Starita has been hitting the studio hard (what’s new) with many collaborators for a string of releases slated for Spring/Summer 2019. The first is set for release April 26th between Starita, RyanNicole, Aima The Dreamer and Terra Lopez for UnderCover Presents – Tribute to A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Midnight Marauders.’ The crew took on Tribe’s summer jam The Chase, Part II reinterpreting it into something very unexpected. While recording at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA an interview took place over the course of the day and they had alot to say about the process! Starita speaks about how he approached this particular song as an artist although he is also the producer on the album project. Needless to say this is going to be a treat for dance music and Tribe lovers!
Starita: “Back in ’93, I was working at a record store in Jackson MS, called Be – Bop Record Shop. ’93 was THE year, so many records hit that year… I was listening to Tribe non-stop and many other conscious hip hop acts along with discovering dance music. I was introduced to Orbital II and it blew my mind much like ‘Midnight Marauders’ did at that time. After playing many instruments, I picked up the 1s and 2s….turntables. DJing became a huge focus in my life and I began playing parties in clubs I wasn’t even old enough to get into at that time! Breakbeat was big in the south so, I was mostly playing that and some house back then. When I approached this song I wanted to do a reinterpretation that was true to what I was listening to back in ’93 in addition to Tribe… house and breaks. The track starts out deep and dark in the Orbital style but then, I wanted to bring it up with an all out party jam. I like to give the listener a certain vibe to settle into so they think they are getting one thing. Then, I flip the script on the whole thing to blow the mind because I want folks to get out of their comfort zone.”
’m a polymath. The gift and curse of that is that I’m doing so many things…this project showcases that. Fans that do know me see that I’m vulnerable enough to stretch and for fans who don’t know me, will take from it the love I have for this work. As far as the track, as soon as the beat dropped I was like ‘oh this is so fun!’ I would have never expected a house and breakbeat track from The Chase. It’s just like a party, it’s just like a great time! It nods to the feeling and the vibe that we talk about in terms of the original. You know, the dusk in the summer vibe, but it just kicks it up to a whole other level and expands it to a broader audience.”
Aima The Dreamer: “I love the approach we took! I’m a big breakbeat fan and to proudly date myself, ’93 is when I started writing raps. Tribe was super influential so I was really excited to be brought in specifically on this track. Ryan and I were talking about how iconic the song was and how it set the tone for so many of us….definitely really enjoyed flipping it. It’s interesting because you want to keep the nuances but keep that flavor to it and I think we did a good job”