Exclusive Interview with TACHES

Every so often there comes a time when an artist will emerge who stands above all the rest with a distinct sound and a sense for quality production. In an industry that is constantly bombarded with new music, we know which ones will stand the test of time which ones won't. TÂCHES is certainly a name you will come to recognize. This artist has only been sharing tracks with us for the past couple years but is quietly making a climb to the top of the dance music pyramid. Just last year alone he reached over 400,00 plays on Soundcloud for the original production titled "Paris" and the remix for Wet's "Move Me," which has been recently given away as a free download. In fact, most of the music found on the TÂCHES Soundcloud page are available as a free download, attracting loads of fans who are eager to capture the TÂCHES sound. We got a chance to get inside the mind of this emerging artist who's responses are just as deep (conceptually) as the music we are graced with. Here is what TÂCHES had to say...

When did you realize that music was a passion of yours that you wanted to follow?

TÂCHES: I used to listen to music before making it, but not in the same way that I do now. It wasn’t so much a friend in life as it was a companion. All throughout education I was told to try harder, make more of an effort, and to achieve my potential. I found it not because the subject matter was taxing, but because what I had to ‘give my all' to didn’t seem rewarding or interesting to me at all. After starting to make my own music, as trite and badly composed as it was in those early years, I realized that this was something that I not only loved doing more than school work, but I loved it enough to sit for hours, trying hard, and making an effort. Discovering that the time I spent clicking away at a laptop made a genuine difference in my life, and the lives of others, was a defining moment for me. Now, everyday is testament to this. Having a life that consists of doing little but waking up to make music, or traveling around the world to play songs that mean something to me, is hugely inspiring, and I think the passion will continue to augment as time goes on. The more I do and see, the more desire I have to create. It’s a nice cycle.

What are some of your influences? What do you draw inspiration from when making music?

I’ve only recently started to get my head around (with the help from various international angels) the concept of inspiration. I like to think that “being inspired” is a period of time during which your creative mind is making more decisions than your logical mind. It allows you to think of the things that you haven’t tried, as opposed to the things you know will work. When you discover a song that shows you a side to music that you’ve, perhaps, never experienced, that feeling of “mind blown” can translate to your own work too. You can “move into the new room” that’s opened up in the apartment complex of possibility that is your creative horizon, and see your own work differently, with new judgement.

A lot of world music is very inspiring to me because of the different scales and instrumentation patterns that are present. Listening to a lot of everything from everywhere - or at least making the point to try and listen every now and then, is key to keeping your approach to making music fresh and exciting.

How do you approach your production process? Do you aim to convey a certain feeling or emotion?

At first, I like to play with some synths and a kick to try and capture an emotion of sorts. When I’ve got something that doesn’t sound awful, I lay out about 16 bars of it and build around that. A vocal, if there is one, will come into the process quite early because it definitely helps set the mood.

I think the most important thing you need in order to make dance music is enough space in your studio/bedroom to have a little dance every 20 minutes or so. Turn up the volume a bit and have a boogie. If you can genuinely get down to your song, and you get excited moving to it, you’re on your way.

Emotionally, I think my music tends to sit in the melancholic field - lonely, maybe crying while writing a poem. I haven’t quite reached the level of emotion (think entrancing heartbreak) that I hope to convey through my music yet, but I’m getting closer. Perhaps one day soon, I will. I’ll make you all cry and dance one day.

You’ve shared a bunch of quality remixes on Soundcloud, what do you like about transforming a track into your own rendition?

For me, remixing is like finishing someone else’s half painted canvas. It’s great because they’ve already decided what colour the sky is going to be, but you now get to decide which city it sits over. When you find a small part in a stem that is so killer that you can do nothing but laugh maniacally and throw rolled up socks at your housemate, you know it’s going to be fun. Sometimes it’s hard though, mainly when it’s a song that I love already. When I’m working on a track that I think is already perfect, there’s always a barrier that I need to push through, in order to stop seeing anything I do to the stems as bastardizing the work. That being said, once you’ve placed that particular vocal chop and found the perfect kick with the perfect bassline, it gets fun again. *cue 20 minute bedroom dance*

You have some dates in Asia coming up, what are you looking forward to from those gigs?

It’s going to be fairly hectic since I’m only going to be in each city for a few hours, which is kind of sad, but I’ll get to see the sunset everywhere, which is a plus. I haven’t been to Southeast Asia in many years, and I have yet to play in Asia, so this was a great way to get out of house for the weekend and kill three overweight birds with one stone! I’m looking forward to eating whatever anyone gives me, and especially looking forward to playing at SKYE in Jakarta, which is on the roof of a 53 story building. Infinity pool and cocktails - you know the drill.

What can we expect from you in the near future? New music on the way? Tour?

You can definitely expect a full EP by the end of the year, and in the meantime, I’ll be releasing tracks here and there - remixes too, of course. My musical direction has kind of taken a little detour down a dirt road lately, so expect a lot of the TÂCHES sound - but on roller-skates and psychedelics. Think weird noises and instruments from faraway lands galore. Tour-wise, I’ll be around. I see you, United States of America.

It's clear, from what TÂCHES had to say, that we are only scratching the surface as to what goes on inside this artist's mind. This is only the beginning of the TÂCHES chronicles and the road ahead has much more in store, for those who choose to listen. With each new track, we are presented with a piece of the artist that will begin to look like a finished masterpiece in no time. It already is in some ways. We can only wait and enjoy the mystery that surrounds TÂCHES.

Be sure to check out TÂCHES' Soundcloud page for loads of free downloads and quality releases.