Dubstar
Dubstar flourished during the Brit-pop era, scoring several Top 40 hits in their home country, and while they had the memorable hooks and clever lyrics to match most of their contemporaries, they were distinguished by their hybrid sound which took influence from trip-hop and dance music as well as jangle pop and alternative rock. Powered by the success of the breakbeat-driven ballad "Stars" and the breezy indie pop tune "Not So Manic Now," Dubstar's 1995 debut Disgraceful was certified Gold in the U.K., and its follow-up, 1997's Goodbye, reached the Top 20. The band became inactive in 2000, and lead singer Sarah Blackwood formed the successful electro-pop group Client. Over the years, Dubstar occasionally hinted that they were working on material for their next album, and they made a full return with 2018's One, followed by Two in 2022.
Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, guitarist Chris Wilkie and singer/keyboardist Steve Hillier formed the Joans in 1992, later changing their name to Dubstar, and featuring Sarah Blackwood, who joined in 1993, as lead vocalist. The band signed to the EMI-distributed Food Records (Blur, Jesus Jones) in 1994, and they worked with producer Stephen Hague (known for his work with bands like Pet Shop Boys and New Order) on their debut album. Disgraceful appeared in 1995, and while its first two singles reached the Top 40, "Not So Manic Now" (originally by an obscure band called Brick Supply) made the Top 20. "Stars" was re-released in 1996 and rose to number 15; the song also topped the charts in Israel and became a worldwide club hit, thanks to remixes by Way Out West and Motiv 8. After appearing on the Gary Numan tribute album Random, performing "Everyday I Die," Dubstar released their second album, Goodbye, in 1997. The album included the hits "No More Talk" and "I Will Be Your Girlfriend," and it peaked at number 18 in the U.K. Polydor issued a North American version of Goodbye, although it actually combined tracks from the band's first two albums, plus a few remixes.
Make It Better, Dubstar's slightly more aggressive, guitar-driven third album, appeared in 2000, and while "I (Friday Night)" reached the Top 40, the album didn't chart, and it wasn't as well-received as their first two. Hillier had departed prior to the album's release. Blackwood was asked to join the band Technique (formerly signed to Creation, before the label went under), which featured Kate Holmes, previously of Frazier Chorus. Blackwood and Holmes instead formed Client, an electroclash group who initially presented themselves as an anonymous duo. They became the first act signed to Toast Hawaii, the Mute-affiliated imprint founded by Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode, and their singles charted in the U.K. (where "Pornography" reached number 22 in 2005) and Germany. EMI issued Stars: The Best of Dubstar in 2004. Blackwood, as Client B, released the EP Acoustic at the Club Bar & Dining in 2008; the release included Client and Dubstar songs as well as covers of the Smiths and New Order.
Dubstar resurfaced in 2010 with a cover of the Passions' 1981 hit "I'm in Love with a German Film Star," recorded for Amnesty International. Blackwood left Client later in the year, remaining with Dubstar, which consisted of just her and Wilkie. The duo released a song called "Circle Turns" as an extremely limited lathe-cut vinyl single at a record store in Austria for Record Store Day in 2012. Dubstar fully returned in 2018 with fourth album One, released on their own Northern Writes label and produced by Youth (Killing Joke, the Orb, Paul McCartney). Synth pop tune "Hygiene Strip," an acoustic "Not So Manic Now," and disco-inspired "I Can See You Outside" all appeared as singles in 2020, with "Tectonic Plates" following in 2021. Full-length Two arrived in 2022, and it became Dubstar's first charting album in over two decades.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo
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One
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 05.10.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Not So Manic Now (Acoustic)
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 09.10.2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
I Can See You Outside (Bright Light Bright Light Remix)
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 05.03.2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Stars: The Best Of Dubstar
Rock - Erschienen bei Parlophone UK am 16.02.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Make It Better
Rock - Erschienen bei Parlophone UK am 28.08.2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Disgraceful Remixed
Pop - Erschienen bei Parlophone UK am 01.01.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Can See You Outside EP
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 22.03.2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hygiene Strip EP
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 05.02.2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Stars
Pop - Erschienen bei Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group am 24.03.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Can See You Outside
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 30.04.2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tectonic Plates Remix
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 26.11.2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
I Can See You Outside
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 27.11.2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tectonic Plates EP
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 22.10.2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tectonic Plates
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 08.09.2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Love Comes Late
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 27.07.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Waltz No.9
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Northern Writes am 01.06.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo