[TMN Interview + Music Video] Taska Black feat. Ayelle – Dead Inside

You may have been seeing bitbird artist Taska Black’s name quite a bit recently. The Dutch producer has been on a steady rise, seeing overwhelming success in 2017 with singles such as “Where We Go,” as well as his collaboration with fellow bitbird artists Droeloe and vocalist Cut_, “Running Away.” Taska’s most recent accomplishment is his release with soulful singer Ayelle titled “Dead Inside,” and just days ago he released the song’s official music video. Lucky for us, we were provided with the opportunity to speak with Taska Black and learn more about the inspiration behind his music and the video in addition to some sneak peaks of what 2018 will look like for him. Watch the video and check out the interview below, if you will like to get some help with the postproduction of your video so it looks like this, just visit https://www.tracyalchayeb.com/!

TMN: Rumor has it you’ve got some huge announcements coming up. Can you give us any hints as to what those will be?

TB: No one thing in particular but I’ve got lots of exciting things happening indeed. Exciting collaborations with bitbird artists and others outside as well. And I might also be working on what I hope is my debut EP…

TMN: How did you get into production? Did you have any classical training prior?

I started taking lessons in violin and piano when I was 4 years old. I never liked playing songs from sheet music exactly how they were supposed to be played so I started improvising my own melodies. When I was about 13 years old I got my first audio interface and Cubase to start recording my improvisations and that’s how I got into production. After years of experimentation I thought it was time to take things to the next level so that’s when I started Taska Black.

TMN: It’s huge to be approached by a creative mind such as San Holo’s. What was your initial reaction when he asked you to sign to his imprint bitbird?

TB: Actually it was me sending a mail to them 3 years ago to show them what I was doing. I loved what bitbird was putting out and San seemed to like what I was doing too. We started talking and that lead into more releases on bitbird. Both San and bitbird have grown a lot over these years and I’m super grateful to be part of the family and to have such amazing people around me.

TMN: What do you love most about the bitbird label?

TB: I think we’re doing something unique in the industry. bitbird really feels like a small family of people with their own vision and their own sound. That’s what San does best I think, supporting people who have their own vision whether it’s in classical music or EDM.

TMN: What can we expect for 2018? Do you have any cool collaborations coming up that you can tell us about?

Lots of new music. Some remixes and new original singles. I’m currently working on some exciting collaborations but unfortunately I can’t reveal any of that yet. I’m also super stoked to be playing my first shows in the US this year. Really looking forward to Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza Paris as well.

TMN: Congratulations on the release of your new music video for your single with Ayelle, “Dead Inside!” Can you tell us a bit about the plot or what inspired the creative direction of it?

TB: Thank you! I really saw this track as a chance to show my experimental side of music to the listeners. I had this vague line in my head “I’m dead inside” so I started building off that thought. When I finished the song with Ayelle we started talking to the director of the music video, Joris Weerts. We shared some ideas on how we wanted to approach the video and give more meaning to the song. I think the track really came to life when we combined both the musical and the visual aspect. The video shows how people are not easily impressed anymore in this saturated era of media and the internet. We wanted to make these feelings of depression heard in order to accept and deal with them, rather than to criticize.

TMN: How would you describe a Taska Black show? Are there any features of it that you feel are signature to “Taska Black,” such as visuals or live elements?

TB: We’re currently shaping the show both musically and visually and I’ve had the chance to test things out on the shows I did with San. I always like to play lots of unreleased music and edits of songs that I’m into. I’ll be doing DJ sets only for a while now but in the long run I really want to incorporate live elements in the show so we’re putting a lot of thought into that as well.

Related items:

[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 288)

Can you hear that? It’s Pink’s echo originating from 2001… Let’s get this party started! Friday is finally here at last and we’ve got you covered with some turn up tunes to aid you in your weekend leisure. Whether you’re going to kick back home, go out for nights on the town, travel, or otherwise, there’s a dozen free downloads for you here to keep your musical ammo stocked. This week we’ve got records from benny mayne, Birthdayy Partyy, Hunter Siegel, a major collab from LondonBridge and Wenzday, Wuki, another major collab between Party Favor and Baauer, as well as many other hits. We get the pre-game going with some softer sounds then turn the heat up and finish with some vibey, but still energetic tracks. Take them with you, stream them; whatever you do, enjoy!

