Straight out of Hertfordshire, the dynamic duo known as TIBASKO, made up of the talented Ken Petalcorin and Andy Bowden, are revolutionizing the music scene. What sets them apart is their ability to effortlessly merge broken beats and intricately woven synths, resulting in a distinctive sound that effortlessly blends nostalgia with a powerful and electrifying energy.
TIBASKO’s sound is truly unique, fusing broken beats and delicately intertwined synths to create an atmosphere that effortlessly transports listeners to another time, evoking a sense of nostalgia. However, they infuse this nostalgia with an exhilarating punch, fueling the dancefloor with an infectious energy that leaves audiences craving more. After our first chat, Broke Magazine sit down with TIBASKO to talk all things groovy.
Can you tell us a bit about how you first got into music and what inspired you to pursue it professionally?
Getting into music has always been a natural progression for us. We were both drawn to it from a young age, and it quickly became a shared passion between us. We started experimenting with various instruments and software, exploring different genres and sounds. As we grew older, our love for electronic music grew stronger, and we realized that we wanted to pursue it professionally. Going raving around London at the age of 18 pushed us into a more niche, underground sound, the likes of Dusky, Huxley and Shadow Child paved the way with their more dubby records.
Your recent track ‘Hawt’ was a huge success – how did you come up with the idea for the song and what was your creative process like?
‘Hawt’ was a track that came together organically during one of our studio sessions out in LA. Previously our records came from a more emotional and melancholic place, we wanted to flip this and make a record that everyone could dance to. We were experimenting with different synth sounds and stumbled upon this infectious, groovy M1 melody that immediately caught our attention. From there, the track took shape, layer by layer, as we built upon the foundation. We wanted to create something that was energetic and uplifting, something that would make people move on the dancefloor. The whole track came together in the space of a couple of hours. The reception to ‘Hawt’ has been incredible, and we’re thrilled that it has resonated with so many listeners.
Your eponymous EP in 2022 received a lot of critical acclaims and was picked up by some big names in the industry. How did you feel about the response to your music and did it affect your approach to creating new material?
The response to our EP was beyond our expectations. We poured a lot of work into the project, and to see it resonate with both fans and critics was incredibly humbling. It gave us a great sense of validation and encouraged us to continue pushing boundaries with our music. The EP was a space for us to be super experimental with our sound, and in its success we gained an understanding that listeners want to hear something new, something breaking the mold. The success of the EP definitely influenced our approach to creating new material by instilling a sense of confidence and a desire to keep pushing ourselves further.
Your newest track ‘Must Be Right’ has been described as deep and captivating – can you give us a sneak peek into what inspired the song and what listeners can expect from it?
‘Must Be Right’ was heavily inspired by that feeling at a club of being completely blown away by a sound system. We really pushed the low end in this track to the max with saturation and distortion, it’s the driving force behind the record along with the almost intrusive snare that peaks through everything. The vocal, from Cherish’s ‘Killa’, keep that old school RnB flavour in the track that gives the listeners that hook to latch onto.
You’ve been childhood friends since the age of 12 – can you talk a bit about how you’ve evolved musically over the years and how your friendship has influenced your creative partnership?
I think being friends first and foremost makes the job of working together so much easier, we’re not afraid to challenge each other on creative thoughts and feelings which in turn betters the process. We’re constantly showing each other new music and learning things the whole time; our evolution of music that we’re making, and listening to, diverges every now and then, which is great as it allows us to span so many genres and ideas in our creative process.
You’re in the midst of your EU tour – what are you most excited about and what can fans expect from your live shows?
It’s been our first time touring around Europe on a tour bus, supporting Elderbrook, so it was super exciting to see what life on the road was like. We played in a lot of new countries as well such as Belgium and Poland so seeing the vibe there was really cool. As a support act for the tour, we were showcasing much groovier, slow tempo sides to our style which we don’t often get to delve into. It was great to be able to show fans a different side to our music.
You were nominated for BBC Introducing Dance Artist of the Year – how did it feel to receive that recognition and how has it impacted your career?
Honestly it felt insane to be nominated – we weren’t expecting it. We owe a big part of our success to the support that BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 1 have given us. A massive shoutout to Jaguar for backing us since day one. Without her, I don’t think we’d be where we are at now. We’re incredibly thankful to the opportunities that BBC Introducing have opened for us, from our first BBC Radio 1 Hottest and Coldest record to this nomination.
Your music spans across different genres, from electronica to techno – how do you approach blending different styles and sounds in your music?
To be honest we don’t think much into what genres our music fits into. We just make music that we enjoy listening to and really love. A big part of the process is sampling – we’re both avid sample diggers and we both have a huge bank of samples that we’ve collected over the years. We’ve got literally everything from Bulgarian folk music all the way to avant-garde jazz. We feel there’s always a way to rework these samples into our style. The exciting part is discovering how to do it.
What are some of your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
When it comes to DJing, a big inspiration is Jamie XX. We’ve seen him live a few times and we love how he easily melds genres. He’ll literally go from jungle all the way to melodic techno – it’s unreal. In terms of production, Overmono are another huge inspiration to us. The thing we love about them is that they’ve got a really distinct sound, you can tell it’s their music down to the tee. It’s something that we strive to capture in our music as well – we want our sound to be unique, like it’s got its own fingerprint.
What are your plans for the future and what can fans expect from TIBASKO in the coming months?
The next big step we’re looking forward to is building out a live set. We’ve always dreamed of doing this since the inception of TIBASKO. Our music has always lent itself more towards the live space so we cannot wait until the day we can debut it to the world. As always, we’ve got loads of new music coming out over the months – keep your ears open for the 16th June as it’s the release of our next single. Expect to hear summer vibes on this one!
Keep TIBASKO on your radar as new release ‘U Want It/Dayglow’ drops June 16th!