The great thing about the newfound interest in dance music with the American major labels this year is that great tunes are no longer just staying as imports. Finally getting their chance to do what they have already done in faraway lands, one such import act is pop group Dubstar, a British threesome consisting of vocalist Sarah Blackwood, Keyboardist Steve Hillier and guitarist Chris Wilke who together have issued some of the most irresistable pop songs of the decade. Debuting in the summer of 1995, their initial single "Stars" had all kinds of DJs and forward thinking radio PDs in a tizzy, praising its sophisticated dubby production and brain-imbedding hook. Soon after the group came with the smash follow-ups "Anywhere" and "Not So Manic Now" as well as the debut album Disgraceful they made themselves known as a band you could come to trust with each release.
Scoring seveal top 20 hits in their native England, there was much demand over here for their music as an antidote for the alternative grunge that was holding American radio listeners hostage. With that demand, coupled with their greater chances of suceeding now that radio is not afraid of drum machines from the UK, the band have finally got their American deal with Polydor records; who have assembled the best songs from Dubstar's first two albums into one concise CD being released as Goodbye (also the name of their sophomore British release on Food). The time could not be better for the Newcastle trio who make happy music with sad lyrics to replicate their UK success here.
DMA scored a conversation with principal songwriter and keyboardist Steve Hillier in New York during a whirlwind promotional stop last month. Over a few beers in the lobby of New York's Paramount Hotel, here's what the flies on the wall heard...
(after a 20 minute discussion as to why I was taping this interview on a promo copy of Virgin Records' "Future: A Journey Through the Electronic Underground" and how America is funally waking up to British 'electronica', we finally get to the interview)
DMA: Boy, you guys sure have picked a good time to finally come out. With the huge interest in electronic music happening here, you guys actually have a chance now...
HILLIER: Yeah, it's (electronic music) all over the charts, but coming from Britain that has never been an issue weather your music came from a guitar, or came out of a computer. [that] won't hold you back as long as the music is strong, you've got a shot. (after a small glance down he takes that statement back) Well, Hanson did have a number 1 so I suppose that cancels out that theory...
DMA: Hanson were #1 in almost every country...your charts can have big club records as well as cheesy pop songs...What a great country you come from. At least musically.
HILLIER: Well, we've had some success on the charts there; two top 20 appearances for "Stars," "Not So Manic Now" did as well as our most recent single "No More Talk" which debuted top 20...so we're not complaining...
DMA: Nice cheeky use of "Owner Of a Loney Heart" by Yes at the intro of that song...
HILLIER: Everybody was telling me about that sound but I was not aware that it was used in a Yes song, because it really comes from a Fairlight (an expensive 80's keyboard) sample library. Yes took that straight out of the sample library as we did. I suppose it kind of ironic because "Owner Of A Loney Heart" goes very well with our lyrics. I guess it was just my being subconciously clever.
