Tomorrow (Friday, May 29th) the second album by British producer Taurus 1984 will be released, entitled ¨Dream Warriors¨. A fantastic album that you should definitely listen to. In this interview with Alastair we talk about the creation of ¨Dream Warriors¨, Outland Recordings and further future plans. One thing is certain, Taurus 1984 has released a great album and the future holds great promise for this likeable musician.
Alastair, can you please introduce yourself?
Hello Sander, thank you for having me. I'm Alastair and I write and produce music under the name of Taurus 1984, a name taken simply from my star sign and year of birth. I have been involved in music for the past 20 years (typing that made me wince!) playing in various bands and writing songs for a number of projects.
Congratulations with your second album ¨Dream Warriors¨. How was it to work on this album?
Thank you so much, it was an absolute pleasure to work on. It is quite a personal record lyrically with the majority of it being a time capsule experiment about the period whilst I was writing it. It was a really cathartic and exciting experience translating everything over to song. Initially, I worked on 99 % of the tracks in my studio and then would transport them over to Bobby's studio and we'd work on extra layers and production techniques together. Bob (who writes music for film and tv as his profession) and I have known each other since we were around 9 years of age, we both share a love for '80's film/culture, Synthwave and retro & modern pop. It was a total pleasure getting to work on the project together, we laughed a lot and got to try out some interesting ideas while working with some amazing people and friends.
When you compare ¨Dream Warriors¨ to your other album ¨Lost in time¨, what things did you do differently this time?
Although both albums do share some similarities, in my opinion they really are two different things. 'Lost in Time' essentially is an instrumental soundtrack album, it was my first experience in writing, recording and producing electronic music. It was a very steep learning curve that I'm always trying to improve on. It was out of pure coincidence that the project started to be honest. I had always had a deep love for the genre, but not necessarily had any plans to start creating it. My close friend James Iles (who does the majority of the Taurus 1984 artwork-legend!) and I were co-directing a short 1980's inspired horror comedy film (Hard to Kill) that we shot in Helsinki, Finland (may I add, it was minus 21 degrees there!). We needed a soundtrack and I volunteered to do it. So, that's how the project began. I had such fun with the first album, however, I wanted to try something different for the next. I adore vocal records (I love writing vocal melodies and hooks), so set about the task to write a record that encompassed a feeling of nostalgia, reflectiveness while being mindful to keep one foot in the future with how modern 'retro' pop is sounding.
When I listen to the new album, I can hear it´s a top notch production. You worked together with a lot of singers and musicians. How did you approach this project from a producers point of view?
It was a completely different process to producing the first album, there were a lot more people involved this time round, which I loved. Working with the singers on this album was an absolute joy, I met Jeris and Abi while we were singing backing vocals for a BBC concert with pop star Demi Lovato, we hit it off instantly and they were my first choice for vocalists. I was also extremely lucky to involve my old friend Phil Colwill who appears on a track on the record too. I wanted to experiment with a lot of vocal harmonies and kids' choirs, which I trialled on 'Dream Warriors' initially. That was great fun! Everyone involved on performing side of the album were great friends of ours. On the whole it was an extremely enjoyable process, obviously there were challenges, but nothing major. We learnt very quickly about each other and how one another works. It was lovely also having no studio time constraints, we had time to play and come up with ideas on the fly- it was a really natural and fun environment which I will certainly be replicating for the next record.
Production wise, Bobby was a giant factor on getting things sounding the way they do, he's got a great ear and is Captain Cubase. We then sent it to Pete Maher (U2, The Killers, The 1975, etc.) to have it mastered. Pete is an absolute genius and scientist in the mastering realm, obviously that really helped, and was just amazing having him working on the songs.
Which songs are most special to you on ¨Dream Warriors¨?
To be honest, all of them. Like I mentioned earlier, it is a very personal album lyrically to me. Something I enjoyed was playing with the juxtaposition of very reflective lyrics set to the back drop of a melodic '80s influenced pop melody. I really enjoy that style of writing along with it being quite conversational too, I vibe off the realness of hearing something said to you, that moves you in some form and then including it in a song. If there was one song for me that means the most it would have to be the title track of the album 'Dream Warriors', it was the first song I wrote for this album and really set the path straight for how the rest was going to sound.
Your new album is released by Outland Recordings. How did you end up working together with this label?
What an absolute pleasure it has been getting to work with Outland. After they announced they were starting a record label we began chatting with each other and sharing mixes with them, we then had a meeting during Retro Future fest in London and soon after signed a contract with them in the early part of this year. I feel really grateful to work with both Stuart and Brett, they work tirelessly and are so passionate with everything they do in regards to Outland. They are the best guys too, I'm so pleased to be able to call them friends. Sharing a label with some incredible roster artists is really exciting also and really makes you strive to write the best songs you can and provide the best content that you can provide.
What are you further plans for this year, though life is not normal nowadays due to COVID-19?
Well, 2020 threw a bit of a curve ball for a lot of artists didn't it. Initially, I was a little worried about releasing a record during this tough time, but we adapt and push forward, in a lot of ways, the extra time aspect has been golden and has made me think outside the box in terms of promotion and content production. We've been lucky to have some very talented friends who have helped a lot with creating social media content with us recently, we released a mini music video shot over in Los Angeles last week and have another one coming May 25th. Asides from that, I have made a start on album number three. So far to date, I think there's around 6 or 7 songs in various stages of undress/in idea form that can be whittled down to form album contenders. Once 'Dream Warriors' comes out, we will continue to promote that, and as soon as it's safe to do so, will be playing a few shows. Prior to the pandemic we had a number of music videos in the diary to shoot which obviously we need to reschedule. One of them involving a runway, a DeLorean and an aeroplane. So, we look forward to sharing that with you...
What is the last movie that you have seen?
The last movie I watched was actually The Breakfast Club. I've lost count of how many times I've seen it. I am a giant John Hughes fan. Apart from that I watched a documentary about Stiv from the punk band The Dead Boys earlier, that was cool too.
What do you like most about the ´80s?
How long do you have?! I'll try and keep it short. The '80's to me represents so many special things, but mainly, a feeling of nostalgia and fun before life got a bit more complicated. My first memories of music or film were from that period, so spending your formative years with that surrounding you makes a profound dent on your adult tastes. The resurgence of the '80's in popular culture has also been really exciting to see, and personally, I think it has the potential to bring positive awareness to this subculture we are in. In some ways, visually now it's probably way more 80's than the 80's ever was, but that's fun and I like that - I'm a golden age thinker with lost boy syndrome, so, ya know! I love where things are at currently, but I'm also really excited to see how it will progress and mutate over the next few years, I think that's the best way for it to stay healthy and not become stagnant.
And finally, any last words to the synthwave community?
Thank you for the support and interest that you have shown towards Taurus 1984. I am really grateful to be a part of this scene as an artist and as a fan. It's hands down one of the most supportive and coolest scenes I've experienced. I've met some wonderful, talented and funny people through it. So, cheers, stay safe and don't forget to check out 'Dream Warriors' - out May 29th digitally and physically via Outland Recordings.
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