Taska Black slowed it down with his remix of Petit Biscuit and Lido‘s song “Problems”. Straight off of the track’s remix EP, this particular one stands out from the others, and it’s pretty easy to see why. But you don’t need to take it from me, Petit Biscuit had this to say about it: “Taska Black made Problems sounds like one of the freshest future pop track ever. This is something different, something nice, and something we all try to find!”
Taska Black really presents his musical abilities in this remix. While holding onto Lido’s beautiful vocals, almost everything else in the track was redone by him. Everything culminates in the drop when Taska Black lets loose with future synths and a manipulated version of Lido’s voice. What strikes me the most about this remix, however, is how it manages to be mellow and exciting at the same time. The style is multifaceted, and it really reflects how versatile Taska Black is as a producer.
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.
“Where We Go” by Taska Black is one of Bitbird‘s most moving releases. That is saying a lot given the label’s highly creative output. The imprint has someone extremely talented on their hands and we don’t see them letting go anytime soon.
Taska Black only has a handful of tracks on his Soundcloud, including a remix for San Holo that Bitbird also put out. Taska Black’s sound isn’t something that can exactly be pinned down and described using genre termonology, which gives it a fresh edge that most producers don’t have. “Where We Go” shows masterful skill when it comes to melody. It’s catchy, but not in the overly refined pop sense. Rather, it’s just an awesome song. Get your copy of it today.
There’s no doubt that “Light” was a major hit for those who enjoy the melodic and future bass sound of San Holo and the exciting part is the track has only gained momentum as the Bitbird label continues to release the remix package. Bringing us a heavier version to the euphoric vocals while adding instruments including guitar, piano and more Taska Black, a resident Bitbird artist, has given new light (pun intended) to this airy track.
San Holo did a great job on the melody. I wanted to do something with that and make the climax as wide as it could possibly get. The blend with the opera-like voice is what makes this remix stand-out in my opinion.
Taska’s rendition adds edge to the slightly softer original making this a sharp comparison and giving those who enjoy a heavier beat a taste of what they’re looking for. Taska has surely joined our radar for artists to keep an eye on in 2017. Check out the track and stream or purchase the remix here
