With an ethos of quality over quantity at his core, Taymor Zadeh has carved out a bespoke sound within the electronic music sphere. In recent times his releases have been welcomed by Stephane Genacia’s Highpath Records as well as Luca C’s See Double imprint, a testament to his keen ear for production. We’re pleased to be speaking with Taymor ahead of his upcoming “Life Goes On” release on Suprerlux Record’s.
Taymor, thank you for speaking with us today! How’s it going? Can you tell us where you are based at the moment
Thanks for having me, so I have recently moved back down to Brighton where I grew up. London during lockdown was getting pretty tough and I had been thinking of leaving for a while anyway.
How has the year been for you given the chaotic circumstances we face at the moment? It’s been a bit tough, gigs have totally stopped and it’s been really tough to make ends meet. I see it happening to friends and acquaintances all around me, I can’t wait for things to get back to normal. Hopefully it won’t be too long!
Could you describe your sound in your own words for our readers? That’s a very hard question to answer as it is quite versatile but I’ve been mostly making techno and kind of 90s inspired tech house. Up until quite recently my focus had been on purist house, but times changed recently with the UK club sound sound getting quite a bit harder, I’ve been inspired by a wealth of new artists but also a lot of the original Detroit suspects who basically designed the sound we know and love today.
You’re set to make a debut on Superlux Records this December with your “Life Goes On” EP. It is a brilliant release! Can you tell us a bit about the idea behind it and how it came to find its home on Superlux?
Thanks so much, I’m really happy with it, and super excited to release with the Superlux guys, they’re new as a label but individually they’ve all very experienced in the industry which comes through in the releases and artwork. My EP really is the manifestation of a lot of experimentation I did over the course of a few months with a faster, harder sound. During that period I was blessed to have access to a Roland 303, 909 and TR505 which really made the creative process flow nicely. I jammed for months, recording hours worth of samples and then put everything together in Ableton. It was mixed and mastered in Thoma Bulwer’s studio. Thoma’s been making waves recently, doing mix downs for one records, Matthew Johnson and a host of others and he’s definitely at the top of his game. He made an already strong EP sound fantastic.
The EP also features an awesome remix from Subb-an. What were your thoughts when you first heard his take on the track Gekula?
I was impressed of course, he did an amazing job. I’ve followed Subb-an for years and he’s been at the forefront of the UK underground scene since I’ve been recording and DJing. He really put an amazing spin on it. It surprised me the elements he worked with but that’s what makes him so unique as an artists and separates him from the rest. Hat’s off!
Can you tell us a bit about your studio? What bits of kit do you use? We hear you got your hands on a friends 909 for this release too?
Yes the 909, 303 and 505. All vintage pieces that helped define the 90s acid house sound. I was really pleased with the outcome. I also used a Juno and SH101 for the bass and pads. I would definitely recommend this setup. I sequenced all out of the box and put everything through a vintage mixer into Ableton.
What’s your creative process like when you make a track? Do you always start at the same point or does it vary with each?
It really varies track to track actually, I wish I had a more formulaic method but to be honest anything can start one of my tracks off from a vocal sample, to a groove to a lead melody. Every track is different. However, once I get the groove going, I arrange live in Ableton and add details at the end like fills, crashes etc, to help things move along nicely.
Thanks again for chatting with us today Taymor, we’re excited for the release of the EP! To round things off, is there anything else in the pipeline from yourself that you’d like to share with us.
Thanks for talking to me. I’m super excited for it too!! In terms of pipeline, I have a few bits coming out under an alias with a really big label but to be honest I’m keeping that a secret for now. Keep your ear to the ground though as the news will be out next year!
Taymor Zadeh ‘Life Goes On’ is released 7th December on Superlux Records pre-order link
