Names: Robin Taylor-Firth, Steve Cobby
Nationality: British
Occupations: Producer, composer, DJ (Steve Cobby), composer, producer (Robin Taylor-Firth)
Interviewee: Robin Taylor-Firth
Current release: Robin Taylor-Firth & Steve Cobby's Seven Dogs EP is out via Oathcreations.
Hometown Recommendations: The beaches here on the north coast of Spain are amazing
Things I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: Dogs have become quite an important thing of late and giving them a space to get over the horrible things that some people do to them.

If you enjoyed this Robin Taylor-Firth & Steve Cobby interview and would like to stay up to date with their music, visit their respective Instagram profiles: Robin Taylor-Firth; Steve Cobby. 



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

For me, 'creation' is a constant thing. There's always noise in my head.

I've not really thought about whether it's a need but I'm definitely a calmer human being if I can make something.

There’s a tune called just that - ‘Feeling Better’ - under the name Rteph88.



For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

There's a fair bit of hearing the thing in my head before it takes form. But the process is wide open to change throughout and always takes on a life of its own.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

Not really. Getting up and making it to the studio.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Again, nothing in particular

For the Seven Dogs EP, what did you start with? If there were conceptual considerations, what were they?

Having bumped into Steve again after such a long time, it fit a very vague idea I had to make like an electronic trio sort of thing: Looped up drums, distorted sub bass and twisted piano.

I asked Steve if he had any drums and lo and behold, he did.

Tell me a bit about the way the new material developed and gradually took its final form, please.

Steve sent me some drums, and I went through them and then came up with something I liked on subs. I set up a loop and played.

That gave the original basic idea, a bit of arrangement and then I'd send it back to Steve. He added some of his 'many musical strings from his bow' and then I'd weld it all together.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

It's always a journey, many unexpected twists and turns, even more so when collaborating.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

I guess for me, it's a form of therapy really.

Music being an abstract form I'm often, not even absolutely sure what it is that I've just expressed, I  just know when it's true.

The ideal for me, is for the subconscious be creative and the conscious lend some objectivity after the fact. It’s never that clear cut but that’s the aim.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

There’s always a period of evaluation but it has to be handled with care. Babies and bathwater.

First time you hear something after a pause is really important. It’s when instinct is alive and kicking. It's like, I sort of know when I've done everything useful I can to contribute to the piece. I work until it sounds right to me.

Always great to have a trusted second pair of ears though to pick up on things you've missed.

How do you think the meaning, or effect of an individual piece is enhanced, clarified or possibly contrasted by the EPs, or albums it is part of? Does each piece, for example, need to be consistent with the larger whole?

Tunes do fit together as bodies of work, although in my case that's mostly a time frame thing.

I guess, the body of work encompasses a specific time in life and so makes sense.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? In terms of what they contribute to a song, what is the balance between the composition and the arrangement (performance)?

With recorded music it is all one and the same, part of a whole process.

I don't really distinguish between the boundaries.  Except for mastering, which is a field on its own.

Music and the accompanying artwork are often closely related. Can you talk about this a little bit for your current project and the relationship that images and sounds have for you in general?

I'm a bit clueless when it comes to artwork. I mostly don't really see it very well. Bit of a blindspot.

Asking Ian Anderson to do it was Steve's idea and he just got on with it to be fair. I'd never have thought of putting six birds on there.



After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

It does leave a bit of a hole, yes. Important to do something to fill your time though. Either something else musically, or build a shed.

(There’s a tune called ‘A Shed Load’ under Rteph88 where I filled the hole by doing something else musically whilst building a shed)



It all starts up again when it’s good and ready.

I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about or the impact it had on them – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

I don't have that much of a listener/artist relationship to be fair. A bit more of a recluse.

People do relate nice experiences that have included tunes of mine which are always lovely to hear and I do get mates sending me messages saying ‘I’m wherever, doing such and such, and your tune’s on.’ That’s a buzz, to hear about how far the music’s travelled.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I try to be and one can be, absolutely naked, heart-out-there-honest when I'm making music, especially instrumental music. It's something that I believe we all have the right to be, yet it's not always easy, or even advisable to be so in everyday life.

Everyone should be and can be creative. Doesn’t matter what you’re creating. The end result should be as true and good as you can make it because therein lies all the fun.

But it’s not about how good the end result is, it’s all about the act itself.