StarskyCarr’s Sonic Cheat Codes Exposed

StarskyCarr kicks off the video by questioning the age-old debate: When does technology in music cross the line into cheating? He takes a stroll back in time, highlighting how each generation of musicians has been accused of using gear that supposedly undermines “real musicianship.” From drum machines to sequencers and synths, every tool was once a target. Starsky brings up classic examples, like Phil Collins, who despite being a proficient drummer, turned to drum machines in the 80s. The irony is that tools once shunned are now celebrated as crucial parts of musical innovation.

Sampling is a battlefield of opinions, and Starsky doesn’t shy away from diving right into it. Once upon a time, snatching a snippet from someone else’s record was akin to musical kleptomania. These days, however, sampling is almost a genre of its own, celebrated for its creative reimagining of existing sounds. Remember DJ Shadow’s first album made entirely of samples? Brilliant or blasphemous? Starsky argues these ‘borrowed’ sounds can be transformative, pointing to the alchemy where looped fragments forge fresh musical landscapes. Yet isn’t there a hint of discontent when a dance track emerges effortlessly from a curated pile of pre-made loops? Cheating, or just the modern age’s way of making music? Starsky grapples with these qualms like a battle-hardened DJ.

In the grey zone of musical morality, sequencers hold a particularly controversial spot. Originally shunned as tools devoid of human touch, they’re now as conventional as a pint at your local. Starsky recalls how even Bob Moog himself did not foresee these devices as tools for the musically untrained. But where do we stand today? Sequencers shape sound in a way that’s more like guiding a mischievous toddler than programming a machine. Generative sequencers further muddy these waters with their capacity to spit out tunes with the push of a button. Are we now composers or just curators, selecting beats like a connoisseur sampling fine wines?

Ah, artificial intelligence – the harbinger of a dystopian soundscape, or perhaps the saviour of bedroom producers everywhere? StarskyCarr isn’t one to mince words as he tackles the murky waters of AI’s role in music. It’s not about mindlessly generating tracks but deciding what makes the creative cut. He’s seen studios where producers sample from satellite tracks asking for “something like this,” blurring lines of originality in sprawling creative sessions. AI, he suggests, could be the natural evolution of these sessions, yet the moral quagmire of machines “feeding off” human creativity remains a contentious topic. The question looms large: is AI just a new tool in our creative toolkit or the herald of humanity’s artistic doom?