How did you meet and start making music together?
T: Darien and I go back. We both met in Hawaii years ago when we both lived there— I was Gigging and he was young, like real young. We started talking about Dilla and the rest is history.
D: Tim had a man-bun back then. Life was different.
You started releasing lo-fi tracks together over the pandemic. What was the inspiration behind the project?
T: For me, the inspiration came from an overwhelming need not only to fill the space we had in our lives from not working, but to make songs that are different from anything I have been a part of before. We both have been listening to beat tapes our whole lives, and we are not working— let us make one!
D: I wanted to put out music more consistently. I get in my own head about my music but committing to a song a month with this project was a wonderful way for me to stay disciplined.
Tell us a little more about your newest track “Spirit Detour” and the meaning behind it
T: Spirit Detour is part of our soul-searching road trip concept for the beat tape. Beats that we would listen to in the van. Sometimes in life, you hit a wall— or a dead end— and the way ahead does not seem clear. That can be taxing on the spirit, but necessary to become who you are meant to be after walking through that uncomfortable experience.
Sum up your music using three words
T: Beats, Guitars, Life
D: Chords, Feels, Love
Tim: you turned your van into a home recording studio. Tell us a little about “Vanna White”
T: Vanna White has been my full-time home since I moved to LA in 2019. It is a fully operational bedroom studio that is solar-powered. It is also my home, office, gym, yoga studio, and gig storage. I built it myself while living in it (not recommended) from an empty cargo van with a dream of being able to make music, surf, and sleep as much as I want.
Ddidthat: as a producer, who are your favorite producers, and which artists are on your bucket list to work with in the future?
T: Stevie Wonder and Pharrell are my musical North Stars. I would love to collaborate with them. Ariana Grande would be a dream collaboration. Her voice over some colorful chords would be amazing.
How many hours a day do you spend making music?
T: Not Enough. If I had one wish It would be 9-day weeks, 36-hour days.
D: Same with T, not enough. I try to stick to at least an hour a day.
What would you change in the music and entertainment industry after this past year?
T: I wish major labels would stop behaving like hedge funds where talented artists are the currency, they are buying up in bulk for cheap without regard to how it affects their individual lives. I also wish that social engagement was not the metric that drives what A&Rs care about. None of this has anything to do with the music itself and that makes my heart break.
D: Free Britney
You are playing a sold-out stadium show and you get one song to cover. Which song would it be?
T: Maze N Frankie Beverly – Before I let go.
D: Waka Flocka Flame – Hard in the Paint
What is next for you?
T: We have a song coming every month for the next three months— and the complete album will drop before the end of the year!
