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Release Date: 25th October
Boasting an incessant groove, infectious vocal call of ‘that dirty funk,’ and a thumping drum and bass section that is sure to light up any dance floor, TAOQ’s latest single, “DirtyFunk,” draws heavy inspiration from MartinIkin’s high-energy track “Headnoise (Get Hype).” Drawing on its infectious vibe, TAOQ set out to recreate that same intensity in his own style. After initially completing the track six months ago, the feedback from friends and family prompted him to revisit and rework it, fine-tuning the elements until it captured the energy he had been striving for. “DirtyFunk” is an electric track with a ferocious energy that is sure to explode onto the UK house scene in the very near future.
Old school clubber TAOQ is a dance music enthusiast and producer whose love for the genre emerged from the vibrant club scene of the late ’90s. With a deep-rooted passion for house, deep house, and tech house, TAOQ spent years as a closet bedroom DJ before truly embracing production during lockdown. Balancing a full-time job and family life, the journey to this point has been gradual and filled with challenges. Despite numerous obstacles and moments of doubt, TAOQ is driven by his vision of achieving a million Spotify streams and this goal is what pushes him to continue his pursuit. The name TAOQ, short for “The Ambassador of Quan,” reflects a personal philosophy where “Quan” symbolizes peace, love, music, and money—the ultimate quartet of fulfillment. Since releasing his debut track in December 2023, TAOQ has been steadily building his expansive discography, with six tracks now available – check them out using the links below!
GETTING TO KNOW TAOQ
Introduce yourself and your project
Inspired by the late 90s club scene, TAOQ is an electronic music producer with a passion for house, deep
house and tech house music. Short for “The Ambassador of Quan,” TAOQ’s moniker represents his
personal mantra; an embrace of “Quan,” the ultimate fusion of peace, love, music and money. It’s a fitting
name for an artist whose journey into production has been defined by relentless drive, aiming to craft
immersive beat-driven sounds that distil the energy of the dance music’s golden era.
“Dirty Funk,” perfectly showcases TAOQ’s ability to capture dance music’s hypnotic energy. With its
thumping bassline, rhythmic groove and infectious vocal hook declaring “that dirty funk,” the track is an
invigorating dance anthem. Drawing heavy inspiration from Martin Ikin’s hit “Headnoise (Get Hype),”
TAOQ has aimed to present that same pulse but with his unique flair, creating a sound that bridges
classic and modern house elements.
The journey to completing “Dirty Funk” was a labor of love; originally crafted six months ago, the track
went through a series of reworks following feedback from friends and family, who urged TAOQ to refine
the sound further. With a critical ear and an eye on the dancefloor, TAOQ returned to the studio, tweaking
each aspect of the track until he achieved the bold intensity he envisioned. T
he result is a powerful and upbeat track brimming with deep bass rumbles and snapping beats cut with
lively vocal samples. The perfect display of TAOQ’s creativity and slick sound design panache, “Dirty
Funk” serves up an epic dance music experience that’s sure to win over fans around the world.
Explain what musical genre fits you best
My normal music style is vocal driven House music. So as a genre type I would say it sits somewhere
between House / Deep House with a touch of Tech house. So Dirty Funk is actually a bit different from
what I normally release in that it is leaning more towards a tech House track.
Were you connected with music from a young age and did anyone inspire you?
Music has always moved me and evoked an emotional response in me from a very young age. It was the
energy and vibe of dance music that drew me in. During my uni days I was inspired by DJs like Sasha,
Carl Cox to start DJing. Later in life I was inspired by artists such as Gorgon City, John Summit and
James Hype to start producing my own music.
What kickstarted your music career?
COVID probably, it was during lock down where we all had so much spare time on our hands that I
decided to learn how to produce. So I actually got something positive out of that time.
Tell us more about your sound and how it’s evolved over time
I would say my natural/default sound is Old Skool house, which was essentially implanted on me from my
Uni clubbing days. But I also like Deep House, Mainstage & tech House and there is a lot of Dance Pop
played in our house thanks to my wife. So I will often take elements / sounds from any of these and try to
bring them into my tracks. Currently I am working on more classic vocal house tracks, so a bit different
from dirty funk.
