Not to be “that guy”, but I like googling artist’s names to find out what they mean. When I looked up Tjaro, I found out it refers to nice clothing, and more specifically the type of clothing that makes someone popular. So I guess it makes total sense that the rising London talent Tjaro would use this moniker for his electronic music project, which combines elements of house, garage and breaks-y electronica. But the growing hype that’s surrounding Tjaro has nothing to do with the name, and everything to do with the uplifting vibes that radiate from his sound. Case and point, his new release Verve / Tex explores different textures and genres to creates something unique that will make you dance as much as it will make you feel. I had a chat with Tjaro to talk about modular synths, DJ-ing strategies and creative sparks.

Nice to meet you! There’s a very interesting mood flowing through your 2 new tracks. What can you tell me about how these new tracks came about?

Both came from pretty different places creatively to be honest. A couple months back, I played my first dj gig and wanted to play some of my own tunes for the gig, and Verve was one of the tunes I had made for that. Tex is a bit different, around the time I was writing it, I really wanted to work with a lot of modular samples and textures and build a tune around that concept.

I started off with the drums to really build the vibe that I had envisaged, and then once I had layered it with the chords it came together quite quickly after that.

So do you produce with DJ-ing in my mind?

Definitely, when making club-inspired tunes. I feel it’s important that during the writing process, you’re definitely thinking about how it would work in a club environment. My favourite artists have always had the ability to make tunes that work really well in a club and can also be listened to at home and it can be just as enjoyable. That has definitely impacted my tunes for sure.

it is always nice to see the effect your music has on people irl! You mention modulars, do you tend to prefer hardware, VSTs, or do you work with both?

It’s sort of a mixture of samples, VSTs and a bit of hardware. I’m avidly trying to get better with modular synthesis, but a lot of the time I’ll find a number of modular samples instead and manipulate it as far away from its original form as possible. I did that a lot with Tex.

What synths did you use to achieve the sound we hear on Tex and Verve?

In terms of modular synths, I’ve only really got one synth that I use and that is the semi-modular Behringer Neutron. A lot of the time I’ll use it to create different textures and atmospheres, a lot of the time using the sample and hold to modulate different parameters.

In terms of chords on both tunes, much of it comes from the Sequential Circuits Prophet Rev2, which has definitely had the biggest impact on my music for sure. It has got quite a distinct sound that is unreal for any form of pad sounds.

Going back to DJ-ing, what do you think makes a great DJ performance? Can you share a tip, whether it’s something you learned a long time ago, or something you've been thinking about recently…

Something that has definitely helped a lot for my DJ-ing is watching and listening to mixes of my favourite djs. I feel it’s the best way to learn, especially with track selection. Understanding how to read the room is probably the most important thing.

I frequently listen to a lot of Ben UFO’s dj sets, constantly trying to get better.

Interesting! When you read the room, do you look for specific signs, or just if people are dancing or not?

I look at it more as patterns. My song selection tends to be quite varied and diverse. If certain types of tune are working frequently then I’ll adjust the set slightly to what’s working in the room.

I think it is one of those things the more you play live in front of an audience, naturally, the better you will get.

In one of your previous interviews you mentioned your favorite tracks. I thought it could be fun to follow up and ask you if there are any tracks by other artists that inspire you at the moment?

Haha, I’ve been listening to a lot of Koreless’ stuff recently. His album with Young Turks - Agor - is unreal! I’ve always been really drawn to the textures he manages to create, it gives his tunes a really detailed and defined sonic character that is quite special and unique.

Sounds cool, I should listen to more of his stuff!

Yeah go check him out, he’s wicked!

Is there anything you’d like to plug or something coming up this summer that you’re excited about?

I’ve got some really exciting bits coming up with a label that is in its early stages at the moment. So keep an eye out for that 👀

Damn! Sounds like things are happening for Tjaro! You deserve it, can't wait to hear that!

Thanks a lot man :)

Verve / Tex is out now on streaming platforms.

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Cover credit: Alexis Maryon

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