’benny mayne – basic bitch’
’KVMO & Massive Vibes – Physical (ft. Ashdown) (Dooqu Remix)’
’J
Kwon – Tipsy (Birthdayy Partyy Remix)’
’Ekali and Zhu – Blame (Hunter Siegel Remix)’
’LondonBridge & Wenzday
VIP’
’Wuki – Chop It (Feat. Bri Berlay)’
’Farrah – Hard As Fuck’
’G
REX X SWRVN – Throwin Hands Ft. Mikey Ceaser’
’Bone N Skin – What The Heck’
’Party Favor X Baauer – MDR’
’Minnesota – Edge’
’Time Warp (Pierce & 2Scoops Remix)’
Related items:

[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 287)

Was it just us or did this week fly by? We’re totally okay with that since the weekend is where we thrive – we’re guessing that’s the case for you too. To help aid you in your weekend festivities we’ve gathered another batch of our favorite free downloads from the past seven days. From chilled out pre-game records to full on party treats, we’ve got them all. Songs this week come from artists including Stööki Sound, ShiShi, benny mayne, Birthdayy Partyy, Teknicolor, Notixx and TYNAN who has a whole live edit pack for you. All together you should have what you need to get the party started!

’Akurei –
Photophobia’

’Blake Skowron – 10 Pound (Stööki Sound Flip)’
’ShiShi – Go!’
’benny mayne –
lucky’

’Steve Void & TELYKast – Comfortable (ft. Natalie Major)’
’Umpire – All The Things feat. Cali (Clockvice Remix)’
’Destructo x GTA x Wuki – Party Up (Birthdayy Partyy Flip)’
’Wiwek – Double Dribble (Teknicolor Flip)’
’Bassnectar x G Jones – Underground (Notixx Remix)’
’DMVU –
Goliath’

’Takka – String Theory’
’TYNAN Live Edit Pack Vol.2’
Related items:

[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 286)

Take a deep breath in, then let it out nice and slowly. You’re one more breathe closer to the weekend. Friday is here and if you know us you know that’s our favorite day of the week. We get a little productivity satisfaction before letting loose upon the weekend. Furthermore, we help you party it up with our Friday Party Playlist. We’re not stopping, so this week we’ve got another twelve free downloads for you to enjoy. Works from LUCA LUSH, RUVLO, I am Sid, Dustycloud, Birthdayy Partyy, Aylen CRWNS and more have graced us this week. Run through the dozen and make sure you have a fun, but safe weekend!

’GOD’S PLAN Ft. KID TRAVIS & CAM FATTORE’
’Shanghai Doom – Fracture’
’UZ & STOOKI SOUND – BANG (ft. Foreign Beggars & Once Capanoe)(RUVLO REMIX)’
’Knife Party – EDM Death Machine (I am Sid Remix)’
’Dustycloud – Move’
’Justin Timberlake – Sexy Back (Birthdayy Partyy Remix)’
’Wuki & Wax Motif – Buns ft. Earlly Mac (Aylen Remix)’
’Ekali & ZHU – Blame (CRWNS Remix)’
’Element The City –
Needles’

’The Prodigy – Omen (Vicetone Bootleg Remix)’
’Spawn – The Khan Don & Hype’
’Jay Bird – Up Here’
Related items:

CAPYAC feat. MOONZz – Afterhours [TMN Premiere]

Noon Pacific
CAPYAC ft MOONZz — Afterhours

With SXSW just around the corner, there’s going to be a lot of choices for who to see there. One such duo that needs to be on your list is CAPYAC. These intriguing characters have taken over the dojo today with the premiere of “Afterhours” in collaboration with one of our favorite vocalists, MOONZz.

Together these creators put forth a future pop original whose tones will be echoing throughout the dojo for quite some time. We just can’t get enough of it. “Afterhours” is good any time of the day or night, it doesn’t have to be quite literally after hours. The week is almost over and we know a lot of you need that extra bump of inspiration to get through it – we’re proud to say we’ve got it for you here. Throw this one on repeat and let the beautiful textures shower over you.

Related items:

Roger Wilco & Creepa – Shimmer [TMN Premiere]

Roger Wilco & Creepa
Shimmer

Today we’re kicking things off with a premiere from Roger Wilco and Creepa. Sliding in the dojo through the Majestic Casual pipeline, “Shimmer” is not your typical electronic record. Instead of doing things the easy way, these collaborators built a unique structure from top to bottom.

“Shimmer” doesn’t lose any steam from start to finish. Roger Wilco and Creepa blend different sounds and styles together and fuse them into one chilled bass original. It shines bright with its fine textures and atmospheric attitude, uplifting the listener to new sonic heights. We’re stoked on this one and you will be too. Enjoy a first listen here and make sure to add the song to your Spotify playlists!

Related items:

[Future Bass] VLNTN – Moan (ShiShi Remix)

VALNTN
Moan (ShiShi Remix)

The LA artist VLNTN recruited the Indian artist ShiShi for a magnificent remix of his track “Moan.” The stylistic jump isn’t jarring as ShiShi keeps it in the same arena as the original, but puts his own characteristics to it.

“Moan” in its original form is a poppy future cut and the same could be said about the remix. However, ShiShi brings some more international flare to the mix with his own sounds that really take the track to the next level. It’s a bit more jovial than the original and even more catchy. Leave it to ShiShi to astonish us again. We’ve been fans of his for a while now and we’re looking forward to seeing what this year is going to do for him.

Related items: