David E Sugar

David E Sugar’s star is rising thanks to his innovative Nintendo Game Boy hacking technique (don’t ask) which saw him remarkably raise the bar as far as pioneering electronic music production goes.

The singer, songwriter, musician and producer’s forte for seamlessly fusing laptop and live band has earned him critical acclaim with his industry peers and fans alike, and seen him emerge as a dazzling virtuoso on the underground music scene.

The London-born artist, who has toured with Calvin Harris and Digitalism, releases his Party Killer single this month and is set to unleash a forthcoming album in October through Sunday Best.

‘The album is called Memory Store,’ Sugar says. ‘Which is partly a reference to the way it was created. Most of my stuff is produced in quite a free-form way, so the record is a kind of jumble sale of ideas, stories and conversations.’

What was the creative process behind Party Killer?

‘It’s quite hard to explain the creative process behind this track, as it is for a lot of stuff I write. I tend to work very fast. I mix, produce and write at the same time – it helps keep your decision-making more rapid and helps to make a more unconscious track. This particular track I think started with the rhythm section and a bassline and moved along from there.’

What is your track Oi New York, This Is London all about?

‘This was a kind of novelty record made after I played a party some friends of mine run. They were off to New York to do a kind of sound clash and asked me to make them a theme tune to rock the Yanks.’

How would you define your sound?

‘I suppose it’s a kind of art-rock-meets-electro. Most of my work is the result of my struggle in finding a happy meeting point of synthetic and organic sound.’

Where do you live and why?

‘I live in north London at the moment but I’ve lived all over. Why do I live here? Because London’s dynamic and restless.’

What do you love and loathe most about London?

‘I love its covered history. It’s so rich in history and culture but you have to dig for it; it’s not a harlot like say Paris with everything on show. This all comes from its constant flux. I grew up here and it’s always changing – for better or for worse. Conversely this is something I hate about the place too – that it tramples over some of the best spots and just moves on.’

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

‘I’d love to have done some work with Arthur Russell.’

Who inspires you creatively?

‘I don’t find it’s a specific person that inspires me – more just the general carryings on around me. Pictures, music, books, things and people that make me laugh.’

What would your ideal night out in London involve?

‘It would have to start with some kind of very boozy dinner somewhere with a ton of people. Ciao Bella in Russell Square is pretty fun if you go with a large crowd. If The Key still existed then heading over there afterwards for some seriously deep electronic sound would have been first rate.’

Who is the most exciting DJ in the world right now?

‘I really like hearing Duke Dumont or Jesse Rose DJ.’

Any festival’s coming up in 2010?

‘Yes I’m playing around quite a few this summer – I’m particularly looking forward to playing Bestival and LED which are coming up quite soon.’

Any other projects in the pipeline?

‘I’ve nearly finished another album of a new project called Wish. It’s a cosmic dance sound which we are releasing the first single of very soon. I’ve also got a kind of after-hours dub-step sound that I created a while back under which I created the soundtrack to a new film about Don Letts.’

www.myspace.com/davidsugar