Interview: Nicolas Taboada


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Rising name on the techno scene Nicolas Taboada spoke with us about his brand new release “Circles” and his collaboration with Drumcode. Enjoy!

Hey Nicolás, how are you, what’s good and bad in your world right now?

Hello! Everything is fine for now. Working hard in the studio for things to come, with many plans in mind and so much to do.

Tell us about your journey into dance music, when did you first fall in love with it, how, why, where?

The first time I connected with dance music was when I was 6 or 7 years old and I heard a Depeche Mode record. A few years later, having liked what I had recently heard so much, I became a little more interested and fell into what would be trance music. Listening to my first Tiesto songs, maybe a bit of psychedelic trance too, a bit of everything of that time. And there I was discovering a little more about what it was about, getting into festival streams, among other things. I had felt something at that moment that, without singing any lyrics and that there is no chorus in the song, the music itself can leave you a message and, having been so young, it completely impacted me.

You are a drumcode artist so do you make music that fits the label or do you just do you?

I always try to be me. I worked for many years trying to understand what I really like. Something that feels comfortable to me, that I listen to and want to listen to thousands of times more without getting bored and enjoying it so much while I’m creating it. I think that Drumcode motivated me a lot in that, because I always saw how they released releases that perhaps, between one and the other, they didn’t look alike at all, and it was because it was the style of each artist and what represented that artist. So that gave me the free spectrum to do what I want and that it be a style that goes very well with me and lasts over time.

How do you evolve your own sound while staying true to your roots and own signature and not jumping on new hype bandwagons?

This is still a bit of a hassle for me to this day. Because in part you always want to be faithful to your sound, what you like, the bpms that you like to produce and the vocals, melodies and environments that you like to create. But there is a reality and that is that music advances, styles change, fashions stop being one or the other, fans stop listening to certain music to get into another, and if you are not prepared to receive that message, that’s when you are in trouble. It’s a matter of finding a balance between what you love and at the same time, always being within reach to keep the fans close.

What are some of the key bits of music making gear in your current set up? Does that matter to you?

Personally, I feel that it is not necessary to have a big studio to be able to make music. If it is true that there are many synthesizers, analog drums and among other things of audio engineering that make everything more fun and of course you can create and develop even more, but I was always very attached to digital. Personally, with my speakers, a midi piano and an extra synthesizer to be able to create sounds, it is more than enough for me. And I am, for the moment, happy with that. We’ll see what happens in the future and if I add anything to my setup.

Tell us about the latest track you have made, what inspired and influenced it?

I was inspired by the music I was listening to recently. I was always very into the vocals in my tracks, singing or saying any kind of message, they gave a touch to the groove that I liked a lot and lately I was listening to urban music a lot that made me want to do something with a techno beat.

Tell us about being a resident at crobar club – what is the place like, what sounds work best there?

Aaaah, Crobar is incredible. It was always a very emblematic club in Argentina. Since I was a raver until I became a DJ, it was always a dream to be able to play there. It has a lot of history, where the best dj’s in the world passed through there. And it was a club that was rotating for years. First there was trance and now, without a doubt, techno predominates. I don’t know a DJ in the world who doesn’t want to play at Crobar. The atmosphere is incredible and the public too.

What is the art of the resident do you think? How different is it to being a headliner?

I went through several stages before being a headliner. First being the opening, then the warm up and until one day I had a night for myself being a headliner and it was, by far, a before and after in my life and my career.
Everyone is waiting for you, people are waiting for your tracks or pulling out their cell phones to take something home about you. You are like the star of the night, the one that people pay a ticket to see you and that is priceless. You want to give your best, you know that people worked hard to be there and it’s your job as a DJ that they want to see you again for what you did that night they saw you for the very first time.

What else have you got coming up?

Lots of new music and an album on the way that I’ve been thinking about and devising for years, since I think (and also want) it to be one of the best moments of my life. I reckon that for many artists too. There is nothing like having your album cover, your name and everything having your imprint from tracks to artwork designed just for you. It’s something that will stay with you forever, so hopefully I can give news about it soon.

What are you most proud of having achieved so far?

For me, having signed on Drumcode. It was the label by which, at my age, I started listening to techno music. What I always wanted and my goal as an artist. It made me realize that nothing is impossible with perseverance, effort and a lot of sacrifice.

Nicolás Taboada’s “Circles” is out on Drumcode. Grab it here.


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