mxdwn PREMIERE: Zachery Allan Starkey Blasts Us Back To The Seedier Side of New York City in New Video for “XXX”

Dark techno artist Zachery Allan Starkey is a staple of the Bushwick, NYC electronic scene, creating vibrant and adventurous dance music with synthesizers and drum machines. Today we’re premiering the video for his latest song “XXX,” which is off of his upcoming LP FEAR CITY. The album’s themes include the decadence of New York City’s nightlife scene as well as darker themes like the opioid crisis and class inequality.

There aren’t a lot of lyrics to “XXX” – really just Starkey chanting “X-X-X” sporadically during the song, but judging by the video, this song is one of those that’s themed around NYC nightlife. The video serves as a bit of a journey through the seedy underbelly of the city, much of which has been washed away through rapid gentrification and commercialization. While Starkey and his band perform the pulsating track, the video takes us through various parts of the city. In Manhattan there’s scenes of 8th Avenue porn shops and strip clubs, establishments like The Library, Double Down and Bar 169 plus various other shots of neighborhoods like Midtown, the Lower East Side and Chinatown. In Brooklyn, we go down Broadway and Myrtle Avenue and locations like Bossa Nova Social Club, Birdy’s and Mood Ring.

The new album FEAR CITY is named after an old nickname for New York City and features two collaborations with Bernard Sumner of New Order. After the release of his 2017 album HARD POWER, he opened for the legendary post-punk band that is fronted by Sumner, leading to the connection. There’s no official release date for FEAR CITY but it’s planned for an early 2020 release.

Starkey is not just a musician, he’s also contributed to the NYC nightlife scene in other ways. He co-founded C//TY CLUB, an eclectic club night that is held quarterly and features other acclaimed DJs from the city Gavin Russom, Lauren Flax and Katie Rex.

FEAR CITY track list

01. “City Overture”
02. “XXX”
03. “No Security”
04. “Force” (ft. Bernard Sumner)
05. “Fallout”
06. “Bright Future”
07. “Coked Up Biker Anthem”
08. “NeoLiberal”
09. “Opiate”
10. “Fear City” (ft. Bernard Sumner)
11. “Love Does Not Win”
12. “Empire”
13. “Black Rain”
14. “Exit”