David Pope, or as we know him as palatable alias, Tastee, is a Georgia-based dubstep producer. His genuine and complimentary taste in music has solidified him in the rank of a music tastemaker. Banger after succulent banger, we pucker in response.
Please welcome Tastee to the storm.
Question 1: Welcome to the storm! We are stoked to have you with us! Can you deep-dive into who is Tastee? Where did this all begin?
Answer 1: Thanks for having me! So, to the way I got my start in the EDM scene actually goes back to the hip hop scene. I started off as most teenagers do with a group of friends and a few of them wanted to be rappers, so I taught myself how to make beats for them. I was also a guitarist in a few punk bands here and there but for the most part my band-mates didn’t take it quite so seriously, so I started working on solo projects. After I heard dubstep all-stars vol.1 in 2008, it was all I was interested in. The way the name Tastee came about was actually a joke. My first ever live set in front of a small crowd of people I was so nervous that I ended up vomiting just off stage. One of the other DJs made the comment “ewww that looks Tasty” and after I slayed my set I went out for drinks with a few other DJs and all night they called me “Tasty” and I ran with it. I think it’s in some weird way a testament to my music. Even when I drop some massive tunes, it’s still lighthearted and almost tongue in cheek. Tastee, is the comedic relief in a dark dystopian world.
Question 2: Who have been your biggest inspirations thus far in your career?
Answer 2: I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some really cool and interesting people along my journey in this bass fueled world. I would have to say as far as dubstep itself goes, Benga and Coki were extremely inspiring making me want to start creating this music myself. Raisi K is a producer that I follow on YouTube, and he mostly makes trap remixes of video game soundtracks. He’s definitely an inspiration of mine. Outside of the music itself, Layne Staley the original vocalist for Alice in Chains has always been a huge influence and I think it shows in the way I approach music as well. Their lyrics are dark and cold but the way he presents them is also tongue in cheek, almost in a sarcastic and care free way.
Question 3: What sort of advice would you give to someone who wants to be in your shoes?
Answer 3: First of all, I don’t want to see anyone in my shoes. I prefer to see them running miles ahead of me in their own. I love the culture, and I love the way new producers are always bringing something fresh to the table that none of us thought about before. The best advice I can give, as cliche as it sounds, is stay as genuine as possible. If you have to overthink it too much, it’s probably not genuine. Everyone wants to be unique and stand out, but the best way to do that is simply by doing what you want to do. There’s really no cookie cutter method to it. Network with other producers, DJs, promoters, etc and treat them how you want to be treated. I fully believe what you give out in this world will come back to you. Also, take genuine feedback to heart. Your friends will always tell you your stuff is great, but if you seek out genuine feedback from people who don’t know you on a personal level and you actually listen to them, you’ll see your stuff evolve to another level almost over night.
Question 4: Eating and or drinking before a set? Yay or nay?
Answer 4: So, i’m all about food. As far as eating before a set I’m always going to say yes, but keep it light. The same also goes for drinking. Sometimes you might feel the urge to start hitting a bottle to calm your nerves, but definitely don’t over do it. I would say one light drink or a beer is fine, unless you can’t hold your alcohol, then you are asking for a disaster.
Question 5: What is the ideal 2025 looking like for you? Walk us through your utopia year in five years.
Answer 5: My idea 2025 would be to see my label get its feet off of the ground. I got a great team working with me to get that started. My primary goal with it is to get some new producers out into the world so that they can get up more confidence to keep pushing forward harder. Things get stagnant and people feel like they are wasting their time, and that kills the creative process. Also, I would see myself doing a set at Imagine or lost lands. That’s definitely the dream right there.
Question 6: Who is in your collaborations scope? Anything you can sneak or leak?
Answer 6: Very soon i’m releasing a collaboration with a new producer called “Second Pulse” on my label “GutterPunk Records“. I’m also currently working on collaborations with “Murlock Holms” “Lost boi” “Autonome” and Rei Bozeman, singer for a local band called “Flannel Black“
There are others I’m currently looking at that I would love to collaborate with. I love doing collaborations because it’s for me personally, just a funner process throwing a track back and forth with someone else, seeing how we can flip each others stuff around.
Question 7: What does Georgia do best in terms of music?
Answer 7: You know, when you think about Georgia, EDM isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind in the music world, but Atlanta is on top of the game when it comes to weekly shows, always having a big name come through. There’s more and more bass music producers popping up everyday here, because the scene is growing and I absolutely love that about this state. It’s still new, and has those old underground vibes, but it’s rapidly growing.
Question 8: What sort of creative process do you call upon for making music?
Answer 8: So, when I get home I’ll usually grab my guitar and start noodling around on it. Hitting new chord structures or scales usually gets my creative juices going, and i’ll hope over into my DAW. I’ll write out a melody or sometimes I start with a drum pattern. It’s really just about me starting to experiment with something. However, when I create a song, I never release that song. Instead what I’ll do is go back to it and “remix” it, and that becomes my final product. I feel like being able to de-clutter that way, give it a few days and coming back to it with a fresh perspective makes it more interesting.
Question 9: What can we expect next in the realm of Tastee?
Answer 9: I have a new song being released by BassCapital Records on Sept. 14th, soon after I have that collaboration with Second Pulse and i’m currently putting together a new set. I think while COVID-19 is still a threat I’ll be focusing more on streaming and really honing into my craft more so that when the powers that be decides to release us back into the bass arenas I can come in full swing. With that I am also putting stock and work into my label so that it can benefit some new and upcoming artists.
Question 10: Who do you see killing and slaying it lately? Give them a shout-out
Answer 10: Definitely want to start off with my team. Second Pulse, Autonome, Murlock Holms and my wife, who is making her way into the production world. Brainsick Records, Old Ghost Records, Dub Wubz Promotions, Rawkn and the Bass Capital Recordss crew, Scafetta, they are all killing it right now. There’s so many that I feel like I’m going to leave someone out, but it’s just great to see so much innovation and so many fun things happening in this dark time, and that resonates with me on a personal level, on a Tastee level.
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