Q: I listened to the entire album and I was definitely vibing, what was your creative process in making “Too Far For Thursday?”
TASTEMAKERZ: It was definitely non-linear *laughs* – in the simplest form possible; we sort of let go and just let the universe take hold of us. We didn’t really have a plan or a structure, even the name was decided based on a private joke (I’ll tell you when I see you). It’s remarkable what you can come up when you just allow the creative process to manifest organically. We couldn’t put into words if we tried.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the music that you typically create?
TASTEMAKERZ: I’m glad you asked this question; we’ve been trying to define this for the longest period and we’re constantly going back and forth with the genre, it’s got bits of electro, but the rhythmic patterns are hugely influenced by a sort of house & hip hop mash-up, however that being said the attitude is very much “I don’t care” and so I’d say at the core we’re junglists; who don’t know how to make Jungle properly… but this, this we do well. Whatever it is.
Q: Being two POCs from London, how hard has it been to tap into the music scene?
TASTEMAKERZ: It’s oddly difficult considering most (if not all) of popular music is a huge playground for plagiarising black culture as a whole, but with that being said we’ve always been strangers to our cast. I mean for instance it’s often hard for people to believe that we don’t have a criminal record and weren’t raised in the typical “hard knock life” struggle that you so often hear POC talk about. That might be why they look at us a little different, but it’s all gravy, there’s no beef *laughs again*… we stay fly, high and dry and don’t get caught up in the rains.
Q: How did the two of you initially come together?
TASTEMAKERZ: In a nutshell we met at university, but if you want the long answer; there were a lot of drunken nights and hungover mornings that led to the bond that we found amongst each other. They say you naturally gravitate towards people who are like minded and share your views of the world. It’s a type of “call and response” energy. We simply bounce off each other and I guess that has gotten stronger over time, so it was inevitable that we were going to end up making music together, it was written in the stars long before we existed. I mean it’s not unheard of; can you tell me of two black friends who haven’t tried to either open a bar together or make music?
Q: What is your personal favorite song from the “Too Far From Thursday” and why?
TASTEMAKERZ: I mean my personal would be Goofin’… Marcus would probably tell you different, he’d either say Teteriss or Project. As for a Why?… that’s just what gives us joneses in our boneses. Another private joke, I’ll tell you when I see you.
Q: What do you guys like to do together when you aren’t working on music?
TASTEMAKERZ: I’m assuming you’re expecting an answer like “smoke weed and get drunk” but we actually just enjoy each other’s company, without making it sound fruity. We do out of the ordinary things like buy compost for plants, and go fishing just because. Other times we just talk about other future creative prospects… and then we go and make those creative prospects come to life. We’re really simple beings. We’re actually free. That’s the true form of how this album was made, we found a place to call home and simply never left.
Interviewed by Jaye Maverick
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