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Chakdey.com Exclusive Tarli Digital Interview! |
For those, who haven't a clue who Tarli Digital is, fill us in!
Tarli Digital was born and raised in the heart of UK Bhangra, Birmingham... I started of as a DJ at the age of 16 and persued my interest in Music via College then onto University, My production career started with a remix of “UMBI” for the band Anakhi in 2001 which I used as a demo to show labels, my demo was not taken seriously by many, as they thought the DJ/Producer sound would not kick off; having failed all options I decided to contact MOVIEBOX, whom were at the time (and still are) the leading record label in Asian music outside India, their professional approach and enthusiastic interest lead to a recording contract... and the rest is history.
You entered the Bhangra scene with your debut album 'The Dub Conspiracy', what did you make of the success of your first release? The response was amazing, it took off in such a way I could never have imagined, not only did it go number 1 in the very first ever BBC Asian Network chart show, it was appreciated throughout the world and was even licensed in various countries throughout Europe.
Nachde Panjabi proved a huge hit in 2002 and is still well received by audiences, what was it like working with Dalvinder Singh? Nachde Panjabi, although its a very basic track with regards to production, It took the longest to create whilst working on the album, I got the song written by a family friend of mine SUKHJIT THANDI, who at the time had only one release in the market (Bally Jagpals Ranjha) we went through the concept and had him write a song about life as a Punjabi living outside the homeland, but not forgetting who we are and the community we belonged too. Dalvinder, at the time had just finished working on “NO REGRETS” and we met at FRANTIC Studios – we hit it off instantly, having so much in common as young British Asians, our aspirations and objectives matched and we did Nachde Panjabi. The first draft of Nachde Panjabi was a totally different melody, speed and concept, it worked but was missing something, so with the help of Kam Frantic, we re-programmed a beat using a Dr Dre track as influence and changed the melody, and Nachde Panjabi was born.
When it comes to making music, what is your aim for the finished product? My initial aim whilst working is always self satisfaction, I am my biggest critic of myself and I play it by the ear. Never is a day in the studio monotonous and if im having a good time working the song, then its fine with me. I recently had a heated debate with a good friend of mine who is also a producer, and whilst he was insisting its most important to work on the basis to prove to others in the industry your efforts, I stressed you have to do it not only for yourself but the music fans also... I never care what other artists think of me or my sound, because you can never satisfy critics (whom are often haters in disguise).
You produced the lead track for Harbhajan Talwar's latest album, how did you manage to hook up with him and how would you rate him as a vocalist? I have know Harbhajan for years through Moviebox and what happened was he wasn’t happy with the end product and asked me to do a fresh song for him, so I gave him an idea to write too, he brought me the song and I got down to it. One thing I would like to mention is that its common knowledge that the Rappers efforts where not appreciated in the song, I was against putting in a rapper on PASAND, but Harbhajan insisted he wanted it, so I did so.
'Rehab' your brand new album is set for release, I’m pretty sure you don't have some sort of Drug problem, so what's the thinking behind the name?
Rehab (rehabilitation for short) means to restore or improve on the ability to perform. Although throughout my career I have been on a learning curve, TD2 was just a notch up from my debut album, I have taken almost 4 years on Rehab, trying to mature myself as a producer and to enhance/create a trademark sound
What can we expect from the album musically? The album will show a new leaf in my sound, not only have I worked at Jazzbo Studios again (now known as Karisma) but I have spent a lot of time recording at other studios, I spent a lot of time at Inderloc in Ludhiana recording live instruments and vocals. I have a studio at home too, where I bring back everything and mix. You will find most tracks that have that “TD” touch, but then you will also hear this never improved side of me where I have tried new ideas and concepts.
How did you decide which singers you wanted to work with on this album? I wanted every song to have a different theme on the project, which meant I could not have the same vocalist on more than one song. I always work with lyricists and give my own ideas for a track and always insist on recording the vocalist myself, opposed to buying vocals online or from an agent.
My main objective was to get a balance of established Artists and newcomers, and I think I’ve managed that by getting HS Talwar to return the favour with a song, Sarvjeet Kaur, with whom I formed a good relationship with after recording her on TD2, a reunion with my old buddys Dalvinder and Surjit, Yudhvir Manak, Bakshi Billa, Saleem and some really talented newcomers.
What do you think of Online Vocal stores? I personally won’t use an online vocal store, it restrains the interaction with vocalists and lyricists, I like to find my own lyrics and ideas and be able to take a song that belongs to me and get it sang by anyone, its how I plan my project. There are a couple of good online stores, one is run by a friend of my Amit Sharma, who is a very experienced individual, he looked after me whilst recording TD2 in India as he was an employee of MOVIEBOX at the time.
