New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ WiFi-PR Group) The Canadian hip-hop scene should prepare to be rocked by up-and-coming Toronto-based duo Starks & Heights. The two have overcome great odds together to produce their recording debut, Creation Conundrum Catastrophe, one track from which ("Gestalt Concerto") will be featured on Indie Anthems Vol. 4 from WiFi PR Group.
Starks & Heights is a duo comprised of producer and composer Heights along with rapper and freestyle extraordinaire Marcus Starks (about a third of their debut album is Starks freestyling). The two musicians' careers began separately, with Starks working with Dope
Poets Society and eventually opening for Propigandi and Public
Enemy and Heights producing for Canadian hip-hop artist Shad before they started working together. They met through a mutual friend, and during their first day in the studio together, they recorded "Sleeping With the Devil," wherein Starks freestyled over Heights' slick beats, and a new, fruitful musical partnership was born.
More recording sessions led to the finished product: their debut album, entitled Creation Catastrophe Conundrum. On the album, you can hear the sharp, witty lyricisms of Starks over the complex, catchy beats of Heights, which make for a welcomed combination in the Canadian hip-hop scene. Also on the album are other musicians, all of whom are good friends of Heights.
Tough times and unfortunate circumstances befell the duo in April 2013 and pushed back the release of their debut album by a few months. But by August 2013, they got back on track, and Creation Conundrum Catastrophe was released to fans on Starks & Heights bandcamp page. It is this dedication and tenacity that has propelled them thus far and that will continue to move them forward in the future.
Also interrupted by these tougher times was recording the video for "Just Like Light." The video is comprised of thousands of pictures strung together in a beautiful video that takes you all around Toronto, often with Starks in the background. So when the recording was interrupted in April and not picked up again until August, the video itself actually covered two different seasons, which actually ends up being a unique and interesting angle to this multimedia endeavor. Their other video is for the single, "RJS," also off their debut album.
As for their sound, Starks' voice is often compared to his influences
Kanye West and
Lupe Fiasco in addition to Nas, Kid Cudi, B.O.B. and Talib Kweli. He also draws influences from such artists as Bruno Mars, Kurt Cobain,
Neil Young and
Michael Jackson while being inspired by encounters with others, both good and bad, and his own take on what is going on in the world. Heights looks to DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Fredwreck, Mike Dean,
Scarface and
Snoop Dogg for musical influences and can often be inspired by a good movie.
From their debut album, the track, "Gestalt Concerto," is slated to be featured on WiFi PR Group's Indie Anthems Vol. 4, set to be released at SXSW in March 2014. Getting their music in the hands of more potential fans will help Starks & Heights spread their talents and inspire other musicians who have hit on hard times and need some momentum to keep them moving forward.
You can hear and download Starks & Heights' Creation Conundrum Catastrophe on an array of online music sites, such as bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3, Google Play, Rdio, Deezer, Xbox Music, Rhapsody, eMusic, simfy, Muve Music, iHeartRadio, Nokia, VerveLife, Wimp, Sony
Music Unlimited and Shazam. This accessibility has already garnered them a wealth of fans from all over, and they strive to achieve more of the same as they produce more and more music.
A release show for physical copies of Creation Conundrum Catastrophe is set for the near future.
About Starks & Heights Music
Creation Conundrum Catastrophe (2013)
Website: https://hotmilkrecords.com/artists_starksheights.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heightsmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heightsbeats / https://twitter.com/potpierecords
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mcheights
