Star Slinger (born Darren Williams) is an electronic music producer and DJ based in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, UK, taking influences mainly from

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

. Star Slinger first came to attention after self-releasing a beat tape in the summer of 2010 entitled "Volume 1". Shortly after, Williams picked up noteworthy press interest from

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

SPIN Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps as ''SPIN'') is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. ...

, Dazed & Confused Magazine and was interviewed by Annie Mac on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. He has collaborated with James Vincent McMorrow, Dawn Richard,

Kilo Kish Lakisha Kimberly Robinson (born May 10, 1990), known professionally as Kilo Kish, is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Early life Kilo Kish was born in Orlando, Florida, on May 10, 1990. She attended Glen Rock Elementary School in ...

Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...

Project Pat Patrick Earl Houston (born February 8, 1973), known professionally as Project Pat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia. Houston was formerly a member of the hip-hop ...

, Tunji Ige, Lil B, Sam Sparro, Stunnaman, Reggie B &

Teki Latex Julien Pradeyrol better known as Teki Latex (born 1978 in Paris, France) is a Paris-based disc jockey, rapper and singer, working both independently and as part of various formations, notably French hip-hop act TTC and in duo Sound Pellegrino Th ...

alongside others. He has officially remixed for Jessie Ware,

London Grammar London Grammar are an English indie pop band formed in Nottingham in 2009. The band consists of Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman, and Dominic "Dot" Major. Their debut extended play, '' Metal & Dust'', was released in 2013 by Metal & Dust Recordings; ...

Duke Dumont Adam George Dyment (born 27 August 1981), better known by his stage name Duke Dumont, is an English DJ and music producer. He is best known for his hit singles "Need U (100%)", "I Got U", "Won't Look Back (song), Won't Look Back" and "Ocean Dr ...

, Childish Gambino, Ellie Goulding, Bipolar Sunshine, Hundred Waters (for

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...

Owsla Owsla (stylized in all caps) is an American record label and creative collective. It was founded by Skrillex, Tim Smith, Kathryn Frazier, and Clayton Blaha in 2011. Skrillex announced the label on August 17, 2011. The label's first release was ...

label) and was selected by

ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...

to open all shows on his 2012 European Tour. He also co-wrote & produced

"Goldmine" which featured on the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

Award-winning film '' Dear White People''.

Musical career

Star Slinger curated an international club night under the name Jet Jam along with visual artists Anze Sekelj & Michaela Selmani. The night's programming puts an emphasis on

eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories i ...

and no emphasis on BPM. Artists to have played the party include Bondax, Shlohmo & Baths (musician). The JET JAM logo was designed by Michaela Selmani. In November 2012, Jet Jam released its first single in the form of Star Slinger "Ladies In The Back" (Feat.

) on 12" vinyl & digital download formats. They have signed many new artists since then and rolled out Toronto-based act Harrison's "Colors" EP in Europe in collaboration with Toronto's

Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Independent Record Label of th ...

Press quotes

"Best new act of the year by miles." –

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

"Combines the hyper soul sampling of

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

or Dipset producers Heatmakerz with a bubbling psychedelia reminiscent of

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

's spacier moments." –

Background

Williams is from Huthwaite in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

and studied music technology at

Leeds Metropolitan University Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univer ...

Discography

Albums/EP's

*''Being Kind'' (LP) elf-released(2022) *''Rogue Cho Pa'' (EP) elf-released(2019) *''Stranger ThAngs'' (W/ Stranger ThAngs & Laura Peñate) (EP) tranger ThAngs(2018) *''Home Is Where We Start From'' (LP) elf-released(2018) *''First Love Music'' (LP) DG(2018) *''We Could Be More'' (EP)

(2016) *''Volume 2'' (LP) Jet Jam (2016) *''Sketchy'' (EP) ree Download(2016) *''IV'' (EP) ree Download(2013) *''Ladies in the Back'' (Feat. Teki Latex) (Remixes) Jet Jam (2012) *''Teams vs. Star Slinger'' elf-Titled(EP) Mexican Summer (2011) (First 1000 copies were Ltd. Edition Clear Vinyl) *''Volume 1'' (LP) elf-released(2010) *''Rogue Cho Pa'' (EP) elf-released(2011)

Singles

2010s

2020s

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Star Slinger Living people 1986 births Musicians from Manchester People from Huthwaite Owsla artists