TAI: Interview

October 9, 2012

When you are a fan of an artist from the very beginning, you feel almost as if you discovered them. What’s even better is when the artist stays true to their original intent with every new release, especially these days. TAI is one of those rare artists that I have this special connection with, and I am honored to have gotten the chance to interview him.

During your childhood you moved around a lot. Which places were the most influential to you?

Thailand!

I had a very basic childhood growing up with humble Thai children on a little island playing with crab shells and empty beer bottles on the beech. This embossed me strongly to this day.

It is said that one of your first loves was an MPC. When did you get your first MPC and which model was it?

MPC60 in 1996.

The MPC60 was the last MPC designed by Roger Linn who developed one of my favorite drum machines, the Linn Drum.

Was hip hop the first genre you started producing or is it the first genre that you gained notoriety from?

Yes, first productions were hip hop.

I produced most German rappers and got a few Gold Plaques for this. We managed to go top 10s every year, multiple times, even though it is all hard street rap, which usually ends up being banned from being sold by the Federal Inspection Authority for Adolescent Imperiling Media (BPjM).

Actually I only just produced and rapped on Kreayshawn’s new single, “Twerkin” with Diplo, but the bitch didn’t write me in the release credits.

Do you focus on one genre at a time or do you like to jump back and forth? Are you ultimately going to combine different genres together?

I usually don’t think too much into genres when I am making music to avoid slipping into trendy styles. But at the moment I feel very comfortable doing what I am doing and am always combining stuff.

It’s funny if I listen to my beats from 7 years ago; it is exactly what TRAP music is right now coz I always used to mix techno (synthesizer) elements into my hip hop beats.

I really noticed this after I went to the club with Dillon Francis, who played this stuff for a whole set.

Every time I listen to “Lose Yourself” I wonder exactly what happens when you roll up in the discotheque. Then I get lost in head banging and fist pumping. Can you please share with us what happens?

When I roll up in the discotheque it’s always like entering a new world; like leaving the outside world behind you in front of the door. It is the place where I forget everything around me, where I can shake off all aggressions and LOSE MYSELF!

On my tour in Australia last month I got really sick with a fever and didn’t stop shivering. I lost all my symptoms as soon as I entered the club… at least for a few hours, ha ha.

Better yet, can you come to LA and show us in person?

Yes, yes, yes, I’d love to come. Can you tell your country to chillax on the visa thing?

When are you going to play at Dim Mak Studios for crying out loud?

Actually my agent is getting the visa applications done right now. So I’M COMING!!!

You just finished up your Australian Tour. Was it a big success?

Yes, it was sooo much fun and nearly all the shows sold out.

I always love going to party with my Aussie maniacs. They party hard… and drink even harder.

Are you going to continue your tour elsewhere or grow out your beard again and hibernate for the cold German winter?

Well I carried on playing my next gigs around Europe two days after I returned to Germany. I had a wonderful studio session in Italy with Bob Rifo, producing two tracks for his Bloody Beetroots album called Run Away, and a massive single called “CRANK”. After that I had 3 days of Oktoberfest (Beerfest) in Germany, so I didn’t have much timeout.

Your studio is supposedly pretty impressive, which I would expect given your level of production. What are some of your favorite gadgets?

Well I’m old compared to most other electronic producers nowadays, so I come from analogue gear. I still sum all my single tracks together outside of the computer on an analogue mixer to create more depth and space between the single sounds.

All my studio monitors are designed by my friend himself. He is an Apple developer who does a lot for Logic, the program I produce and write with.

All the speakers are metered with high-end measurement devices to where I am sitting in my studio to get the balance right of what I am actually hearing.

Bart B More, Steve Aoki, & D.I.M. are all first string players on Team TAI. Any other big players stepping up to the plate?

I did a track with Felix Da Housecat called “TAIFelix”, which has already been released.

I just finished a track with the Crookers called ”Overpriced”, which will be released in early 2013.

I just finished a remix for Wiley’s new single, “Can You Hear Me (Ayaya)”.

I am enjoying working with The Bloody Beetroots a lot atm.

Other than that, just working with everyone really.

When is your remix of One Republic’s “Feel Again” set to be released? When you come out with a teaser it is seriously a tease! Any other big upcoming works?

Ha ha, yes I was actually just on the phone to my buddy Ryan Teddar (singer of One Republic) coz I wasn’t sure myself. He said the “Feel Again” remix I did is out in Germany already coz the song is the signature soundtrack song of a big film over here. It should be released in rest of the world at the end of this year with another remix of Swedish House Mafia.

But if you’re eager to hear it before the U.S. release and are smart, you might be able to find it on some German blog.

Thank you very much for the interview and hope to see you soon…

TAI

It wasn’t until I was writing the interview that I checked TAI’s Soundcloud page. I can’t believe that all this time and I haven’t heard a lot of these tracks; but now I’m all caught up. Don’t even bother sticking to just the basics. If you like his latest smash, “Steroid”, then you might as well beef up and hit your max reps of TAI.

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About the author

Dillon

right on time