Interview with ‘Sergio T’
Hailing from Greece, Sergio T aka Sergio Tanidis presents ‘Trick Me’ – a track that signals in the start of the summer season across Europe & beyond. Featuring the vocals of Dim Gerrard, ‘Trick Me’ is an infectious, groove driven & hook heavy record & one that follows on from a string of success to date, in Sergio’s native homeland.
From a young age, Sergio T displayed an unquestionable love of music & at the tender age of eighteen, went onto sign his first recording contract with My Group, one of the most revered record labels in Greece. In the summer of 2014, Sergio then had his first bonafide hit with the single ‘Don’t Go’- a record that notched up an enviable amount of radio play & become an essential soundtrack for many. This was followed in 2015 by ‘Fighting 4 Love’ & the subsequent ‘Secret’ – riding high in Shazam charts across many parts of Europe & lighting up a multitude of airwaves.
Fast forward to the present, Sergio T now drops ‘Trick Me’ ft Dim Gerrard – a cut that has the hallmarks of a future sure-fire player, as the record prepares to blow up globally in the weeks ahead.
Stay tuned.
Sergio, Welcome to Artist Rack! How’s it going?
Hello there, I’m really excited for this interview and I really wanna thank you for it! It’s a really crazy period right now with loads of stuff going on. I have over 3 new releases over the past month and many gigs on the way for the summer.
What can you tell us about your musical journey from start to present? Any particular highs or lows?
It’s been a long road so far but I think that it’s gonna be even bigger in the future. I begun playing the guitar at the age of 11 and around the age of 14 I started putting some beats together with my first music production software. 4 years later I decided to study music technology and sound engineering. At the end of it the hard part begun when it took lots of time to sign my first record for a respectable record label in Greece.
The results of my first single was really good as it entered Shazam top 100 here in Greece and I received some support abroad. Since this big step many things started to happen, even bigger record labels came into play. One of my biggest success so far was my single “Secret“ which was ranked no.30 in Shazam Greece and 28 in Turkey and it was also signed by many record labels abroad. My remix for the famous song “LP- Other People” was a great success and it was also released on a global scale. Although the whole thing had it ups and downs, many tough periods of bad luck and lack of inspiration, I came through! But in the end I do what I love and aiming for the best.
Trick Me’ is quite the summer anthem, where did the inspiration behind the record come from & does the record have a special meaning to you?
Trick Me is a tune that has huge influence from Greece’s local musical culture as the balkan element is really prominent in the tune. I’m a brass lover so messing around with brass instruments is one of my favourite things to do. So I came up with the main riff and after that everything took their place. I have the luck and the luxury to work with Dim Gerrard who is a talented vocalist and songwriter with really good quick and innovative ideas so the whole thing didn’t take so long to be completed. I can’t point out one tune of mine and say that it has a special meaning but I think that every track that I produce is the one that expresses myself better.
What can you tell us about the production process? Did the final sound play as you envisioned?
The production process took some time because even though I love this kind of music I always tend to study other songs from this genre and also from different ones. So, I did my research and I tried to work on the rhythms and the sounds . After I accomplished that the melodic part was easier. Sure the final result was exactly what I was aiming for & it definitely took some time doing all those tiny adjustments that only you as a producer can hear. But yes I can tell you that I am fully satisfied.
Growing up alongside the Greek music scene must have been lively, can you say this influenced you professionally?
Since I was a kid my family tend to listen to lots of foreign music eg. Beatles , Rolling Stones etc. Of course they were listening to greek music so I was affected from both of them. Growing up here definitely influenced me but I spent countless hours listening to rock, metal, jazz and pop tunes because I wasn’t mainly interested in music as an art of form. I don’t disapprove of any genre but as a human I have my preferences.
What is it about Greek music culture that stands out to you? Any obvious differences to the rest of the world?
Greek music is influenced by the eastern and balkan culture. It really gave me some inspiration and affected me in the way I write music but the fact that I listen to tons of west musical styles kept me somewhere in the middle. So I would say that I tend to combine both frequently.
What would you describe your signature sound as & who are your favourite artists who influence your music?
I tend to love real , organic instruments so you can listen to most of my songs that I have real instruments instead of synths although many times I combine them both. To be honest I can’t define my signature sound; others usually say that they can identify my music and it has something unique that makes them feel it’s mine but honestly I don’t know what it is! My favourite artists are many but if I have to pick some I would say: Michael Jackson, Guns N’ Roses, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many more (the artists have almost nothing in common but as I mentioned before I listen to many many different genres!)
Lastly, what advice can you offer aspiring producers?
For me the key is to listen to as many music as you can and almost every single genre. If you have influences from all of them only then you will be able to create something fresh and unique. Never give up no matter what!
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