INTERVIEW: Sticktalk

Cult US label welcomes Texas talent Sticktalk for a swaggering techno workout

The five-track EP includes a remix from fellow Texas artist NNTY.

We had the pleasure of interviewing him and this was the result.

It’s great to have you, how’s your 2025 going so far? 

Great! locked in, focused, working on material to be releasing all year long. We’re so back. 

Your latest EP, ‘Crime Fetish’, lands on Darkroom Bureau on 7th March. Could you talk us through the themes of this record?

That real underground texas techno energy. bombing, racking, running from the law. Raw energy; street shit.

You hail from Houston, Texas which certainly has a diverse musical heritage. Tell us about your local scene and how it influences your own work.

It most definitely shaped my ears at a young age being raised around the late Dj Screw’s music. (RIP) My mom was always listening to RNB, and my uncles were always listening to alternative music like punk, shoegaze, hardcore, etc. The culture here is something very sacred. Renegades, hot/ sweaty underground clubs, personally built, massive sound systems. It’s something you gotta experience to truly understand what Texas techno is about. 

In 2023, you locked yourself in a studio for 24 hours in order to complete the production of ‘Crime Fetish’? Why did you decide to take this approach?

I had just moved from Houston to Fort Worth to be apart of my friends techno club. I had my studio in the green room. I took a break from working a normal job for the first 6-7 months i was there. I was hyper focused on creating as much as i could at this time. The club at night was dark, scary, and made weird noises. I can’t really explain it. Something about being locked in what felt like this underground dungeon and not doing anything but working on tracks had me super motivated to see what i could come up with. Overall it was a fun process, middle of the summer, hot as hell, in the middle of a rice mill and a train yard. It felt like a scary movie. 

What was your favourite record of 2024 and why?

It has to be “The Bugz” by Trax Unit. These tracks are great to play front to back in a variety of situations. Very versatile, funky, GROOVY, music. Techno/house, tribal rhythms. I like that it’s all cohesive and flows together but they all have their own respective lanes of club music. 

Why should people listen to Sticktalk?

I feel like my music is no frills, no gimmicks. Head shit. Raw, real Texas techno. No trend hopping. Always dropping that funk. 

Where’s your next gig and what can the crowd expect?

After the sets i’ve played recently, my focus is on getting more work done, releasing, and getting back to submitting for compilations.

Do you have anything else in the works you can share with us?

Currently working on another project with a best friend and collaborator “Metallix”. It’s about done, we’re looking for a home for the project at the moment. 

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