Farah x SoccerBible speaks to TSB

There’s undoubtedly a collective appreciation when football meets fashion and music, which is why we’re proud to present the artists featured in the Farah X SoccerBible ‘Unity’ collection shoot. Introducing, TSB.

TSB has worked with the top tier of UK rap elite such as Stormzy, Headie One, J Hus, MoStack, Loski, AJ Tracey and notable tracks he’s produced include Headie One x Young T & Bugsey ‘Princess Cuts’ (#11), J Hus ‘No Denying’ (#33), Dave ft J Hus ‘Disaster’ (#8).

The London producer last month teamed up with Unknown T & M1llionz to release his debut single ‘Jagged Edge’.

Check out the full interview below..

You’ve made music for so many people and done a lot of great things as a producer, how does it feel to step out and put something out there that’s entirely your own?

Yeah it’s overwhelming but great. I’ve been a producer for sometime now and I’m used to the process of releasing music but the fact that I’m the person spearheading it and the person in front of the camera, it’s a different experience but one I’m warming up to for sure. It’s sick as well to have friends and family backing what you do too - everyone has been so excited for me.

I was nervous at first but I think that’s only normal when you step out into the light. I feel like I was born for this. It feels great. It’s a welcome experience.

Music is beautiful in the way it brings people together - how would you describe how important unity is for you?

Unity is very important. For me, the world can’t really operate in the way it is supposed to, without unity. Bringing people together, making  people feel like they’re at home and comfortable - it’s so important. To have unity, you need to have love, you need to have shared interests. Music offers a soundtrack to the world. Whatever that type of music is, it can unite and bring people together. We could be in a room together, listening to a track and love it for completely different reasons but it’s the music that is the common factor. Music gets people moving, it evokes emotion, it makes you  feel - all these things are so powerful. I feel like it’s a catalyst to bringing people together ultimately. Things can’t move forward without unity.

A track is like putting a puzzle together, how satisfied or how harmonious does it feel once a track is made, produced and out there?

It feels great once it’s out there. Harmonious is the perfect word. I always try to give this analogy that music is like  cooking or painting. It’s like me being in the kitchen with all these different sounds but right now, they’re all still in the cupboards. So nobody knows what dish is going to get made. Before you know it, you’re chucking in a bit of this and a bit of that, whether that’s drum or melodies and you’re fusing things together in the same way you’d blend spices when cooking. Hours later you have this work of art that previously didn’t exist. You need all those elements and ingredients to get to that final product which people can hear and love.

I still haven’t got over that feeling and I’ve been making music for 12 years. The fact that I can go to my studio and it’s like looking at a blank canvas and at the end of it there’s a beautiful madness. Imagine chucking paint at a wall and then at the end of it you’ve got this work of art you’re so proud of. Sometimes you don’t know how you got to the final piece but the journey is incredible.

Tell us about the first tracks you’re releasing - how much do they say what you’re about?

It says a lot about me. The first track is something I’ve coined ‘RnDrill’. So it’s got an RnB sound with Drill undertones to it. That’s the way I like to bring two sounds together. I’ve grown up with so much different music around me.  I’ve always loved it from a young age. From jazz to blues to hip hop, ballads, gospel - so much. Being at this stage of my career with the tastes I do, I’m at a place where I’m comfortable enough to bring all these flavours together. I feel like I can execute it all well. That’s the key difference for me.

As it’s the start of a new chapter - how are you looking forward - what’s the driving ambition?

I want to change the scope of music to a degree. I want to invent new things and be innovative in the industry. I want to bring different worlds and sounds together. The name of my project is  going to be ‘The Soundbook’ - I like the idea of telling stories through sounds and I want to collide different music styles with one another. I want to experiment with how those worlds can work together and sound good together rather than being chaotic. The main thing I’d like to be able to say I do is inspire people. The main thing behind my music is people. I want people to be able to be saved through my music - I want to give people more reasons to live, give them more ambitions and inspiration. That’s the driving force behind my music - I really want to create a change.

What’s your relationship with football? Do you like seeing how that can bring people together?

I’m die hard. I have literally every subscription from BT Sport to Now TV just so I can purely watch all the football possible. I used to play football and like everyone’s it was my dream to be a professional player. I’ve got newspaper cuttings and all those kind of things from when I used to play back in the day. I’m a Man Utd fan through and through. I’d say my love from football came from Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole. I was six years old when Utd won the treble. I watch  football highlights every night before I go to sleep.  Whether it’s the Italian league, La Liga, the German league - I’m watching football highlights every single night. When there’s an international break, I’m  a little bit lost. I’m a huge, huge football fan. Football is a sport for the people.

Music goes hand in hand with football - do you like seeing what happens when music and football cross over?

100% man. I love it. My older brother is a producer too and he’s working on some stuff that might be used in the Euros. I just love it. Think about when you’re at a stadium - music plays such a big part but you don’t really acknowledge it. Every team has their chants, you’ve got different sounds and tracks depending on which part of the country you are because the tastes might be more locally driven and then when you come to tournaments like the World Cup or Euros, all those different countries coming together - that brings different sounds and flavours. From fans travelling with drums and all that.

Ultimately, what’s football without the sounds. Imagine watching the game and there’s no commentary. We’ve tasted it now with no fans during lockdown. It’s a completely different and worse experience. Virtual crowd noise being used - it’s so important to have those sounds. Music in general is so important from what the players are listening too in the changing rooms to when their out on the pitch - it’s vital. I’ve got friends who are professional players and I talk to them about the music they listen to in the changing room before a game - it’s essential. You see the videos they all post when they’ve won and they’re dancing - they all love it. It’s a huge part of football.

How much would you love to hear one of your tracks played out at a stadium?

That would be a game changer, it really would. I’ve been fortunate enough to hear tracks I’ve worked on be played at games and been on match day programmes. I’ve had a couple of J Hus tracks I’ve worked on be used on Premier League tv shows and that kind of thing which in itself is out of this world. It would be a different experience if I heard something of mine at a stadium though. That would mean you’re at a level where you know fans are hearing something that could change their mood and energy on a match day. I would love that.

How much do you look forward to those summer tournaments when England are playing and the weather is good?

I love those moments. What we were talking about with unity - that’s spot on. It’s spot on when it comes to international tournaments. Everyone starts talking  about it, asking each other what they’re doing at certain times and all that. It’s so good. I remember summer 2018 - we were in Ibiza for Merkyfest. Oh my gosh - when England beat Colombia on penalties in the middle of Stormzy’s performance - that moment will forever be one of the highlights of my life. Ask anyone that was there - that was an absolute movie. We were hugging strangers and all that - my heart man, it was actually in my mouth. It was so so sick.

It makes me so happy thinking back to then and thinking we have all that to come. All the little things like looking at the fixtures and seeing you’ve got three matches on in one day…I hate the opening day when there’s only one game, I love it when it gets into it and there’s game after game on the go.