MORPHEUS
MUSIC INTERVIEW - KAYA PROJECT
12.01.0 - on release
of ... And So It Goes.
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| Q:
Can you tell us a bit about how Kaya Project
originally got started. |
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Seb: Well, it probably wouldn't
have existed if I hadn't been involved in the Angel Tears
Project in Israel. I had previously experimented with world
influenced sounds in a couple of Digitalis & Shakta tracks
here & there, but only when I started to work with Momi
Ochion (Angel Tears) did I really see what was possible with
regard to recording & combining a multitude of different
musicians. When I met Irina Mikhailova in Mexico the seeds
were set for a new project. Pathaan (Stoned Asia) was looking
for tracks at the time & when Irina visited my studio
in London we recorded the first Kaya Project track Labess,
which was originally destined for one of Pathaan's compilations.
That's pretty much how the project got started. |
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Q:
How do you work together on Kaya Project?
Who comes up with what? Who starts the tracks, how do you
inspire one another? |
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Seb: Since the first album, both
Natasha & myself have contributed to the tracks. It's
mainly my project musically, but the starting point can come
from either of us. For example, the track 'Dark Roads' was
originally just a rhodes keyboard line that Natasha had recorded,
& from those early recordings an entire track sprung up.
There's really no set method for starting a track, the seeds
can be sown from anywhere, a beat, a simple riff, or some
of the many recordings we've made in far flung locations.
As for inspiring each other, I can certainly say that there
have been a few tracks where I've become stuck, unable to
see the woods for the trees, & Tash can take over &
perhaps entirely change the bassline, add some extra musicality
& generally push the track in a completely different direction,
that's happened several times throughout these 3 albums.
Tash: I find it quite a natural process. As Seb says, it's
mainly his project but there may be times at different stages
of a track where I'll add a melody line or some chord progressions/key
changes to take it somewhere else. Sometimes Seb will play
me an idea and I would feel instantly inspired to sing something
or perhaps we'll work together on the arrangement of a track.
It varies.
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Q:
What fuelled the third album –
did you set out with a specific aim or vision?
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Seb: I was interested in trying
something that wasn't as electronic as my previous releases.
Really pushing the organic textures & removing a lot of
the synth textures that were more present on the previous
2 Kaya releases. I think the fact that I was also working
on the Hibernation Project at the same time made it much easier
to achieve that goal. It meant there were two simultaneous
outlets, one for the electronic material I was producing &
the other for the more acoustic material. Both of which were
equally inspiring me, but it meant that those 2 albums have
their own individual & distinct sounds. One mostly electronic
& one mostly acoustic. I'm happier with those 2 albums
than anything I've released up to now, but that's usually
true of my most recent material....I'm always happier with
my newer music than older tracks! |
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Q:
Since there is more emphasis on acoustic sound on …
And So It Goes, did this affect your writing or recording
methods? |
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Seb: Hmmm....not as much
as you might imagine, as ultimately the computer is the
destination for all the sounds to be edited, compiled &
arranged, so that's a very familiar setup for me. Of course
the subconscious gameplan to avoid as many synthetic/electronic
sounds & textures was in effect for '..& So It Goes'....so
I guess it was more of a psychological change of the writing/recording
method. The first album featured a great deal of samples,
the second album less so & this 3rd Kaya Project album
is mostly original recorded material, so other than a shift
in source material & concept/outlook, the fundamental
creative method employed hasn't changed that much throughout
all 3 albums. It's still an intuitive & natural method,
whether acoustic or electronic. |
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| Q:
Can you tell us a bit about the collaborating
artists on the album – how involved are the different
musicians and singers? |
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Seb: Well
there are a few artists who have been on the vast majority
of Kaya Project releases, namely myself & Natasha of
course, but also Irina Mikhailova who has been on all of
the albums, the bollywood violinist Deepak Pandit has been
on a large majority of Kaya Project tracks since the 2nd
album & then there are the newer collaborators like
Florence Comment (from The band Foula), Randolph Matthew,
Deeyah, Susi Evans (Clarinet), we've also been privileged
to have a couple of higher profile players on the second
album, namely Johnny Kalsi from Afro-Celts/Dhol Foundation
& Omar Faruk Tekbilek playing Ney, Zourna & Darbouka
on the track 'Elixir'. As far as the composition & arrangement
goes that's pretty much down to myself & Natasha, utilising
the recordings we've collected from the above mentioned
musicians etc.
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Q:
Where do you get most of your work done
– what settings are most conducive to music making? |
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Seb: Definitely hibernating away
in the studio, that's where I'm most productive. I've occasionally
tried to get tunes completed while on the road or travelling,
but it just didn't happen. It seemed like such an ideal situation,
sitting on a beach or in some amazing desert location making
tunes, but the reality was that I didn't feel the urge to
sit & stare at the laptop whist I was in those locations.
