music to be a job if it's going to make both me and my music suffer. So I'm just gonna keep trying to have a good time and impress girls.

i:Vibes: That’s about it. Thanks for your time Adam, and good luck with all your future productions and plans.


Be sure to check out Adam’s first release ‘Crayons’, on Release Records (www.releaserecords.com)