Starkey - The Transponder Orchestra 10th Anniversary Outtakes (2025)

Celebrating 10 years since the release of his much lauded (Bleep Album of the Week, 5/5 on Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant) The Transponder Orchestra album on Alpha Pup Records, Starkey has put together The Transponder Orchestra 10th Anniversary Outtakes. The 11 included tracks were produced and mixed during the same sessions in late 2014 and early 2015, but for some reason or another, were not included in that album’s final tracklist. The tracks were mastered in 2025, but what’s included are the mixes from a decade ago.

The tracks on hand sonically feature many of the 80’s and 90’s synth aesthetics present in the original album, but also showcase the breadth of Starkey’s musical output. The sonic palette is varied, yet familiar. “Freedom 7” includes Wavestation melodies paired with grime staple percussion samples and 80’s drum machines, while “This Warning (What I Need)” highlights large brass synths, vocal choral samples, gnarly leads, repeating arpeggios and a robotic hook.

The Transponder Orchestra 10th Anniversary Outtakes stands proudly alongside its decade old counterpart as a testament to a creatively important time in Starkey’s musical catalog.. The tracks resonate with a timeless energy, sounding as fresh today as when they were first conceived. It has us wondering: why did we have to wait 10 years for this?