Classic Album: Dusky, Stick By This

Anjunadeep, 2011

In the late noughties, Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman were going through the change. Under the name Solarity, the duo were cranking out progressive house, delighting dancefloors with releases on a slew of cutting-edge labels. But for every tune that made it into the leading DJs’ record crates, one or two were being filed away for themselves.

These tracks were deeper, exploring a wider range of their musical influences. They were experimenting with dubstep flourishes, garage tricks, and acid house energy, amongst other things. It wasn’t Solarity material. It needed a new name.

“As Solarity, the tracks we were making were just for the clubs,” says Alfie. “This new material was getting further and further away from just that. Our manager suggested we give it a new name, so Dusky was born.”

They’d gathered ideas from as far back as four or five years by this point, and they all had a strong connection that tied them together. It felt right to ‘rebrand’ and focus on this new direction that excited them. It felt like album material.

“We had a clear vision after that point, sonically”, says Nick. “We always wanted to explore all our different influences. That’s how Stick By This started”. You can hear MJ Cole’s 2-step brilliance shining through

Lost In You, a hint of Leftfied’s dubby techno in I’m Running, and Laurent Garnier’s harder dance styles on Need You Back. Add to that live string and orchestral work, and a wider style of vocalists, and you had a sound that was… well, Dusky.

“Solarity was a little bit harder and more frantic,” says Alfie. “It was specifically for the dancefloor. Stick By This had those moments, but with a home listening focus as well. We mixed it all up with that current house stuff that we were playing, but with old garage and stuff we were into when we were younger, like drum ’n’ bass, as well as classical and jazz, and some disco too.

“It was the sound of a new chapter, and it was the sound of a change.”