Have you approached any big name producers in regards to the videos that will accompany the release of 'Project:Rehab'? A good music video (or videos) is a vital and important aspect of promoting your work; I am currently in talks to various people in India about the video shoots and will know more in the coming days.
How would you define your sound in one sentence?
A combination of eastern melodies blended with a limitless hybrid of western sounds and rhythms, created by a learner using all methods to fulfill his desire to try something different.
On to the hot topic of Ghost Production, which is somewhat of an issue these days, what are your views on it? How can you define a ghost production? By comparing different tracks recorded at the same studio by different artists but sounding the same? If thats the definition I think you should ask those in particular.
We see artists releasing their follow up albums every few years or so, what motivates you in bringing out new music? For me its not a time frame challenge, I never set a strict deadline. I like to take time in picking lyrics, then working and interacting with vocalists and musicians... for me my musical journey is my hobby, something I enjoy doing. I have done a track on Project:REHAB that I have worked on for 4 years, trying different things, making changes and so on... it is very hard to nail a trademark sound and I think I am getting near to this.
Live Performances is something that you haven't been apart of as much, is this something you are thinking of pursuing? I am a DJ, so of course I spin at various venues across the country, but you wont see me on stage shouting hoi hoi behind Dalvinder or Talwar, thats silly.
What do you feel is lacking in the Bhangra scene at the moment to move it up a level?
I think the UK Asian music scene is going through a very sad stage, it has been depleting now for a couple of years and I think we are not far from hitting rock bottom, piracy and illegal downloading is at its peak, there are no sales, record shops are closing down, labels are not making money, artists are getting low budgets, and one of the biggest impact is THE LACK OF NEW TALENT coming through... record labels cant risk on new talent anymore because the profit margin is so low now. We have had some great fresh UK talent recently, people like Sangra Vibes, Tru-Skool & Specialist, Jags Klimax and so on and I`m pretty sure there is a lot more out there, but how are these guys gonna stand a chance when everyones gonna go steal their music before anyone can earn from it?
How would you define the word 'success'? Success for me is earning the respect of all the honest critics and music fans, to endure the backlash of the haters within the industry and to fulfil my aspirations of building on what I have achieved already with the grace and love of the fans.
We have witnessed a number of solid releases this year so far, which albums do you rate that have ticked your boxes? Hey, I`m a DJ and always consider myself as a consumer, I`m pretty much feeling everything that’s come out this year so far but “Living the Dreams” and “Udeekan” are currently in my car multi changer.
How does it feel contributing towards the tribute album of the late Soni Pabla?
The opportunity was a great honour, I have great respect for Soni Pabla, he was an amazing talent who was on the brink of great success and was destined to be a worldwide international superstar, this is evident in his last album.
I have worked very hard to create a tribute to Soni which he would have been proud of, and I hope his legacy will live on forever.
How long is the queue at MovieBox to release records? What does it feel like having to wait long for your new album to release? Lol!! I have no idea how long the “queue” is; but in a way I can appreciate the tasks involved in releasing and marketing a product and I am pretty certain Moviebox have my best interests at heart.
We recently came up with an Article on Piracy, which reflected views from various artists on what needs to be done to combat piracy of Asian music. We would like to put this question to you, how would you tackle the problem? I would urge all record labels to show unity and address the issue as a unit, mainstream labels always work together to tackle piracy and I only hope our UK Asian Industry shows this same initiative.
What would also help is the decrease of half-hearted efforts being released in the UK Asian market where individuals put all their effort into a couple of tracks using rinsed out vocalists that appear on almost every album, then fill the rest of the cd with tracks not even worthy of the dustbin.What does the future hold for Tarli Digital? The future will be bright once Project:REHAB releases, I`ve spent so long putting it together I hope the music fans can appreciate it.
Ive just completed a track for the future project of Surjit Anakhi, just started work on Dalvinder Singh`s next album and I am involved in a project for tinglingdesigns.com
Any final messages for the readers of Chakdey.com?
Thank you very much for taking out time to read my humble words, I am only but human, so if there is something you dont agree with in this interview I apologise.
Must big up EAZY, AHSAN, MANPAL and the rest, love the music – love the industry, try and support us artists because every time you download, your killing our passion........peace!
www.tarlidigital.com
www.myspace.com/tarlidigitalonline
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