Unveiling ‘Constellation’: TOA5T Breaks Down The Music-Making

Ready yourself to dive into the futuristic and cinematic soundscapes crafted by the Portland-based producer, TOA5T. In this interview, you’ll get the lowdown on how he created his latest EP, ‘Constellation,’ and a whole lot more.

1 — ‘Constellation’ is a striking name for your EP. What inspired you to name it after something so celestial?

The EP was written in an attempt to express sensations of awe, the unknown, and sonder into an electronic music format. ‘Constellation’, as a title, seemed to encapsulate these emotions.

2 — Imagine you’re introducing your sound to a fresh pair of ears. How would you sum it up?

Cinematic, futuristic, electronic music is conveyed through momentous sound design, emotive melodic motifs, and thought-provoking song arrangement.

3 — How do your childhood memories reflect in the melodies and themes of this EP?

My childhood home freaked me out. Living in the middle of nowhere with monthly visits from otherworldly lights flooding into the house at night fostered my intense curiosity for the unknown. Thinking about it makes me feel small. It’s why the ‘Constellation’ EP is so big in tone; I want to express how small we are.

4 — What tricks did you use in the studio to get that awesome sound on your new tracks?

Listening is the best tool. Most of my mixing and songwriting is done with an aggressive bandpass filter on the stereo bus from 350Hz to 3000Hz in mono; it creates a very narrow, unflattering, picture of the track. If the music sounds good under shitty circumstances than it’ll sound great in an awesome setting.

5 — In this EP, there’s a dope blend of atmospheric and high-energy moments. How do you manage to keep both elements in harmony?

Being a big fan of movie music, song arrangement is hugely important. The swell of energy from one song section to the next is due to intermittent melody, chordal, percussive, and intensity changes.

I overwrite and ruthlessly edit. Every song I compose usually starts with 100-150 tracks of alternate melodies, chords, synth patches, and drums. By the time a song is being written, I’ve refined it to 20-50 tracks- only selecting the best bits from that larger bank of ideas to maximize the emotional impact of energy changes throughout the song.

6 — Among the tracks on this EP, is there one that you think stands out uniquely, offering a different flavor or perspective?

The title track, ‘Constellation,’ expresses the scale and awe of the universe the way I imagine it. It’s the song the whole of the EP is built around.

7 — Why did you opt for a remix collaboration on ‘Wavelength’?

w.ill is a tremendous music producer. He has an incredible ear for thoughtful melodies and chill, deliberate, percussive grooves. Him and I both thought ‘Wavelength’ played to his strengths best, so we ran with it. It’s my favorite collaboration I’ve ever done.

8 — I noticed in your press release that you’ve had encounters with paranormal phenomena, and I can relate because I once witnessed a spontaneous bright blue light appear in my house. Do these experiences influence your musical direction?

Gigantic spotlights shining into our house and family seeing apparitions were regular occurrences growing up. Most people leap to UFOs, ghosts, and atmospheric events. I don’t know what it was or is, but I know the emotions I felt at the time and feel when I think about it now. The only thing I can do is channel these feelings into something creative and musical.

9 — If you could give advice to emerging artists just starting out in the world of electronic music, what would it be?

Spend at least two hours every day doing things you love. Every day is more powerful than eight hours here and six hours there.

10 — With your tracks like ‘Burst’ and ‘Electric Sheep’ making waves and over 1.2 million streams last year, how’s the buzz around your music feeling to you?

Being on the iTunes charts a couple of times this year, my music has been picking up momentum month-over-month. It’s interesting to see the compounding of streams over the last 12 months. In 2022 I received about 50k streams across all platforms, so to reach 1.2 million in 2023 is crazy. Looking towards 2.5x growth from 2024 into 2025.

CONNECT WITH TOA5T NOW!

YouTube
Spotify
Instagram