ROBIN TAYLOR

"The Fifth Element"

Interview with the composer, multi-instrumentalist, sound manipulator,
arranger, producer, etc, etc… Robin Taylor. A true Master!

By Sergio Vilar

Firstly, we would appreciate if you could introduce yourself to our readers. 
I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1956 and have lived here ever since. My mother is Danish and my father is from London, UK, hence the name. I started playing guitar at the age of 12, which soon after led me to being the bass player in several unknown rock groups through my teens. Besides I studied graphic designs and later on made a living as a cartoonist for the next 20 years. Meanwhile composing, playing and recording music became more and more important to me, though I couldn’t imagine myself as one day becoming a pro. First after meeting much younger keyboard player, Jan Marsfeldt, at an art course in 1988, I gained enough self-confidence to bring my music the decisive step further and start a carreer. My record debut was in 1991 (at age 35!), and not too many took notice of it, but things gradually changed for the better over the next years. The self-titled album by my studio project, Taylor’s Universe, made a lot of good press when it was released in 1994, and this made it easier for me to pick very good players for my studio sessions. The third release by Taylor’s Universe in 1998, “Experimental Health”, featured Danish sax legend, Karsten Vogel, who became famous in the 1970s with groups like Burnin Red Ivanhoe and Secret Oyster, and this lucky incident led to a companionship which has lasted till this day. In 2000 Vogel talked me into forming a live group, which ended up as Taylor’s Free Universe. I hadn’t been on a stage for ages, but this strong quintet changed my reluctance against public performance, simply because it’s like dynamitel Taylor’s Free Universe have played gigs at festivals a.o. around Denmark, and recorded one studio- and two live albums so far. The 2003 release, “On-Plugged in Elsinore”, was nominated for a Danish Music Award Jazz and was also chosen as best CD of the year by www.progressor.net . I produce records as a solo artist as well as under the names of Taylor’s Universe and Taylor’s Free Universe. Till this day I’ve released 14 albums (plus one more to come in the autumn. In 1996 I established my own label, Marvel of Beauty.

Please, tell us which were your main musical influences in your early days?
When I formed my first band with some friends from school, we had all been fans of The Beatles for years, but our Nº 1 thing (back then in 1968) was the British power trio, Cream. A couple of years later it blew my mind, when I for the first time heard Emerson, Lake & Palmer on record. This - obviously - led me to King Crimson, which was an even deeper experience. At the same time I was attending a lot of concerts with native acts, of whom Burnin Red Ivanhoe were something very special to me. But it was the early records by Mike Oldfield that really opened my eyes towards the recording media and the multiinstrumentalist thing.

How would you describe your music? Could you assimilate it into a particular style?
I’m not so keen about putting labels on music as it can be very restricting; after all there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. But here in Denmark my music is normally described as jazz - with a twist of rock, or vice versa - as the expression "prog" is almost non-existing today, or it reminds people of something very "mouldy" from the 1970s. The right expression might probably be "contemporary music".

 
Taylor's Universe 

How important is to your music the experimentation with new forms and sounds? 
It’s very important to me, not to be stuck in some kind of formula, when I create music. It wouldn’t make sence to me, if I made music that sounded like anything you already know too well.

How do the themes emerge? How does inspiration arise? 
I'm inspired by the (so-called) life that surrounds me - including my record collection, which is rather huge, including lots of different music. I was never taught playing or composing music; I just like listening to the sounds around me and making my own interpretations. My music is like the sum of everything I've heard - good or bad - in my lifetime. In other words: you are what you eat.

Do you usually try to reach a special sound when you start writing your compositions? 
When I write (or rather make up music), I often think of the people I want to play the particular parts. For instance, I've been following Karsten Vogel through most of his carreer; I know his sound and his abilities, and I know what I can ask him to do (and I sometimes push him a little further). That also goes for the rest - including myself. Some times it's quite opposite; I discover an interesting sound (from a synthesizer or whatever), and this sound suddenly developes into a composition, because of the mood this particular sound brings me in...

Is there a particular artistic or aesthetic concept that you would like to express?
My concept is to break barriers; change people's way of thinking; create something new with a set of aesthetics I can call my own.

Don't you think that, contrary to what used to happen in the 70's, the musicians at the present are subjected to creative restrictions, because of the necessity place their work in a certain style? If so, which would be the consequences of this situation?
In the 1970s a lot of things had never been done before. This was still the time of pioneering. Today it's harder to innovate - unless you are a little bit crazy - and I have the feeling, that a lot of bands these years are becoming copycats, due to lazyness or lack of talent: did it work for them, it’ll work for us. Of course there are still hard working bands around with something new to offer, but why put them in boxes with labels like: sounding like blah, blah, blah..? In my opinion: if prog today is only a mirror of what prog was in the 1970s, PROG IS DEAD!

 
Taylor's Free Universe 

Do you consider that there exists a philosophy of innovation in the current musical scene? 
Innovating is a minority thing. Who wants to belong to a minority?

What can we expect in the future of music? 
My friend and bandmate, Pierre Tassone, whispers over my shoulder: "Uniformity and King Money will still strongly prevail!!!"

Talking about the diffusion of music, would you say that the only way that the new bands have to promote their music at an international level is through Internet? Which is your experience on this respect? 
The internet is a very good opportunity for bands without major companies in their back to get worldwide exposure. For me, personally, I discovered a new world of interest, unlike the ignorance I was used to here in Denmark, which is a very small country with a very limited (non-existing) market for experimental music.

Which is the perspective that you have of your own career? What things do you find the best and which the worst? 
The first couple of records I made are far from present on my personnal top 20. The thing I regret most regarding my carreer is, that it took me so long before I actually got started. For a long time I didn't seriously believe, that there was a sufficiently strong potential in the music, I was making. I probably took too much notice of the criticism, my friends at that time gave me... (On the other hand, they never really understood the music of my favourite band, King Crimson). Today it amuses me to think of, who were wrong and who was right.

What music are you currently listening to? Could you recommend us any new artist?
I haven't got any particular favourites at the moment. I buy a lot of records, but in recent years I've mostly been digging up gems from the past: Canterbury and RIO stuff, early Zappa, Zeuhl from France - not to mention the newly released concert recordings by early King Crimson. Superb!

Thank you Robin. Do you have a closing message to our readers?
The final message to those who read this: Listen to my records!

www.progressor.net/robin-taylor 

Nucleus interview: 12/07/04