Discover
Meet Teknicolor
What first drew you into music production?
I have always had a passion for music of all kinds, starting at a very young age. When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I remember seeing a video of a rock concert on TV and I was absolutely fascinated by how sound could evoke such strong emotions in people and make them dance, headbang, put their hands in the air, and seemingly go crazy. From that moment I was hooked. I dove headfirst into the world of rock music, mostly gravitating to the sound of Nu-Metal. I craved the fresh take on the genre which was completely different than the classic rock music I would hear on the radio. It was raw energy: incorporating synths, samples, and powerful, distorted riffs that I loved. I got my first drumset around 12 years old and by 15 I was playing drums as well as keyboard in local Metalcore bands. Around the age of 18, the band I was a part of at the time fizzled out, but my drive to create music was as strong as ever. Because of the electronic elements in the music I grew up with, I had an interest in those sounds and DJing, but never really understood how it worked or even what music production really was. Around this time as well, Trash Electro was starting to take off via the internet and I remember coming across some DJs producing that genre on MySpace. I have always loved high-energy, gritty music and I was super excited to find something totally new to me! How do these guys make this stuff?! I was instantly obsessed. I explored every genre I could find using Last.fm, Limewire and Wikipedia, and built my knowledge around electronic music as a whole. I listened to every genre, and loved them all for the unique vibe that set them apart. Now without a band, and having an incurable drive to discover and make new music, I downloaded VirtualDJ and FL Studio, and tried my hand at mixing on my laptop as well as simple music production. I actively pursued the craft: writing, researching, and exploring nonstop. I wanted to create unique music that made people jump, dance, and lose themselves, and today I still hold the vision of replicating the raw energetic vibe that I held close to my heart from an early age.
You are one of the best up and coming bass producers we have encountered on the internet! And your latest EP, “Pridelands”, is one of our all time favorite EPs! Could you tell us more about Pridelands story? How did it come about?
Hakuna Matata! The name Pridelands comes from the movie Lion King. When I was about 8 years old, my family and I lost my cousin Katie to a series of health complications. Katie’s favorite movie was The Lion King and our family holds that film very close to our hearts. Ever since I started creating music, no matter the genre, she has always been honored in memory. In the film, the Pridelands were the kingdom of the lions Mufasa and Simba, hence the lion on the cover. Along with this vision, I have always incorporated a variety of worldly and ethnic elements in my productions to create my own personal take on the genre of Global Bass. While planning the creation of Pridelands EP, I wanted to showcase my wide range as a producer by having all four tracks be completely different genres under the umbrella of Global Bass while still paying homage to the signature Teknicolor sound I have been developing. The title track is an example of my unique blend of Moombahton and 150bpm halftime (which I have coined “Dembow”), Buzzin is Moombahton, Jumbo is Jersey Club/150bpm and Atlas is Jungle Terror. Although they are all very different than one another, I wanted to show off the wide range of what Teknicolor can sound like and I believe that they all fit with one another to execute a well-polished and concise EP.
Your recent remix/flip of “Work It Out” is another great example of how capable you are as a producer! The mixing is on point and the melodies/ideas are out of this world! Could you tell us more about your studio setup and some of your favorite plugins?
Glad you dig the flip! I’m really excited about the new, ravey ‘speed house’ that has been emerging recently and wanted to put my own spin on it. As for gear, I started with and still use FL Studio while working almost completely ‘in-the-box’ aside from a MIDI keyboard. I love exploring new plugins and VSTs, and it’s really exciting to watch music production develop in that sense. However, I usually gravitate back to the trusty VSTs for a lot of my productions. I use Serum for most of my lead and bass sounds, and Kontakt for most of my ethnic sounds.
Your signature sound reminds us of the sound of some of the greatest bass producers in the world (Dillon Francis, GTA, DJ Snake, etc). How did you manage to achieve such a professional sound in such a short time? Can you tell us more about your musical background?
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that and look up to all of those producers as an inspiration. As I mentioned earlier, I have been playing music and fascinated by the craft for as long as I can remember. I have played drums and keyboard for multiple Metalcore bands before I started producing music on my own. Songwriting and structure has never been a struggle for me, and I believe naturally overcoming that hurdle early on has helped a lot. I’d also like to believe that I have been blessed with a ‘good ear’ for music which is also massively helpful in writing your own records. That is all luck however, and it would be ignorant of me to say that my skills in music production didn’t also require a lot of hard work, practice and research. I have spent months (maybe even years) digging through YouTube, watching tutorials, studying music theory, and trying out new techniques in my DAW. Music production and techniques are always changing as well, which keeps me infatuated with my craft and also requires me to do more research all of the time to stay engaged.
You have only started putting up music on Soundcloud 8 months ago and you are already getting tens of thousands of views! How does it feel to receive such a warm welcome from the community?
It’s truly a beautiful thing! I’ve always tried to create something truly one-of-a-kind, which can be pretty risky, but I’m extremely humbled by all of the support I have received for my music. It makes me very excited for the future knowing that so many people resonate with my style.
What are your goals for 2019? Any upcoming projects we can get excited about?
Where to begin? I have a lot lined up for 2019. I have a release with my good friend Aero Chord coming out early June, and I plan to release another EP by the end of the year. In addition, I will also be having a consistent flow of new originals, collaborations and remixes that feature the ever-expanding sound of Teknicolor. Along with music projects, keep an eye out for a revamped live-show experience unveiling this summer called the TekniCircus, which incorporates choreographed circus-style acts, dancers, fire-spinners and other flow artists. I’m very excited to relaunch this production and provide an unmatched performance across the USA – and beyond! See you out there!
Connect With Teknicolor:
