JAMES ’BLAKSTAR’ JOHN

“Music to me is a way of life…Everything about it, from the lyrics to the instrumentals. I can’t live without it. Everywhere I go I have to be either listening to music or doing something with music.” – DJ/Producer Blakstar
As a music-loving child growing up in Reading, England, James John was lucky to have parents and a brother who shared with him their love of music. Over two decades later, John credits his musical upbringing with inspiring and fueling all of his adult creative desires.
Now known by his professional name, Blakstar, he was surrounded by music from an early age, with his parents playing lots of reggae and soul music, and his brother pumping Hip Hop and jungle music through the family home stereo.
“One of my earliest music memories,” he confides, is when “I would sneak my brother’s Jungle Dreamscape tapes without his permission, and play them on repeat over and over.”
Blakstar says his obsession with music exploded when he was 11, absorbing the music of Cypress Hill, KRS-One, Snoop Dogg and DJ Hype, DJ Grooverider, Timmi Magic and MC Ranking. Hip Hop, jungle and garage music were his strongest musical loves – he listened to the music “all day, every day” as he memorized the lyrics and tried to keep up with the pro rappers.
It wasn’t long before he made the move from fan to burgeoning DJ and music artist. He acquired the Blakstar name from female friends that said he reminded them of a black star. The name also has several other meanings and uses, from ancient references to Saturn and a 1981 Filmation cartoon to a New York-based photo agency and a secretive Air Force plane.
“My first set up was a bright yellow Synergy DJ mixer, a hi-fi cd player and my Dad’s old hi-fi belt drive turntable with no pitch control – all connected together to make my DJ deck.”
Blakstar spent hundreds of hours learning the tricks of the DJ trade by playing tunes on the cd player and drop mixing them in with vinyl records. He says it was thrilling to pull off beats and mixes he’d heard other famous DJs perform.
His teenage years saw his first DJ performances slowly growing out of his one-man bedroom shows, to DJ’ing at friend’s houses. He says he listened to music non-stop, even wearing a walkman with headphones on at all times.
He says his notoriety and DJ skills made him well known in high school. Word of his house parties and club shows started spreading through Reading and surrounding towns. As one of Reading’s most popular DJs, he gained residency as a club headliner. While in residency there, Blakstar hooked up with a pair of DJ disciples and formed a collective that dubbed themselves Shades of Black. The group of DJs landed a residency at a Slough club where they attracted club-goers and ravers on a regional level.
The two DJs working with Blakstar set off on their own, leaving him free to pursue his solo music career once again. First up for Blakstar was producer duties for East is East Records, and he went on to DJ on Déjà Vu FM, Trilogy FM, Major FM and other underground and online radio outlets. Blakstar then performed with DJ Stevoss in West End London venues like Propaganda and Aquarium. He also opened a show for Trevor Nelson at Westminster University’s Winter Ball.
Blakstar soon landed a talent agent and secured the house gig in the West End London club, Teatro, where he opened for Tim Westwood and played to crowds that included Sugababes, All Saints, East Enders Actors and Page 3 models. Blakstar recently parted ways with the talent agent due to musical differences, leaving him free to devote himself to continuing his studies and to get back into DJ’ing out in clubs, specialty events and on radio shows including Twice as Nice and Axe FM.
With a rejuvenated sense of artistic freedom, Blakstar quickly began to nurture his many creative personalities that he says were always lurking just under his musical exterior. In addition to his DJ and producer gigs, Blakstar is also a model and actor, entertainment review writer, photo shoot designer and documentary film maker/producer. He also appeared in a British glossy CGI film called "Gnostic", in De-a-co’s "Gimme That Love" video shoot for MTV Base. He was also offered a place in a dance show for MTV Europe and was short-listed for a Mark Ronson video shoot for Amy Whinehouse.
Blakstar believes his many creative outlets all influence and compliment each other.
“The musician side of me helps me edit my documentaries in a very musical way, and my documentary work helps me cut musical elements that are not needed to keep things punchy,” he says. “The director in me helps the modeling and acting and my music video work – I can imagine videos, the roles and stories, and take it all on the proper journey.”
No matter what directions his energy and creativity may lead, Blackstar says it all comes down to crowd interaction that makes it worthwhile for him.
“The crowd response is everything to me,” he says. “I love interacting with a crowd and knowing that i have some control over making them move and cheer. It’s all about making them move, connecting and interacting, and sending a message through the music while it fits into a nice vibe and groove.”