Hello fellow drum and bass followers! I am excited to share with you the latest tune by Task Horizon and Julia Marks on the Evolution Chamber label. Since their beginning in 2004 Task Horizon have been heavily influenced by the chaotic sonics of drum and bass. Their string of hits has landed them on labels like RAM records, Eatbrain, and Blackout to name a few. Combine that with the versatile vocalist artist Julia Marks. Being heavily present in the world of drum and bass. She has performed for thousands at the biggest events in Russia like World of Drum & Bass and Bassland. And working on releases on labels like Program, Lifted Music and Renegade Hardware. Not to mention providing vocals for all records made by Magnetude. These artist now come together to create a track that pushes the limits of the senses call Synesthesia. Lets get into some Q & A with Task Horizon.
Q & A with Task Horizon
Q: What is a little history about Task Horizon and how it came together?
A: We had the pleasure to experience the innovative growth of electronic music in the 90s and it was just the most inspiring thing ever. So I (Aaron) started buying equipment and tried to emulate the sound of Virus and RAM Records. Over the years Tim and Flo joined the project. We had our first releases in the early 2000s on UK labels like DSCI4, Habit and Sudden Def.
Q: How has your experience been working with Evolution Chamber?
A: Since it’s our own label we can confidently say it’s such a fun and enjoyable label and can not believe we are creating something that is now starting to gain a lot of traction with a lot of bigger names artists coming to us wanting to do releases with us. What I love mostly about the label is that it’s run by a collective of artists. It is not just a label but also a safe space for everyone personally. We all help and support each other, personally as well as professionally.
We are all locked in together. If a new artist comes on board, they too have equal input on the label decisions, the group votes via our Telegram chat room. We make collective decisions together. It really feels like a family. It’s a label we’re so proud to be part of. And with top producers like Joe Ford, Magnetude, Malux, on board, quality control is next level. This year so far has been our strongest start to the year and we have an insane release schedule this year.
Q: Was the title of the track something that came out after production or before as an
idea?
A: To be honest, the title of the single was Julia’s. We sent the final to her and at the time, we couldn’t think of a name for the track, and she came back with the idea for the title.
Q: Was Julia given free range on the lyrics, or was it a group effort?
A: She had free range. We never like to restrict people who we work with. We work with producers or vocalists whom we believe in their skills from their past and present work, so it is imperative for us to respect their skills and give them complete freedom to deliver what they feel. Julia actually recorded the verses on an earlier version of the track which actually sounded completely different! We were super happy when we heard what she came up with.
Q: How did you correlate the sounds of the track with the definition of the word
Synesthesia?
A: We wish we could tell you a story here about how clever we correlated every sound with a confused human sense but like mentioned previously, it was Julia’s idea after we finished the tune. Synesthesia is a condition that is very fascinating and we loved the idea. Also once upon a time many years ago, we ate a few too many shrooms and actually experienced it first hand lmao.
Q: How long did you work to complete the track? What took longer to get right, the
arrangement or the vocal recording and processing?
A: The track actually took ages. Infact, a couple of years to be more precise. There were many versions of the track that sounded completely different to the final. We kept searching for a different sound, and approach, all of which had something that we all agreed was not quite there. When we heard what Julia sent us, we knew that we had to completely change the whole concept of the track again and we literally built the new track around her vocals.
We also moved over from Cubase to Bitwig last year, and with that, the whole process of learning a new DAW, also played a big factor in getting this track finished, but we eventually got there in the end.
Q: Where is your favorite place to enjoy drum and bass? Clubs, Events, or smaller
get-togethers?
A: I (Aaron) really like smaller venues, they feel more intimate, and you can feel the energy of the crowd so much more. Big festivals are fun too of course, but sometimes you feel disconnected to the crowd on the bigger stages, but the plus side is the production values that you get at festivals. You can not beat them in a standard club environment. I guess each has their pros and cons. Tim comes from a live music background, so for him, he tends to stay away from the clubs.
Q: When can we expect another release by Task Horizon?
A: We’re sitting on a ton of material and finalising an EP for Eatbrain, and are sitting on a ton of music that doesn’t follow the usual Task Horizon trademark sound. But first we’ll reveal a big remix project later this year that we’ve been working on for quite some time that includes some of our fav artists in the scene. Can’t wait to share it with everyone but for the moment it’s very hush hush for now. On top of that we have several collaborations in the pipeline too… We are very much looking forward to what this year brings.
Track links
Synesthesia is available here for streaming and purchase. Get it now!