The Atari Teenage Riot and Matthew Herbert collaborator makes us an exclusive mix filled with jams from Azealia Banks to Micachu and Dizzee Rascal
From running his own successful dance company to working as a stylist and designing his own clothes, Rowdy Superstar has versatility in abundance. Now, he’s turned his attention to music, though admittedly, this is helped in no small part by some of the heavyweight names playing a part in his short history. From supporting Patrick Wolf on tour to falling into the hands of a certain Matthew Herbert who was interested in producing his debut album and bringing it out on his own Accidental Records. On top of this Rowdy has also joined Alec Empire’s Atari Teenage Riot as a fully-fledged member. His debut album, ‘Battery’, is out this summer. We caught up with Rowdy to get acquainted alongside an exclusive mix from him.
Matthew gave me the keys to his studio and I got to spend a lot of time alone and had the opportunity to experiment there while making the album. Alec’s studio is a beast of vintage drum machines, analogue synths and shit so I’m like a kid in a candy store
Dazed Digital: You were involved in dance before you got into music. Why do you think you’ve always had a need to express yourself physically?
Rowdy Superstar: I think I found a freedom in movement, which I didn’t find anywhere else. I always find it amazing how much we can give when we are free with our bodies. In some ways I feel like can say so much more than I can with words. Music has always made me move and I wanted to experiment with how I could manipulate that.
DD: The likes of Patrick Wolf, Matthew Herbert and Alec Empire have all had a hand in your story thus far. What have you taken from each?
Rowdy Superstar: The producer in me always gets excited to play with new instruments and equipment. Matthew gave me the keys to his studio and I got to spend a lot of time alone and had the opportunity to experiment there while making the album. Alec’s studio is a beast of vintage drum machines, analogue synths and shit so I’m like a kid in a candy store. Patrick’s multi-instrumentalism inspires me no end.
DD: How do you tackle being Rowdy Superstar and in ATR?
Rowdy Superstar: I don’t really come across anything to tackle believe it or not. I just don’t separate the two. It’s all me being creative and just requires a different approach. But the energy and spirit behind it is all the same.
DD: How does it affect your song writing?
Rowdy Superstar: I haven’t had the opportunity to write new songs recently. I tend to switch into different head spaces and I’m currently wrapping up visuals and things for my album. There are millions of ideas always in my mind but I write them down and then forget about them until I reapproach them and look into where they can be developed.
DD: What’s next for you?
Rowdy Superstar: My album, ‘Battery’ is out this summer. There will be lots of touring with both solo material and ATR, and recording the new ATR album. I’ve also got a side project with CockNBullKid called ‘X&Y’. I have a stack of production work and remixes to get done for other artists and I’m also looking at a film script. So a lot! Life is for living and I’ll sleep when I’m dead.
Exclusive Rowdy Superstar Mix by Dazed Digital on Mixcloud
‘Battery’ is out this summer