Send "Blaqstarr " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 In the video for "Shake It to the Ground", from 2007's Supastarr EP, DJ Blaqstarr hides in the corners of the frame, dreadlocked and blunted, wearing a Marvel Zombies Captain America t-shirt. He sleepily looks on as teenage rapper Rye Rye runs circles around his cluttered, manic beat. On the cover of Divine EP, nearly four years later, the Baltimore club producer is front and center, shirtless and mohawked, almost cherubic-looking. Probably still blunted. And he has removed "DJ" from his name, signaling the shift from game-changing maker of club music to experimental bedroom producer.For Bmore club obsessives, Blaqstarr's move away from rapid-fire dance music is a bit like OutKast's André 3000 starting to sing: a master abandoning his field of expertise for some brassy musical indulgence. Even Blaqstarr's 2006 regional hit "Ryda Girl" is stripped of its frenetic dance elements here (and retitled "Rider Girl"). Anybody familiar with the original can't help but view Divine EP's softer version as a bit of a buzz-kill. But for the many, many more who never heard "Ryda Girl", and never heard of Blaqstarr at all, the stumbling interplay of dancing synths, plucked bass, and Blaq's naïve croon are enough to make it transcendent. For most, it doesn't need those trademark Bmore club claps. The Divine EP isn't a complete sea change anyway. The last productions we heard from DJ Blaqstarr in his former style arrived all the way back in 2009 (Rye Rye's "Bang" and the single "Get Off", produced by Diplo) and his shambling slow jams for M.I.A (Kala's "The Turn" or "XXXO" and "It Iz What It Iz" off ///Y/) are hardly floor-filling stuff. The differences between DJ Blaqstarr, producer of "Tote It", a whirl of vocals and a spare gunshot percussion, and the Blaqstarr of "Divine", a similar though markedly quieter mess of explosive dance elements and stoned studio meandering, are more a matter of degree....full text |
| Spin |
| Charles "Blaqstarr" Smith is still the insular Baltimore club scene's best crossover hope. The ghostly, layered repetition and subwoofer thump of the DJ/producer's 2007 Supastarr EP still remain after a jump to M.I.A.'s label (he also contributed substantially to her last two albums). But on this follow-up, Blaqstarr artfully chops and manipulates his own vocals -- a soulful rasp, an Auto-Tuned robot cry -- while integrating more organic instrumentation that owes a debt to indie aesthetics. Eerie, empty spaces and guitars that range from bluesy acoustic to jet-engine distorted help transform The Divine EP into a mesmerizing, nuanced seduction....full text |
| Exclaim |
| Frequent M.I.A. collaborator Blaqstarr has popped up all over the eclectic artist's tracks, most recently declaring he wanted to "hump you baby from the back," on her "Lemme Hump You" track. Still, aside from 2008 mixtape King of Roq, Blaqstarr's cache in the M.I.A. camp hasn't translated into any major solo releases. That should change when he releases his next EP in early 2011. According to a press release, the record is called The Divine EP and will be Blaqstarr's first release for M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings imprint. The PR adds that the EP "showcases his fearless and relentlessly experimental brand of electronic hip-hop." Blaqstarr furthers that sentiment, saying, "There are no bounds for my music, so expect to experience every one of your best feelings when you listen to it." A tracklisting for the record hasn't been released just yet, but we do know that online sensation "Oh My Darling" will be included. That track can be streamed below. Look for The Divine EP to drop on January 25....full text |
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