Anfang des Jahres kam Teen Daze aus dem Nichts, um alle im Sturm zu erobern. Viel weiß man trotzdem noch nicht über das Projekt aus Vancouver, Kanada. Grund genug, um mal nachzuhaken – auch wenn der Herr hinter den entspannten und catchy Melodien auch in unserem Interview nebulös bleibt. Trotzdem lassen die Antworten auf einen sehr sympathischen jungen Musiker schließen, von dem man noch so einiges erwarten kann. Warten ist ein gutes Stichwort, wartet man doch hierzulande auch noch auf die Veröffentlichung des Debüts “Four More Years” und das wo die Platte doch der ideale Soundtrack für diesen Sommer gewesen wäre…

1.) Band facts

– Name: Teen Daze
– Band members:
– Founding year: 2010
– Residence: Vancouver, BC, Canada
– Current album: Four More Years

2.) Questionnaire:

– There’s not much known about Teen Daze – so who or what is behind Teen Daze and why is it kept so mysteriously secret?
It’s the story a boy and his friends; the guy spent a year playing music, laughing, kissing, holding hands, climbing mountains, listening to music, watching films and learning about the philosophy of art and the existence of an all-powerful, loving God.  During this year, the boy also played shows, singing quiet acoustic songs about all these things, and sometimes, played dance music with his friends.  Come the end of the school year, the boy’s love moved across the length of the very wide country he inhabits, and he wanted to write some songs that showcased his ability to write songs for her.  Along with that, the boy just wanted to write some songs that his friends would listen to and think, “this reminds me of my time spent with that boy!”  Fast forward to now, the boy’s songs are being listened to by many more people than just his love, or his friends, and his friends all laugh at the idea that they’re not the only ones who get to listen to the songs.

– What is your musical background/what did you do before Teen Daze?
I have been studying for the last four years, and Teen Daze came basically right after I graduated from college.  It’s been good timing, that’s for sure.

– How did you start making music – had you been forced to play an instrument somehow or was it in your own interest?
When I was a kid, I took piano lessons, like most kids do.  And like most kids, I grew tired of it.  Not in the way that my brother did, where he became so frustrated with himself, and any mistakes that might have gotten made, rather, I made too many mistakes, and revelled in them.  I let my mistakes become what I wanted the song to be.  From there, I learnt the guitar, and I became interested in electronic music and digital software all around the age of 16.

– How would you describe your musical style?
Post-wave, neu-Sufjanhouse.

– How did you get in contact to your music label?
The kind folks at Arcade Sound LTD. made the first move, which is nice.  I like to be patient when it comes to relationships, and they were all for initiating everything.  They’re really wonderful, and they’ve been nothing but supporting and excited about my music.

– How do you normally work on songs? What are the steps/processes, what are the usual problems of finishing a song?
It all starts with a sample, or a feel, that I want to build a song around.  Sometimes it’s one synth line, or one vocal sample that I feel would be fun to create something around.  I normally start by creating some texture, like airy pads or synths; then I move to a lead synth line; from there I like to map out what my drums are going to look like.  The bass normally comes after that.  This is pretty subjective though; there’s no standard form that I use when making these tracks, it’s pretty “easy come, easy go”.

– Who are normally the first people you give to songs to listen to it?
I normally first send the track to my manager, and my publicist.  We discuss what we want to do with the track (for example, whether I should post it, or whether I should save it for a record; to post it online, or to send it to blogs, etc.)  From there, a track I’m REALLY excited about normally gets sent to my girlfriend, or my friend Greg ( http://whoishaha.tumblr.com ).

– How was the production process of “Four More Years”, how long did it take, where did it happen?
It happened in two different bedrooms: my bedroom in my apartment, and my bedroom at my parents’ house.  It took me a span of two or three weeks, and the process was my complete ideal way to make a record.  Not a lot of time spent dissecting the mundane; trying as many new things as I could.  I forced myself to do things differently production wise, and I’m feeling really good about the choices I went with.

– “Four Paulina” is one of our favorite songs – can you tell us what it is about, how it was done and if there is a story behind it?
It’s a little love note that was written for a girl that’s too far away from me.

– You’re also doing remixes – how do you choose which songs you like to remix and what are the criteria for choosing?
I just like to remix tracks that I like on their own.  I never try to remix a song that I think needs to be better, for whatever reason.  I’m definitely of the train of thought that says, “this is a great track, how can I make it my own.”

– How do you normally work on a remix?
I normally look through the original song and try and find something that stands out to me.  I did a remix for my friends Young Liars, and in the track I mixed there was a Rhodes part that instantly jumped out at me.  Not only in the sense of me thinking I could work with it, but just the fact that I loved the way it sounded.  From there I start to build the song up from that, and let it dictate itself where it wants to go.

– What are you doing if your not making music?
I’d probably be sleeping in and making smoothies.

– What are your next plans?
I’m going to start playing a lot of shows, across North America, and hopefully Europe.  I’ve got another EP ready; the songs are all fuzzed out, 60s pop songs.  I’ve got lots of remixes on the go, and plenty of good old fashioned Teen Daze electronic tracks.

– Which song would fit to your actual situation?
“A More Perfect Union” by Titus Andronicus

– Which song makes you dance independent of your situation?
“ONE” by Yeasayer

– How would your “Bedroomdisco” look like?
Free Dr. Pepper for everyone!  Lots of moving lights!  Daft Punk casually playing in the corner.

– Who did fill out this questionnaire?
Ttttttteeeeeennnnnn Dddddddaaaaaazzzzeeeeeee

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw7TkbjYaPo&feature=related