It's great to be surprised - in life and musically! And that's what Sinistarr provided for me in Movement this year. I happened upon his set while strolling around and ended up rocking out like a crazy woman! A Detroit native but certainly spreading his wings further afield,  he's just come back from a long tour and we're happy he found the time to get to our Q&A!

CGNY: So tell us - where are you from and how did you get involved in the music business? Was it always your intention to be a dj/producer (do you produce?)

Sinistarr: I am from Detroit, Michigan, now living slightly outside of it in a town called Canton. This is pretty important, because I started DJing and writing music in high school, and then branched out into producing when I graduated (in 2004). I was always into producing music in general, but I had good influences that were making music and getting signed (Submorphics and SPKTRM, essentially) that I wanted to hone my skills a bit more also.

Check out Sinistarrs set from @Movement 2013 above- click buy to download for free!!

CGNY: What was it like growing up in Detroit - given the legacy it has for music?

Sinistarr: I have to say I’m spoiled to live here, especially being in two different cities in the past year and a half (Denver and San Diego). There’s SO much great music and history here, and to hear local artists and DJs being represented on the radio and then travel the world is something I haven’t seen in either of the cities I resided in. It was there in LA, every day, but I lived in San Diego, so it was really something to see a non-industry, 100% local artist get proper plays on the radio down there. It’s really something special here in this city.

CGNY: How would you describe what you play - it’s a good smattering of styles from what I heard at Movement - bit of DnB, bit of old-school...how did your musical style evolve?

Sinistarr: I’ve branched out to everything at this point. If you really need to put a name on it, it’s house, techno, hip hop, and dnb – all my influences -- rolled up into whatever I make it. I can mix and match all of that, whatever!

CGNY: I know you've played in Denver with my friend John Templeton who runs the Great American Techno Festival and also was last year your first time playing at Movement? I could see you had a lot of local support?

Sinistarr: Yea Denver was great, that was definitely the early stages of what I do now, and Movement this year was the second time I’ve played, first was in 2010, and I had two MCs with me (Teddy MC and Bombscare). There were a lot of people looking forward to my set, and also a lot of people that I haven’t seen in ages all were together at that same stage.

CGNY: What's next for you in terms of gigs etc?

Sinistarr: I’m trying to garner some residencies here now that I live back in Michigan, and I’m still steady traveling the country, filling in gigs for the next part of the year... I’m currently working on an album with Urban Tribe, so that’s taking up most of my time.

CGNY: Who are the artists that you admire - locally and worldwide - anyone you'd love to share the stage with?

Sinistarr: Well I definitely have shared the stage with Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek as Africa Hitech last year, and Chrissy Murderbot back in June, and that was wonderful. I would love to play a show with some of my friends that are pushing some new sounds and boundaries – Machinedrum, Lockah, Tokyo Hands, and so on.

CGNY: How important do you think it is for Detroit and for electronic music in general that Movement continues to flourish and grow every year particularly as a native... and to inspire young people from the city to respect and honor the incredible legacy it has given to the world of music?

Sinistarr: Extremely!! I love the fact that Movement continue to bring names that are influential or are on their way to doing big things in the entire realm of electronic music, and with the rise of dance music nowadays, it’s really great to see the younger crowd around here embrace the culture a lot more, and embrace the local names that we have been touting for quite some time.

CGNY: You can take one track with you to outer space... what would it be?

Sinistarr: Rhythim is Rhythim – Kaotic Harmony: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdN_1r6LSaA‎

http://sinistarr.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/sinistarr

https://www.facebook.com/sinistarr