Spacek
(also known as Spacek Sound System) is a British electronic
music band. Its members are Steve Spacek (Real name
Steve White), Ed Spacek, and Morgan Spacek. The group
released its debut album, Curvatia in 2001, followed
by 2003's Vintage Hi-Tech. Although primarily performing
electronic music, the group also fuses elements of
R&B, hip hop, trip hop, broken beat and soul into
its anomalistic soundbed. Steve Spacek is brother
to UK drum and bass artist dBridge.
1996-2001
The trio was formed in the mid-90s by bassist, vocalist,
and songwriter, Steve White but initially was a 5
piece that included Francis Hylton (Now in Incognito)
and keyboardist Steve Morgan. Through a mutual friend,
White was introduced to guitarist Edmund Cavill and
with manager Jason Knight approached drummer, Morgan
Zarate to the lineup to form Spacek. All three members
subsequently adopted Spacek as their surnames.
By
1998, the group had obtained a record deal with British
label Island Blue, and began recording in Knight's
Clapham-based studio. Their first release was "Eve",
which received a great underground buzz in late 1999.
The hypnotic, bass-trembling song was ambiguous in
nature; a feature which would become a stylistic trademark
for the group. The band caught the attention of acclaimed
rapper Mos Def, who subsequently contributed a verse
to a re-edit of the song and the band signed an American
deal with his Goodtree label (MCA/Universal). "Eve"
was re-released in 2000, with a remix by producer
J Dilla, and a guest appearance from Frank-N-Dank.
After
an extended recording period, the group finally premiered
their debut album, 2001's Curvatia, to great critical
acclaim, and comparisons to artists such as Massive
Attack and D'Angelo. Curvatia displayed the group's
complex and challenging sensibilities and established
them as a promising new talent in the British alternative
music scene, but a change in the Island Records hierarchy
meant that they were no longer a priority and it was
not a strong seller. The second single was "Getaway"
with "How Do I Move?" as its B-side.
2005-present
In 2005, lead vocalist, White, launched a solo career
as Steve Spacek, and began recording Spaceshift, after
signing with Los Angeles-based label Sound In Color.
The album's lead single "Dollar", produced
by J Dilla, became an unexpected moderate hit and
was particularly popular in the club and among DJs.
The song contained a sample of the Billy Paul recording
"Let the Dollar Circulate", and dealt with
the pros and cons of living with or without money.
Notable producer, and former Digable Planets member,
King Britt, described the song as "what Curtis
Mayfield would be doing today!" Spaceshift was
also popular among mainstream critics, with Rolling
Stone magazine noting that Spacek "...gives new
meaning to the phrase space funk", and Fader
magazine calling the group "the most futuristic
soul group of our modern age".
The
group, fronted by White, continues to tour and gig
all over the world. Its members now live in Los Angeles,
Munich, and Sydney. In 2007, White appeared as a lecturer
at the Red Bull Music Academy and also made a guest
appearance on Katalyst's album What's Happening. Spacek
also contributed vocals to Mark Pritchard's Harmonic
313 project, on the 2008 album When Machines Exceed
Human Intelligence. As of late 2009, White is working
on a new project with Katalyst under the name "Space
Invadas".
Morgan
Spacek has also continued to produce music both as
Morgan Spacek and Morgan Zarate, working with artists
as diverse as Dizzee Rascal, Raphael Saadiq, Eska
and Ghostface Killa.
Steve
White is a pioneer, from his earliest incarnations
in Stex in the early 90s to present day as Steve Spacek
he has pushed boundaries with aesthetics and technology.
Throughout
his career he has released music some of the most
forward-thinking labels across the musical spectrum-
SPA, Eglo, Ninja Tune, Warp, K7, Island Universal
and Exit Records.
Alongside
Morgan Zarate and Edmond Cavill he formed the band
Spacek, a group that would innovate and define a new
type of electronic soul music. Two acclaimed albums
followed: Curvatia and Vintage Hi-Tech.
Steve
Spacek’s next endeavor would be his first solo
record: Space Shift, an instant classic that featured
household names such a J Dilla and Thundercat.
His
most storied contribution to Exit Records would be
the Black Pocket project, developing themes he had
already explored on previous records.
It
was with fellow explorer Mark Pritchard that the Africa
HiTech (Via Warp Records) project was born, Hard to
pin down in words but instantly recognisable by ear.
It
was with Ninja Tune in 2015 that he released a solo
record as Beat Spacek titled Modern Streets, an exploration
sound pallet and emotions via contemporary technology
such as iOS beat making apps, shedding previous workflows
in favour of developing his creative discipline further.
For
2017 and beyond Steve is working with Alexander Nut
for projects for Eglo and his own label SPA.
Ever
the futurist Steve is not one to rest on previous
achievements, watch this Space(k).
