Meet tai. kun | Hip Hop Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with tai. kun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi tai., other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
After studying Film & Broadcasting in school, I really thought I was going to work in movies. I was making music on the side when I met a 2nd AC on this music video shoot I was working my first year in LA. I’ll never forget what he told me, because his face got cold, like he was telling me something he shouldn’t say aloud.

“Whatever you do, whether it’s music, photography, film, you have to let go of one of them. If you don’t choose what you really love, in the end you’ll still be doing it all but for nothing.”

Incredibly encouraging I know. But after that I realized how right he was. I had studied something that I had a passion for, but it wasn’t really what was right for me. I decided a few weeks later that I had to stop working in film.

If I wanted to really improve my music, if I wanted to really express my feelings, then I needed to do this on my own, before I got sucked into living a life that wasn’t really mine. Looking back, that was really crazy of me. I had years of my life that I had given to working in film already. But along the way, I realized that music was more important to me, & really much more integral to who I am as not only a creator, but a person too. I dropped everything in my life to study what it was about Jazz & the lofi hip hop scene that pulled me in as a creative. Ever since I’ve been working hard to craft a sound that is unique to my experiences as an Asian American.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I spend a lot of my time studying aesthetics in recordings. Whether it’s a deep cut from instrumental hip hop of the 2010’s or a harmony from Billy Stewart, there’s something in the music that I like that is subliminal. There’s something in all these sounds that echoes through time to the listener. It’s unspoken but it’s there. Sometimes it can be as simple as dust on a vinyl recording that pulls at our nostalgia… Other times it’s a chord sung at just the right moment in a recording…

I feel as thought modern recording techniques and industry standards take away from what lies at the heart of songwriting. By making something “perfect” we intentionally are taking out all the qualities that lend music warmth, soul, or familiarity. I’ve worked really hard to find a place in my compositions that is neither perfect nor amateur. There’s an invisible quality, especially in instrumental hip hop, that must be preserved.

Over the years, reaching that quality in my production style has been my greatest challenge. I want my beats to sound old, like they were recently discovered. I want the skits embedded in between tracks to feel as if they were dug up out of a time capsule. Now, I finally have a new album “ftr//past” coming out on March 17th that I think does just that. “ftr//past” is a concept I’ve had in my head for 3 years, but finally all the pieces have come together at just the right time. Vinyl Digital is releasing it on all streaming platforms, but you will also be able to hear it on my bandcamp & soundcloud.

There have been many times where I thought “maybe I need to change my music” or “maybe I’m working too hard at something that doesn’t matter.” But some of the happiest moments of my career have come directly after feeling low about my work. If I ever listened seriously to my anxieties or insecurities, I would never have finished this album, or felt confident about playing my beats for people.

I honestly think that if you truly want to succeed, you have to first stop telling yourself that you can’t do it. It’s the hardest part about being an artist, just telling yourself over and over that you can, that you’re already doing it. Doing it is enough, just growing & improving every day is an achievement on its own. You have to be proud of your progress, but you also have to forgive yourself along the way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I always enjoy going up to Griffith Park or seeing the city skyline from the Griffith Observatory. There’s so much history in that one spot alone, you know? Whenever I’m up there I feel like I can see the city clearly, like I know what everyone out there is feeling right at that moment.

Little Tokyo is a special place, and the best place to go for manga, sushi, & public karaoke (they need to bring it back!)

There’s a lot to see south of LA too, & I have to recommend New Wave Bar for it’s 80s vibe & karaoke room.

Beat Cinema, Beats Freaks Geeks, & Beat Mecca are all really dope events you can find every month that showcase other underground producers. For all things experimental, electronic, & hip hop, those are the events I try to always catch when I have the time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a shoutout to French lofihiphop producer Mayaewk. In college, I made a short film & reached out to him because I wanted to use one of his beats for this scene I had. I honestly didn’t expect to receive a response from him, but as it turns out he was more than willing to let me use his music. Over time, Mayaewk has proved not only an inspiration to me, but a good friend. Even though I haven’t met him in person, I’m extremely grateful for the chance he gave me.

This chance encounter went so far for me. I felt from our encounter that creatives & artists on the internet can be personable people who also want to help you achieve your artistic vision. Without Mayaewk, I would have never been exposed to the SP404 sampler too. I owe a lot of what I know from watching his videos on the 404, & my first few releases would never have existed without the influence of his work.

Website: https://taikunlofi.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taikunlofi/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/taikunlofi

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taikunlofi

Other: soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/taikunlofi tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@taikunlofi?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 https://fanlink.to/taikun (for more music links)