INTERVIEW: The Seige — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

The Seige

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IT has been cool speaking with The Seige...

about their latest track, I’m Coming Home, and what its story is. I ask what inspired their album, Duality, and whether there are any tour plans in the works – and whether the L.A.-based duo are coming to the U.K. at any point.

I discover which music memory stands out from the pack and what sort of music the guys are influenced by; whether they get chance to chill away from music and what advice they’d give to artists coming through – they both pick great songs to end the interview with.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Been a good week so far. Can’t complain.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Taz Conley, the rapper and Riley Taylor, the producer. Just two dudes from two different walks of life who love music and create with one common goal: to push our own limits and inspire others to do the same.

How did The Seige begin life? Do you recall the moment you met?

We would frequently be in the same place at the same time due to us having a lot of mutual friends. We never worked together back then; kind of had our own individual sh*t going on but, one day, I (Taz) needed someone to help me flesh out some of the tracks I had been working on…so I reached out to Riley who did such a good job bringing my ideas to life.

We just decided to make a band out of it.

What is your new single, I’m Coming Home, all about? What inspired it?

I’m Coming Home is a story about what an individual will do once they are counted out. It’s a revenge story of sorts with success being the best revenge of all. We pulled inspiration for the song from our past lives and relationships; old girlfriends who did us dirty or friends who weren’t loyal.

It is from the album, Duality. What themes inspired the songs?

I’m Coming Home is on the second half of the album. When we were working on Duality, we were really inspired by techno-cyberpunk themes, science fiction movies like Bladerunner and The Matrix and the duality between that world and the natural world of nature, animals and biology. The ultimate duality; where we are all headed as a human race and playing around with ideas on how the fast movie tech of today will affect us in the future.

Did you both grow up around different artists or do you share musical tastes?

We both grew up on a bunch of different types of music and have very eclectic tastes. We generally gravitate towards the same kinds of music today; from Rock and Rap to Jazz music. Just don’t give us any Country.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

A lot of the syncs we have been getting are really somewhat of a dream come true for both of us. We both grew up playing video games and watching sports and always dreamed of having our music on T.V. and in some of our favourite games. So, it has been crazy to watch that unfold in our lives.

We’ve gotten syncs with the NFL, the NBA; big movies like Mission Impossible and in T.V. shows like Cloak & Dagger. Massive games have even used our songs: Fortnite, FIFA and Madden. Seeing something happen that you’ve literally dreamt about since you were a kid is something truly special.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Our most recent one, Duality, definitely means the most to both of us because it’s really some of the best music that either of us have made…and it’s a culmination of everything we’ve learned and experienced and accomplished in our lives up to this point. Every song we wrote, every sound we created before was just preparation for this project and it means so much to us.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

We would love to jump on the road with J. Cole, Kanye West or A$AP Mob. Definitely would have to have lots of fruit and water on the rider. And jerky. Lots of beef jerky.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Stay independent as long as you can - and spend every dollar you earn on making yourself better as an artist. Always create honest, positive material and, most importantly, trust yourself and your own intuition.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

We’re going quiet for the next couple seasons to push out some new sounds and challenge ourselves creatively.

Might we catch you in the U.K. this year?

Wouldn’t that be lovely, mate?

Is touring something you both love doing?

We’ve both been playing live shows ever since we were kids, so touring will always hold a nice comfortable place in our hearts. How could you not love it? Nothing beats going to meet real fans of the crazy music you create. That’s exactly us musicians we do what we do.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

No. Just listen to the The Seige and shut everything else out.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

We usually stay working but, whenever we get a chance to just kick it, we might catch up on a good book we’ve been into or chill with friend, our girlfriends or travel and hang out with family. Since we both live in L.A., we really enjoy catching some live shows around town or seeing one of our artist friend’s shows.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Taz: Wu-Tang Clan – Protect Ya Neck