10 things that inspired Slackk's 'Palm Tree Fire'

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Anybody who's been keeping up with various fluctuations in, and debates around, the underground club music scene over the past couple of years will know that Slackk is 'the instrumental grime guy': he used to run the Grimetapes blog, he puts up monthly mixes showcasing the hottest new dubs, and nowadays he helps head up Boxed, the party that's been pivotal in providing a physical space for the resurgent instrumental grime scene to incubate. It's fair to say that the new school instrumental grime generation would be taking a very different shape without Slackk's presence. Still, by exlusively focusing on his work as a curator and 'scene figurehead', it's easy to forget that Slackk also makes music. Nearly four years on since debuting on Numbers with his powerhouse Theme From Slackk, Slackk is ready to release his debut album, 'Palm Tree Fire', through Local Action. 

Having known him to take inspiration from all sorts of unusual sources – be it Twin Peaks or David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto's collaborations – we thought it right to ask Slackk some of the things that inspired the record. Where the imitators might claim inspiration from "the classic Eski sound", here Slackk tells us how dark ales, a babyfingered R&B singer, and an American novelist all informed the album, in one way or another.

Local Action release 'Palm Tree Fire' on September 1st 2014 (pre-order).