Any words you want to share to encourage other artists or producers?
If you are anything like me, it’s going to be a long, hard road with many challenges and disappointments.
You will likely have times when you doubt you can do it and will consider quitting on many occasions. But
don’t give up, learn from your mistakes, keep working and keep striving to make better music and the
music you like. Results, satisfaction & success will come.
How do you nurture your industry relationships?
Honestly this is probably my biggest challenge. I am not a natural extrovert, and even maintaining an
active social media profile seems overly boastful. It’s a mind set that I haven’t completely adopted
yet
Is there anyone you’d like to thank that’s been crucial to your journey?
Probably the people who made the most significant difference in me improving as a producer are Eric
Desiro (see Erics Instagram here) & Conor (see Conor’s Instagram here) .They both mentored me through Eric’s EDM Blueprint
course. Eric is awesome Technically & Conor is super creative so together they were the perfect combination and have made a lasting impression on how I produce my music today.
Name 3 songs you love and what they mean to you
Perfect motion – Sunscreen – Boys Own Mix
This is probably responsible for me falling in love with Dance music, back in the day. It still gives me
goosebumps every time I hear it.
Guns & Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
If I could I’d name 4 songs of this album, but you asked for
1 song and Welcome to the Jungle is obviously the opener to Appetite for Destruction, which sets up what
is to come perfectly. I’ve chosen this because listening to that album is my first real memory of music
igniting a distinct emotional response in me.
The Blower’s Daughter – Damian Rice
My wife walked down the aisle at our wedding to this. I
blubbed like a baby.
What’s your favourite piece of studio equipment or software?
Has to be my Mac Studio & Ableton. I can’t do anything without my go-to DAW and the MAC gives me
power to throw an almost unlimited amount of ideas at the project.
Name your favourite club or festival and how it makes you feel
It’s no longer there unfortunately. But it has to be Feel in Preston. Probably the biggest and most
successful dance club night in Preston’s history, Feel was a ‘super club’ that was based at the University
of Central Lancashire venue from January 1994 to 2005 and was renowned across the country
Big name DJs would play here regularly. It was literally 2 minutes from my dorm. And me and my uni
mates sweated it out there every time it was on.
Take a look at the list of some of legends who played there
Name an outlandish rider request?
Honestly I’ve never made one. Would love to be in the position to make one though 😉
Favourite clubbing memory and who or what did it involve?
Probably seeing Paul Oakenfold in his hay day at Gate Crasher in Shedfield. Gate Crasher is an epic club
and me and a group of Uni mates took a road trip from Preston to see Paul play. It’s just one of those
nights that was epic in every way. The club, the music, the friends.
What famous quote represents you best?
Not sure if a scene from Jerry Maguire counts as famous but ‘Some dudes might have the coin, but they’ll
never have the Quan’.
I’ve changed Ron Tidwell’s version of Quan to my own meaning. But the sentiment is the same: some
dudes might have the coin, but do they also have Peace, Love & Music?
If you could play at any venue, where would it be and why?
Pacha Ibiza
Music is….. (explain more)
the one thing, besides friends and family, that can connect to my soul.
One song you really couldn’t live without and why?
Probably Faithless Insomnia – It’s an absolute classic and my house mate had this on repeat at the time
so it’s intrinsically linked with a period of my life that I have very happy memories of.
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8JEm4d6Wu4
Namedrop your favourite 5 artists or DJs (past or present)
Sasha
Gorgon City
DOD
James Hype
John Summit
What was your first music memory and how did it fuel your fire?
Guns & Roses Appetite for destruction, I think this is probably the first time I noticed in myself a distinct
emotion when listening to music. (It may have been happening before that, but I was not old enough /
aware enough to recognise it.)
Tell us more about your plans for the future
It’s pretty simple really, keep learning and trying to make better music. Keep regularly releasing to build
up my fan base. Oh yeah and get better at Social Media & networking.
Any worldly advice you’d like to share?
Appreciate what you do have, don’t worry about what you don’t have.
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