Coffee Break with Täino

Hi Yunis, first of all, how are you doing today and what are you busy working on at the moment?

Hey guys, first of all it’s a pleasure to answer these questions for you today. Doing fine, but it has been a hectic start of the year. I kicked off this year by releasing some music via my Bandcamp, now I am catching up on my graphic design work. Today I was mostly focused on my daytime job as well as few freelance side projects. Trying to squeeze in music into my daily life as much as possible.

Please tell us about your introduction to music, then to electronic music, and later your first steps as a music producer and DJ.

I do not come from a musical family unfortunately, my dad did not collect rare funk & soul records. So when I was growing up I was pretty much listening to whatever kids at school were listening to – mostly rock & hip-hop music classics from 90s & 2000s, or whatever was on TV. Then I moved to the USA for an exchange year, and that’s when I really got into hip-hop music. I’ve been listening to this genre for the past 14-15 years now. To this day it is still a big influence, I use hip hop samples quite often. Of course I also listen to a lot of other genres such as electronica, ambient, a bit of indie and alternative rock. Movie and game soundtracks also hold a very special place in my heart.

After moving to Prague in 2011 I eventually discovered rave culture and that’s when I fell in love with electronic music. In 2016 I started DJing at friends’ house parties and later organized our own events, however I was always more interested in how music is made rather than played. So I eventually enrolled in Ableton courses and started attending workshops as well as watching loads of YouTube tutorials. To this day I still watch a few tutorials daily (usually during my lunch break).

Originating from ajerbaijan, and now being based in prague, what impact would you say your environment had on your relationship to music?

I grew up in the capital city of Ajerbaikan, Baku, till I was 17 and then moved to Prague about 12 years ago. Growing up in Baku, the dance music scene was almost non-existent, due to our country’s Socialist past, as well as current socio-political issues. As said above, Prague is where I got introduced to electronic music properly and my interest in underground music was shaped by the local scene, especially the scene of 2016-2019s. I was a regular at the warehouse raves organized by collectives like “Komiks”, “Night Vibes” or “Polygon”.

What does the dance music scene look like in Prague?

The scene really evolved since 2011. Nowadays there are many event promoters and DJs, the scene is definitely more vibrant. Alternative venues appeared as well – but I feel like we are still missing a few more clubs in Prague that would cover different kinds of sound. Though I am very happy that we have more and more talented music producers here!

What is a typical day in the Täino (music) studio?

I prefer to write music starting in the morning, throughout the afternoon and into the night – if my schedule allows it. Usually, I get such a chance during my free weekends. I am an extroverted introvert so locking myself in for a day or two is not an issue at all. This way I am more focused on the task. When that happens, it is possible for me to write a whole track in a day, if the mindset is right.

Currently I have a small and cozy living room studio in my flat. Even though the room has pretty mediocre acoustics, I somehow got used to it and can pull off an OK mixdown in this environment. I make most of my music with Ableton. I am in love with this DAW. When it comes to music writing it lets my mind and creativity flow freely – just like on a blank canvas. I try to be open-minded when I write music, so when I start a new project I never know if it will be house, breaks, techno or hip-hop or at what BPM the track will be. I just roll with it.

I also own a few sound modules and synths but don’t use them as much as I would like to. This year however I am planning to expand my audio interface to be able to connect more synthesizers and a drum machine. The idea is to host jams with friends in my living room. Really looking forward to that!

Being a genuine creative mind, you are a graphic designer by day. How much would you say your visual work influence your sound? Are the two things related?

I am a fully self-taught designer with no art education whatsoever. I believe that my design skills were acquired by observing the world and other artists around me. Eventually I started freelancing by making posters for local raves and nightlife events (alongside DJing). To this day I am still actively involved with a few collectives in Prague and make flyers for local alternative venues. One of them is called “Grau Series” – it’s a techno crew which I’ve joined as a graphic designer last year. We already did 5 design collabs together, and hopefully many more are on the way. And of course, most of my music-related visuals are for our record label “Moving Pictures” that I run with my friend and talented audio engineer Roman Rai. Since 2018, I’ve been responsible for the label’s art direction and graphic design. We are now working on our 11th vinyl release – every record is an exciting journey for me as a graphic designer: full of discovery, self-improvement and at times – struggle. My designs are heavily influenced by art movements such as Cubism, Surrealism, Dadaism and Modernism. To name few of my all-tine favourite artists: Rousseau, Dali, Mondrian, Van Gogh, Matisse and Chagall. I am also a big fan of Japanese culture and art – so I am sure it somehow influences my art as well. By the way, this year I have launched my very own graphic design website showcasing some of the best music related projects that I’ve done – feel free to take a peak at www.yugraphica.com

You also own your own record label with a friend: Moving Pictures. What was the intention when creating the label, and what are you trying to achieve with it?

We founded the label Moving Pictures in 2018 with Roman Rai, who actually was my very first mentor for Ableton music production. We have similar taste and views about sound, so at some point we decided to end our “teacher-student” relationship and to create a label together. Last October we celebrated its 5-year anniversary.

For us Moving Pictures is an open playground for creativity. The idea behind the label is of course to express ourselves freely and share our discoveries with the world, but also to give a platform for other likeminded individuals. And so far, I believe we have been successful – we connected individuals from all over the world (Japan, USA, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Turkey) on our roster. This makes us feel incredibly hopeful about the future.

you also release your own music independently on Bandcamp. What brought you to this decision?

I’ve decided to start releasing music independently on Bandcamp just for fun. Most of tracks there are for free (or whatever you want to pay). I did not want to constantly release only on our label, plus it is nice to give more space for upcoming talent on the imprint. Additionally, our label still has a certain sound direction and certain sound limitations – but on my Bandcamp I can write any genre or idea and it will be fitting since there are absolutely no boundaries. In addition to that, because of my experience with the label I am able to take care of most aspects of release myself – from writing the music to making video edit and artwork for it to promoting it via social media. Saves time and money for everyone.

Releasing on Bandcamp however does not mean that I am turning away from other labels or streaming platforms. You can still find most of my Bandcamp tracks available on Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal. However I still think Bandcamp is the fairest platform for independent artists like me.

What can we expect from you in 2024?

Definiftely more music & visuals. For me creativity comes in waves. In 2023 I had a few of such waves, and managed to write a few EPs that I am now finalizing. The idea is to gradually drop them in 2024 – most likely independently on my Bandcamp channel. I also might contribute to our label’s Various Artists compilation soon.

I am definitely planning to release a new vinyl EP on Moving Pictures as well – but that should most likely happen in 2025. Since the pandemic I’ve been getting deeper into music production and I have quite a few tracks piling up. As many producers can relate – many of them are unfinished. So the goal for this year is to clean them up and finish some of those projects.

Last but not least: how do you like your coffee?

Originally I come from a tea culture, but coffee is my go-to drink especially if I want to make things happen :)

I know that some coffee connoisseurs would roll their eyes, but I do enjoy a classic cappuccino with milk and sugar.

When it comes to coffee beans - usually medium roast with some fruity or chocolate undertones hits the spot for me.

Follow Täino on: