Taran M – Music, life and good health

Longevity is something that’s rarely seen in the DJ circuit. Many artists find it hard to evolve with the times and often we see DJs “retiring” from the scene way too early – be it because their love of the craft has dwindled, or simply because their priorities in life have changed. The only constant itself is change, and the DJ life is a scene that is always changing. The DJs who change with the times and evolve with their craft, are the ones that are able to display longevity. Taran M is one such artist. From playing hard trance in the early 2000’s, through to launching the brand that you now see as Substance – covering everything from electro to glitch – Taran has continued to change with the times. Recently taking some time out from the scene to contemplate life and take a step back from heading the helm that is the Substance ship, he’s grounded himself not only with his DJing, but with life overall. In the lead up to the launch of his new DJ moniker, Trademark, I decided to catch up with him to chat about all things music and life.

So you’ve recently decided to make a move back onto the DJ circuit – what brought this on?

Money, cheap booty and disco biscuits… Well not really. I genuinely miss DJing. I guess I have my life balance back again and believe me this is in no way shape or form a full time return. I’d be happy to be dropping tunes once a month, if that.  I think for me now it’s going to be DJing in its purest form, all about the love.

After taking a break from the scene, where are you at with life in general?

The break has been good, well overdue after being on the coal face of substance for the better part of four years. 2011 was not my year, in fact from January 1 the writing was on the wall. If it wasn’t family dilemma’s or break ups it was sour writing deals and constant upheaval, but I scraped it together and from October it’s been about rebuilding. Personally right now I’m in the best place I have ever been. I’ve started playing sport, I have a great day to day job and I’m back in the zone with music and writing.

On the flip-side though I have recently had my third flare up of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. And what’s more I’m kicking myself over it cause I saw it coming and ignored it. It’s frustrating in part cause it’s a purgatorial state of mind to get to this level of being so content, happy and ready to go musically, but just be so tired. I’m my own worst enemy cause I love being active nowadays and I heeded a couple of big warning signs. I’m taking this forward process very seriously, it’s going to be an interesting two to six months. I’ve given myself three. So I will be doing my best impersonation of Cinderella when I play. Yes it will include a dress, just no pumpkin, ask mum, I hate pumpkin.

With moving away from running events, and taking a more autonomous role within the Substance krew, what other priorities has it enabled you to concentrate your efforts on?

Since October last year the big focus has been on work, sport and writing, things I have missed since I started my music career twelve years ago. The biggest focus for me after work at the moment is gridiron at the Croydon Rangers and my writing. Unfortunately with getting sick again I have had to now cut out everything else, alcohol, partying and late nights if I want to come remotely close to being able to function. I’m blessed with a specialist who has designed my treatment around sport-ball.

I just want to clear something up that has irked me about the misrepresentation when I stepped back last year. I retired from running events full time and DJing full time. FULL time, not forever. Hence why I thanked everyone that had helped me cause I knew that was the end of the big picture. I knew I’d eventually do something again, but never in the same capacity. The most humbling thing for me is to have two best friends turn to me and say “There are no straight-up Substance parties without you. We’ll run Prognosis and do off-shoot events, and when you’re back in we’re back in”.

Where do you see your DJ career heading from this point forward?

Mexico, Japan or Belize. That’s really how seriously I take it now. It’s going to be a career based on playing for enjoyment. With substance my career was based on the success of an overall vehicle, maintaining a brand etc. Back in the early early days the love of the music got blinded by career progression. I’m passed that stage, I’ll just play here and there, every now and then. There is one box to tick and that is any stage at Rainbow, playing a funky glitch set as long as I don’t have to sell fifteen tickets and a portion of my soul to play on a renegade stage.

Fill us in on this new moniker you’ve adopted?

Trademark, purely cause I’ve had enough with Taran M. I’ve never had an alias and I can already tell you it’s like wearing a fresh pair of underpants. Only because I haven’t literally or metaphorically dirtied it yet.

My dad brought me up listening to Soul and my brother got me into hip hop at an early age. After working at the terminus as their DJ on Friday and Saturday nights I started playing hip hop, soul and funk early on before people started requesting loveshack or living on a prayer.

The move to funk/hip-hop/glitch – has that snuck up suddenly, or has it been a gradual progression?

Not really. I did a set similar to that at a rooftop party early. The encompassed sound has taken awhile to refine because it is really broad. But all the styles have elements of soul and hip hop which have followed me my whole life.

Some of my fondest memories of early Substance parties were your epic 4/4 electro tinged sets. With that said, and having since moved on from the 4/4 sound, have you left those styles behind for good? or are you still keen on re-visiting them later down the track?

The stuff I played at Substance will never ever leave me in terms of my appreciation. I still get chills when I hear “Bass Down” or “Killer Application”. If someone asked me to play a set I would not say no.  As far as UK hard house and hard trance goes, unless it was playing next to the Tidy Boys or Brisk for sentimental value; You have more chance of seeing the Titanic rising, picking up a herd of Elephants and shipping them to Guam, then you will of seeing me play hard house or hard trance.

Out of all the different styles you’ve played over your career – what genre holds the fondest place in your heart?

Definitely the electro/tech years in the first two years of Substance are at the forefront. As a DJ I learnt so much regarding track selection, key matching, tune hunting etc. I learnt so much playing the many Vs. sets with Simon. It was so relaxing after the Kandy/PHD years cause there was no pressure, it was just about tunes and getting wayward.

I’ll hold every genre in my heart, I played to some huge crowds and got to see most of the capital cities dance music scenes. Adelaide around 2004-06 will always be a personal favorite, Ignition and Enchanted. Then Godskitchen and Two Tribes 2004.

It’s always interesting seeing DJs mold with technology as they progress through their careers. Coming from vinyl and moving through numerous different set-ups over your time behind the decks, what’s your chosen format nowadays?

Hah hah, I love it. I call myself a “Mattel DJ” or Fisher Price “My first DJ” now. I run on Serato Itch, with a Pioneer controller and one 1200mrk2, you know to keep it real… I’m resigned to fate in the fact that a laptop makes tune access so easy. However I refuse to simply sit behind a laptop or become a button pushing DJ, it’s not how I view DJing. I was once told by a prominent drug addict that I “Was an analogue clock in a digital age”. I told him it was unbecoming to quote lines from Ocean’s Eleven, even worse George Clooney.

Do you think vinyl still holds a place within current DJing?

I recently found that the four hardstyle vinyls I was forced to buy towards the end of my tenure in the rave scene make excellent placemats for dinner tables. If I was having people over for dinner who were DJ’s yeah for sure. Then again I’m sure someone would discuss how eating dinner off a “Bass Agents” 45 ruins the meal before it is cooked.

Look it’s sad to say but I think Vinyl is all but lost in the mystic romanticism of history. A 1200 is such a beautifully designed object and a vinyl is such a physical medium. They stir up something so raw for a lot of DJ’s, the bumps, that boom off the tone arm. I love vinyl, so so much.  But Vinyl is very much the old person on public transport that MP3’s are getting out of the disabled seat to let it sit down. The digital age really has remodeled everything that a DJ is. In 2005 a DJ walked in to a club with a thirty kilo bag and a hernia. Now a DJ walks in with two USB’s. Tell me who wins.

Whats your view on the current state of our local scene?

It’s a lot healthier than a few years ago. I think that crowd numbers are going to be a big problem in general for all music as the economy contracts. People are going to have a lot less to spend on going out. While it’s all about the bush down here at the moment. For all progressive and trance from all reports it sounds as though Sydney is becoming the place to be.

Your ethos on running events was to always concentrate on quality artists, rather than ones that will purely sell tickets – what are your thoughts on the saturation we’re now seeing of the ‘Promoter/DJ’ hybrid, what are the DJ stocks like in Melbourne in your opinion?

I think some the best promoters come out of the DJ pool. Having said that the worst aspect of our industry is that there are a lot of DJ/ promoters that run parties and play tunes for the wrong reason. While they run as a business there is no heart. A lot of DJ promoters will cut their noses their noses off to spite their face. It’s sad when what was such a healthy scene has been whittled down to cash or fame, for what being famous in Melbourne for six months before you turn around and all your bridges are burned. If you want fame or cash grow a set of dreadlocks, get some specs and right a fucking song about someone being a cinema.

Over the years you’ve played pretty much every set-time imaginable… what are your thoughts on the art of the warm-up set?

I think it’s under rated in terms of importance. The warm up set whether it be opening the venue or playing before a headliner is always a trickier slot, that’s where guys like Phil K, Agent 86, Dave Juric, Trent Mcdermott and James Brooke have really made names for themselves.

What makes a DJ good in your eyes?

Love for what he is playing and being able to read a crowd and then take them on a journey with what he has in his crate. Technical ability or skills refine a DJ. A DJ is only there for the crowd, not for their own self worth.

And last but not least – your upcoming set at Prognosis on June 16th @ Loop will be the debut under your new alias, Trademark. What can we expect?

Look the tunes I’ll be playing are designed for the bedroom. I’m just saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if the dance floor descends in to an orgy. If that happens I’m not cleaning the mess up. Expect a bit of pop-locking, old-skool, hip-hop, funk, then leading into glitch. But it really depends on what I feel the crowd is after 😉

Interview by J-Slyde