With a production sound that’s consistently lush without being overloaded, Tāmaki Makaurau songwriter Daniel Taebin Park, aka Taebz, has been sharing his chilled-out electronic songwriting since 2021. Joined by the otherworldy voice of Han Bee Jeong, aka Hanbee, his latest single Out Of Touch deals with the subject of attachment, as he tells Silke Hartung. Made with support from NZ On Air Music.

Last time we talked you were recording in your home studio. What’s your set-up like these days, not quite two years later?

I don’t think I will ever grow out of my home studio! The home studio is really my haven.

What was the idea and making-of story behind Out Of Touch? 

Luke Park (my brother) sometimes sends me his throwaway beats and this one was a gem buried in one of his exports. I tapped into my experiences of growing out of feelings of attachment/complacency to get the words on paper.

 You’ve worked on the track with fellow Always Be Grateful artist Hanbee. What does she bring to the table in a collaboration?

Hanbee really brought out her inner Lana Del Rey on this one. Her tone is so unique and calming, and her melodies are always catchy!

You got NZOA funding for Out Of Touch. How did it change the process after that? 

Yes – super grateful to get funding for the first time! My previous music videos were self-funded, so my budgets were always very compact, and shots were more constrained. The whole process with funding gave us more freedom and flexibility to achieve the shots we wanted. Blessed!

For me, I love to get involved in the process – and so I went into producer mode right away. The EP and song already had a release date locked in. So I had about a week to write the video idea/script, and pitch the idea to the artists we wanted involved.

The music video beautifully suits the track. Who was involved in that?

Thank you! The video humanises the feeling of attachment. It’s pretty much depicting how the feeling of attachment subconsciously lingers around – until it grows enough that you finally acknowledge it. Hint: the other-worldly character that Dom plays is the feeling of attachment.

My brother, Luke Park (aka Woo!) made the beat for Out Of Touch and also directed/edited the video. Zhen Zi Shen is a crazy-talented make-up artist and they created the aesthetic of the character that Dom played. Dominique Roebuck played the feeling of attachment – stunning. Claire Whyburd as the clothing selector! Izzy Brown make-up assist and hair. Chris Antonio as the AD, gaffer and photographer and Nam Kim as the production assistant. This was actually the first time that Luke and I worked with multiple people in the crew!

How did you find that gorgeous house you filmed in?

I wanted to find a location with clean, minimalistic design and an almost-Scandinavian aesthetic. I found the house online with some luck 🙂

As an independent artist what’s your current strategy to get your song into the ears of people? 

I would say my approach is to try my best to make music which prompts some sort of emotion in the listener. If a song can resonate enough with someone, or make them pause for a moment and feel some type of way – then I’m sure it will float on to the ears of more people!

The EP is just so chill to listen to. What’s coming up next for you?

Really appreciate it – I’m glad you vibe! Nothing too special to announce right now – apart from the fact that ‘Serum’ EP is out! Stream ‘Serum’! 🙂