sentative of the polarity , intensity , emotion , and power that anxiety has . Combine this with a generous sprinkle of Skrillex , Bob Marley , Jack Soul , Blink-182 , and Daft Punk at the root , and you ’ ve got the Taabu sound .
CM : Is there a particular sound you created for a specific song that stands out to you , maybe because it marked a turning point in your creative and technical development ?
David Strickland : Well , you know , the problem for me with a question like that is there ’ s so many songs and I ’ ve forgotten so much . I haven ’ t done everything , but I ’ ve done a lot that I forgot that I did . I wish I captured those moments . I wish we had social media back then in the ‘ 90s so that I could have captured some of the things that I ’ ve forgotten . Because I was going harder when I was younger and I was doing more sessions in my twenties , you know ? So , that ’ s a tough one . There ’ s so many songs and it ’ s hard to say .
But , I mean , off the top of my head , when I did “ Turtle Island ” [ off of the 2020 collaborative album Spirit of Hip-Hop ,] and I blended that . I wanted to try a style like that before , which was like powwow , step , dancehall , and hip-hop and I didn ’ t have the right opportunity . But then when Jordan came with that chorus , it kind of forced me to try it . So , when I tried that vibe , it was like a combination between myself and a friend of mine who ’ s a producer and we were like , “ This is what I want ; this is what I hear .” We
just kept working towards the goal until we found it . So , that song is a testament because it did pretty well but it also was new and was something you never heard before . I was kind of like , “ Why hasn ’ t anybody done this before ?” And maybe it had been , but I had never heard it . So , it was a challenge just doing that .
Sometimes you vibe and then sometimes you have a goal . It ’ s not always easy when you have a goal because sometimes you can ’ t find what you ’ re looking for .
FrancisGotHeat : This is a tough one , because I would say “ 4422 ” [ by Drake and Sampha ], but that came out in 2017 but I made that in like 2014 . So , when I made that beat , I knew at that point , that was my current sound , like a lot of big atmospheric pads like I was saying earlier . After I made that specific beat , I kind of unlocked that sound for myself . But it ’ s funny how that song didn ’ t come out for three years and then everyone started asking me for that type of stuff when I was out of it .
London Cyr : I like the melody I played on “ Know My Rights ” by 6LACK and Lil Baby . It has a bounce and it ’ s happy yet it still sounds kind of dark and mysterious . When I made it , I knew at some point it would become a song . I just found it by messing around with different VSTs and effects in FL Studio .
Prezident Jeff : That ’ s a good question . I think I ’ d have to go back to 2015 with “ Go Go Go ” by Roy [ Woods ]. That was a bit of a stamp for me . That one was special to me . That was very much in this time and place where I was not entirely sure of myself just , yet , in my abilities , and was still trying to figure out who I am . Then when that came out , and there ’ s a slew of records that we did , but with that one in particular , that was where I was like , “ I think I found myself here .”
Taabu : This is a great question . I have a single releasing later this year called , “ IRLY .” The drop is a vocoded mixture of two vocal samples . One track is me singing ,“ So now I ’ m lying awake ,” which is not remotely audible . Another track has spoken word lines like , “ Oh yeah , wow ,” and , “ I really love you ” ( IRLY ). Both vocal tracks are modulated by the same carrier signal with volume automation so they don ’ t overlap . With the first track , you can ’ t pick a part any words or phrases , but every now and then you catch a phrase when the second track is unmuted . I thought this was a really cool way to represent nervousness and trying to get your words out in a romantic setting . Sounds are the best ; you can do almost anything with them .
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