this beat HITS and he flows so nice over the first part.
Gettin’ Fr33ky with Steve Starks
great to see the homie Steve Starks up pon here.
Steve Starks - Problem by SteveStarks
As a certified party rocker and one-third of DC’s party crew, Nouveau Riche, Steve Starks is quite the force to be reckoned with here in the DC EDM scene. He maintains a heavy presence in the city by frequently collaborating on productions and live-appearances with Nacey, releasing original tunes on T&A Records, and playing for all different kinds of party people. Last Friday, he played for a rooftop of glowing ravers and moombahtonistas at Ibiza for Steez Promo’s MEGA event with Boys Noize. Next Saturday, he’ll be playing with Craze at U Street Music Hall. But if you need more evidence that he’s got the dopeness factor on lock, see below:
Exhibit A: “Fr33ky in the Club” - Starks’ utilized DC’s hometown advantage in the moombahton scene by releasing an original production, “Fr33ky in the Club”. This track turned out to be a moombahton anthem from the jump, as it encouraged party people to enthusiastically lose their shit in the club. Girls, you know what I’m talkin’ about. “Fr33ky in the Club” received some major love from Mad Decent and was also featured on many early moombahton mixes, including Brodinski’s European Introduction to Moombahton. Because of this song, all of us moombahton-lovers are now known as “fr33ks” and for damn good reason too.
Exhibit B: “Problem” - Most recently, Starks dropped a banger, “Problem”, for free download! “Problem” is most definitely one of my favorite Starks productions so far. It’s a classic dance track, full of bass and a touch of Baltimore club, all the while sampling an unlikely throwback, The Cardigans “Love Fool”. (RIGHT?!) With “Problem”, Starks not only rescued and revived “Love Fool” but also transformed it into a massive dance tune that totally bangs.
Exhibit C: KIDS - Starks was one of the originators of DC’s old-school hip-hop dance party, KIDS. For a few years on the first Saturday of every month, Starks joined his friends Nacey, DJ Jackie O, and DJ Lil Elle at DC9 to take you back to the old school by playing all the throwback hip-hop jams you could handle. KIDS was inspired by the 90s cult classic film of the same name and embraced city culture the best way they knew how. KIDS ran for a few years until they collectively agreed to end that chapter a few months ago. But in its time, it was a rager for sure, usually packed wall-to-wall with sweaty party people gettin’ busy to Montel Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It”.
Exhibit D: Nouveau Riche - On the second Saturday of every month, find Starks at his second home at U Street Music Hall for Nouveau Riche, a monthly dance party/shit show run by him and his friends Nacey and Gavin Holland. As one of my favorite monthlies in DC, you never know what to expect at this one. These self-proclaimed “party hunks” (I’m not arguing) play everything from dubstep to Baltimore club to electro to their very own productions. Anything goes at this party and the unpredictability of it all is extremely exhilarating. The only element you can truly rely on is everybody having an amazing time. Hands down. Starks and the rest of the Nouveau Riche boys rock that party like it’s their J-O-Bs (I guess it kind of is…) and they do a damn good job of it. If everyone is crawlin’ out the club lookin’ like a hot mess, I’d say it was a successful night.
Keep watch for new tracks from Steve Starks comin’ atcha at random times via the innerwebz. Unpredictable, but it’s happening. Trust me. It’s easier if you just stay ready. In the meantime, if you wanna see him live in action, catch him and the rest of the Nouveau Riche crew at U Street Music Hall this Saturday starting at 10PM. It’s bound to get totally w3ird so bring your favorite fr33k flag and let it fly high.
I recently caught up with Steve Starks to talk about his new tune, “Problem”, his favorite memory from Nouveau Riche, and what kind of goodies we can expect in the near future.
