On November 4th, our new favorite Australian export Ta-Ku graced Los Angeles with his live music styling’s for the first time. Considering he’s become somewhat of an underground hero, this blew our minds. This Future Classic signee has been creeping into the creative consciousness for several years now but people really took notice with his latest release, the masterful Songs To Make Up To. This album was equal parts melodic and methodic – exercising his keen ability to construct a catchy neo-soul melody dancing on top of a detail-driven beat.
I hesitate to call Ta-Ku just a musician, though. He’s so much more. He’s really a creative force majeure. A renaissance man, if you will. From @CreateExplore to @NoSleepProject, his creative energy knows no bounds. When we were invited to join his LA debut at NeueHouse, we were beside ourselves with excitement. This venue was also new to the scene that night and will certainly bring a welcome revival the Hollywood landscape with something fresh and unexpected. They call themselves a “workspace collective with big social ambitions”. Tight. Much better than the bottle-service-driven mainstream disasters just up the street.
More than anything else, we were eager to learn about his process. How does this intricate music come to life? What about in real-time? In a room packed full of curious fans and surrounded by his stunning photography, Ta-Ku gave us an illuminating glimpse into his brain. Lush layers of live instrument samples, vocal improvisations, some world-class guests (Alina Baraz, Wafia and JMSN) and a rich self-curated visual sequence left us in a dizzy haze of delight. One of our favorite moments was his sultry revamp of “American Boy” featuring Wafia. It oozed sex appeal. If there was ever a reason to justify an hour long grind from Santa Monica to Hollywood during rush hour, this was it. I’d do it everyday.
Artists like Ta-Ku are the hope for electronic genre. They are pushing the boundaries and aren’t afraid to present the world with something different and unprecedented. This evening was inspiring on a new level. There was something here to light everybody’s/anybody’s creative fire. Ta-Ku has been low-key taking over but we think that this movement is about to go MAJOR. It’s not long until this guy is masterminding the beats from Chet Faker to Kanye to Gaga and who knows who else (and probably designing their album artwork too, to be honest.) If you’re ever graced with an opportunity, this show is hard do-not-miss.
