Fresh off a Lost Lands set that was nothing short of electric, Josh Teed is riding that momentum straight into the long-awaited release of his latest body of work, Tides of Change with Gravitas Records. Known for fusing cinematic soundscapes with the soul of his violin, he continues to carve his own instrumental lane in the bass music world by refusing to stick to formulas and pushing into deeper creative waters. With a body of music that has a book to accompany it, this album isn’t just a collection of tracks-it’s a storyboard, a journey, and a challenge to listeners to embrace originality in a world that too often clings to the familiar
With Tides of Change sure to make waves, Electric Hawk caught up with Josh Teed to discuss the album’s vision, his full book that goes along with the album, and how he’s reshaping melodic bass with live instrumentation.
“The Tides of Change is a meshing of all of the musical influences I’ve been lucky enough to have in my life, from classical to celtic, and everything in between, all tied together by electronic production. Each track of the album correlates to a chapter of the book I’ve written to go along with it, with the intention of fully immersing the listener/reader in the story. From dubstep, to halftime, to future bass, The Tides of Change has it all.“
-Josh Teed
Emily Lamoreaux, Electric Hawk: Hi Josh! Thanks for giving us the inside scoop! Lets dive right into it — How do you feel this album differs from your previous projects? Whether in production, theme, inspirations, or overall energy?
Josh Teed: Tides of Change has been a unique project for me for several reasons. It’s definitely the heaviest that I’ve ever leaned into the realm of cinematic composition. Simultaneously, it is the most that I’ve ever featured my violin playing in a body of work. It’s also the first time that I’ve written a chapter-by-chapter storyboard to guide the direction of a project! I’ve always felt a need to push myself more and more outside of the beaten path with each project that I do. Tides of Change emphatically checks that box on all fronts!
EL: You’ve done something electric and unique by including a chapter-by-chapter read-along to go with your album. Tell us a bit about the book-writing process. What inspired this story that goes along with the album?
Josh: Honestly, the whole process is brand new to me, so it’s very much been a ‘learn as you go’ kind of thing. To start, I wrote out a brief synopsis of the story and a list of the key characters/events. Then, I went and outlined each chapter in a few sentences in order to give myself a rough outline to write around. Since then, I’ve just been chipping away at it every chance I get when there’s been time between touring, writing the album, and all the other tasks in day to day life.
My full book, along with the album is such an amazing way to showcase this mystical adventure. Once you listen through the album, you’ll understand how much emotion and musical talent flowed into this piece of art!
I’ve been an avid reader of fantasy fiction literature my whole life. The way that Tolkien, Joe Abercrombie, and even George R.R. Martin are able to draw parallels between their fantasy worlds and the state of the world around them is such a powerful method of documenting the conditions of their times. To be able to do that, while also providing readers with a healthy outlet to momentarily escape the reality of those times, is such a beautiful thing in my eyes. So I suppose the inspiration behind the story is a blend of the literature that I love, coupled with the turbulent state of society around us today.
EL: You’ve talked a lot about your extensive musical background in the past, as well as challenges as an artist. What do you think has been the biggest challenge in merging classical string instruments with your melodic bass/electronic music?
Josh: For me, the challenge came in finding the right balance between orchestral/cinematic sounds and bass music. From there, I allowed myself the creative freedom to push the needle in either direction based on the particular track. With my last album Recurring Dreams, I found a formula that I really enjoyed when it came to merging the two, and just stuck with it throughout the whole project. This time around, I got comfortable with giving myself much more room for interpretation. I think the results will speak for themselves through the sheer variety of the sounds within the album and through the full project.
EL: I know your connection with your fans has been super important to you! What are you hoping your readers/listeners take away or learn from this album, apart from the music itself?
Josh: I’m really hoping that people come away from it with a desire to set out and explore the full depth of their creativity and expression. Today’s media consumption across the board, from music to movies, and everything in between, is so centered on the familiar and the nostalgic. There has unfortunately come to be a reduced value placed on original concepts and creations. One of the most important traits that has always defined humankind is our capacity for creativity, and it currently feels like we’re at a tipping point in whether or not that will continue to be the case. If I can tip that scale even a hundredth of a percent back towards the side of originality and creativity, then I would consider my time and effort on this project well spent.
EL: With all of the strides you’ve made so far, how are you hoping to impact the next wave of electronic music?
Josh: I would love to be able to show up and coming artists that there’s way more than just one set path to finding success in this pocket of the music world. It seems like a lot of producers out there are feeling pressure to emulate what’s popular (both in terms of music and social media) in order to find success. It’s painfully obvious that the overall level of creativity within the genre suffers greatly as a byproduct.
The art of electronic music is so incredible because there’s literally no limitations to the ways you can interpret it. So I just hope that the next wave of electronic music is made up of artists who understand and embrace the value that individuality and originality bring to the table. I hope that I can do my part to nudge things in that direction.
EL: How do you see the role of live instrumentation changing or coming to life in the future of electronic music?
Josh: I really believe that the future on this front is brighter than it’s ever been! Whenever I play shows, people always come up after to tell me how much they’ve been wanting to see more live instruments incorporated with electronic stuff. There’s a whole wave of artists out there right now like Know Good, Honeycomb, Jason Leech, Starfox, and heaps more, pushing the boundaries between the live and electronic worlds in really unique and thoughtful ways. I feel like people are more than ready for it, and the more they’re exposed to it, the more widespread it’s going to become!
EL: You’ve made HUGE things happen this year! Where do you foresee yourself going from here? Anything you’re hoping to create or accomplish in the next year?
Josh: Thank you! I honestly have been so focused on this project between the album, story, and tour, that I haven’t really had the chance to look ahead much. We recently held a planetarium show in Colorado with a live band and immersive visuals, and I would love to expand more on that concept by bringing it to other cities around the country, but we’ve got an album tour to tackle first! I also plan to write the second half of the story that Tides of Change begins to lay out, and write more music to go along with that. I’m not going to put a timeline on myself for that project, because it’s going to be a long one.
EL: Any parting advice for fellow instrumentalists trying to break into the electronic scene?
Josh: All things in time. That’s the mantra that’s gotten me this far in my career. This honestly goes for all artists trying to break into the electronic scene, not just the instrumentalists.
Don’t worry about what other people are doing, the shows that other artists are getting booked for, or the numbers that other people’s releases are racking up. This is easily the biggest thing, mindset-wise that I’ve seen hold local artists back from becoming nationally touring artists.
You can have all the musical talent and production skill in the world, but if you spend your energy focusing on everyone else, then you’ll have none left for yourself. Comparison is the thief of joy! At the end of the day, the only competition is within yourself and how much you can learn and grow from yesterday’s version of you.
The more you tune out the noise and focus on what’s directly in front of you, the more pathways will open up for you down the road. Work your ass off, check your ego and entitlement at the door, seize every opportunity that comes your way, and all the things you’re shooting for will come in due time!