Playing & recording was fine, but actually getting down
to the technical duties of arranging & mixing on a laptop
just seemed to be the last thing on my mind. There's nothing
that's more conducive to my creative side than a prolonged
isolated studio session. Preferably when it's raining outside.
Ha ha :) Heavy rainfall is one of the most singularly inspiring
events for me. Especially when viewed from a cosy studio. |
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| Q:
Is it your conscious decision to maintain
just one website for all your projects? |
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Seb: actually
I don't really maintain a website, Interchill take care of
the Kaya Project one, with the superb graphic design of Nick
Edell. I do however have a couple of myspace pages that I
log into (a Seb Taylor page & a Digitalis one for my breakbeat
project). Many of the musical connections I've made over the
past year or so have been because of those myspace pages.
I considered starting a separate Kaya Project one but decided
not to, mainly to limit the amount of time spent logging in
& attempting to answer messages! I'm quite happy having
one main contact point on the web rather than a multitude
of them. If I had a separate page for each of my 10 or 11
projects I'd probably spend all of my time trying to keep
up with the messages. I'd much rather be making music. |
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Q:
Natasha – can you tell us a bit
about your creative life beyond Kaya Project. |
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Tash: I'm currently
working on my own album which is turning out to be quite folky.
I'm using mainly piano as a basis and building in flute, soft
guitar and lot's of layering of vocal harmonies. I would say
it's more song based than instrumental, with lyrics based
on poetry that I write. It's going very slowly but there really
isn't much rhyme or reason to when or how I'll be inspired
next! It comes in bursts. I've always been writing, singing
& playing instruments since I was a kid - so music has
always been the main driving force & inspiration in my
life.
I was DJing quite a lot up until quite recently, where it's
taken more of a back seat while I'm working on my album. My
DJ style has become more and more eclectic over the years,
as my musical tastes have diversified. To me there is so much
amazing music in so many different genres - I really enjoy
seeking out different musical styles. Inspiration can come
from the strangest places!
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| Q:
Natasha - your Myspace page presents
extracts from a number of your musical collaborations –
do you have one that you consider to be your primary project? |
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Obviously,
my current solo project is the most exciting to me right now
- but every project I'm involved with inspires me equally.
Even though they are all very different, they touch aspects
of my own character in different ways. Clearly, I've been
fortunate enough to work with Seb and we have such a close
connection that the musical process is very intuitive and
natural. So I guess I've been very lucky. |
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Q:
What part or parts of your musical life
do you derive most satisfaction from and why? |
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Seb: Undoubtedly
the creative process - thats when I'm feeling most content,
when i'm actually feeling inspired & productive. I can
get pretty depressed when the inspiration isn't there, but
have to remind myself that it comes in waves, like peaks &
troughs. Even your muse deserves some time off I guess:) It's
also a satisfying feeling when I first get my hands on a new
album or 12". With so many releases these days going
the digital only route I'm still quite old school. Opening
up a box of my latest CD or Vinyl records for example &
checking out the artwork is always an exciting moment. It
kind of signifies a chapter marker to me, closure of that
particular creative endeavor & onto the next! Another
satisfying aspect I derive from my musical life is obviously
the amazing feedback that comes in via myspace, forums, reviews
& DJ reactions etc..... & there have been some magical
responses to these latest two albums. Obviously you have to
try not to take it all too seriously, because there will always
be negative as well as positive feedback & my output does
tend to polarize people! Many people really love it, which
is fantastic, but there are certainly those that can't stand
it! ha ha:) so with that in mind I try not to get too carried
away with the good reviews & reactions. |
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Q:
What does the future hold – what
can the fans hope for from you? |
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Seb: Well, as long as I'm inspired
to create then I hope I will be creating! I imagine there
might be some darker sounding projects on the horizon, but
time will tell. I have so many unfinished ideas on the go
so it will depend on which ones actually get finished. One
thing I know is that I've been so happy with Interchill &
my musical relationship with them throughout the past 3 albums,
that I hope there'll be another Kaya Project album on the
horizon through that label in the not too distant future.
As for upcoming releases, well apart from these two albums
there's an upcoming Kaya Project track on the 'Chime' Compilation
on the U.S. label 'Ball of Waxx'. There are a few tracks on
upcoming Exteme Sports DVDs & a TV commercial for Burton
Snowboards that's airing around now, & quite a few tracks
have been popping up on TV shows here & there, which is
fantastic. I also had some of my music premiered at the South
Bank Centre in London last month, it was part of the 'pants
to poverty' ethical clothing campaign, so as well as being
a very worthy cause I got to check out my music on a big cinema
screen, which is always inspiring. Hopefully there'll be a
few more TV bits coming up in the future as I really enjoy
that kind of musical challenge. |
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| Thanks
to Seb and Tash AKA Kaya Project for allowing us that interview.
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