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Hi, I'm Taylor. I am a 26 year old DJ & Producer and I am asking for your help.
My whole life I have been obsessed with music, but it was the age of Electronic Dance Music that sparked my interest to really jump into it myself. I had always been the person making CD's for my friends and finding the newest music on the market. But my journey really started when I borrowed a roommates gear (thanks Kyle!) and began DJ'ing in college (Go Buffs!) as a more advanced method of putting my iPod on the stereo at parties, etc. From this moment, I have spent more hours than I care to admit chasing my dream of producing music comparable to the best in the industry and DJ'ing on the biggest stages to play that music.
So far in my journey, I have accomplished many of the goals I set out to achieve from the beginning, and some things I never planned. Some of these include:
Playing my first gig at a venue (local bar lol)....

Putting myself through the highly esteemed music production school, Icon Collective (**which I did commuting from Orange County to LA for night class while working a full time job during the day in OC!)...

Had my first song released on an independent record label via iTunes, Beatport, etc. (I used to work under the name Soakerz)....

Was a finalist in 2015 for Insomniac's Best Record A&R Contest where I got flown to Las Vegas to present my song in front of a panel of judges (industry folk... Big time label heads, A&R's, etc.)....

.... During the past 5 years I have now played almost every bar/restaurant in the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa area adding up to hundreds of gigs, ranging typically somewhere between 1-5 gigs per week....
(Here's a compilation of a few of those flyers...)

....on top of this, I have also played nearly every nightclub in Orange County, opened for some of the amazing artists I look up to, and even got to play some nighclub headliner shows... :D

It has been a great ride so far, but I have hit a plateau...
I have reached the edge of what I can achieve on a local level and need to bridge the gap to the next level. In order to do that, (typically) I need music that stands in equality with the next level of artists (which in my case, are the big dogs). The good news is I have worked on my craft making music for thousands of hours over the past 5 years and am finally starting to make some product I feel can hold its own next to the industry standard.
Link to some of my music!
Here's the problem.
Most great music is known for having great vocals. Which, in Electronic Dance Music, usually means you need to find a great vocalist and a great songwriter...
At an amateur level, these people are easy to find and the product you end up with can be good, but it's usually not amazing.... Which is what is expected in the world of professional musicians.
Here's the point.
I produced a song that is at a level I believe could be signed to a big time record label (..... IF it has a great vocal on it too). After making the song, I reached out to a vocalist who is unarguably one of my favorite singer/songwriters I've heard in the past few years in the dance music scene. She has worked (and is currently working) with some of the biggest names in the industry (small artists you've prob. never heard of... like Tiesto!) ...and to my surprise, she loves the song & wants to write/record a vocal for it!
Here's the real point....
Professionals don't work for free. She gave me a discounted rate because I told her how much of a dream it would be to work with her and also I told her I'm broke. Which I am....
(**side note: This is bc I work in commercial real estate during the day which is a 100% commission job and I havent started making any money yet... uphill battle)
... also an FYI, I live & pay my bills off my DJ money (which is only great money when you make it to the next level unfortunately)
$1500 will allow me to work with one of my favorite vocalists in the industry and allow me to have a song finished that could potentially get signed to a major record label. Which is a dream I've had since I started this journey 5 long years ago.
I have one life to live, and this is a bucket list item to complete before it's over.
What better time than now.
Thank you for your help, it means the world to me. Anyone who donates will also get the song for free when it's completed!
Sincerely,
Taylor
a.k.a. TAYKED (tay-ked)

My whole life I have been obsessed with music, but it was the age of Electronic Dance Music that sparked my interest to really jump into it myself. I had always been the person making CD's for my friends and finding the newest music on the market. But my journey really started when I borrowed a roommates gear (thanks Kyle!) and began DJ'ing in college (Go Buffs!) as a more advanced method of putting my iPod on the stereo at parties, etc. From this moment, I have spent more hours than I care to admit chasing my dream of producing music comparable to the best in the industry and DJ'ing on the biggest stages to play that music.
So far in my journey, I have accomplished many of the goals I set out to achieve from the beginning, and some things I never planned. Some of these include:
Playing my first gig at a venue (local bar lol)....
Putting myself through the highly esteemed music production school, Icon Collective (**which I did commuting from Orange County to LA for night class while working a full time job during the day in OC!)...
Had my first song released on an independent record label via iTunes, Beatport, etc. (I used to work under the name Soakerz)....
Was a finalist in 2015 for Insomniac's Best Record A&R Contest where I got flown to Las Vegas to present my song in front of a panel of judges (industry folk... Big time label heads, A&R's, etc.)....
.... During the past 5 years I have now played almost every bar/restaurant in the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa area adding up to hundreds of gigs, ranging typically somewhere between 1-5 gigs per week....
(Here's a compilation of a few of those flyers...)
....on top of this, I have also played nearly every nightclub in Orange County, opened for some of the amazing artists I look up to, and even got to play some nighclub headliner shows... :D
It has been a great ride so far, but I have hit a plateau...
I have reached the edge of what I can achieve on a local level and need to bridge the gap to the next level. In order to do that, (typically) I need music that stands in equality with the next level of artists (which in my case, are the big dogs). The good news is I have worked on my craft making music for thousands of hours over the past 5 years and am finally starting to make some product I feel can hold its own next to the industry standard.
Link to some of my music!
Here's the problem.
Most great music is known for having great vocals. Which, in Electronic Dance Music, usually means you need to find a great vocalist and a great songwriter...
At an amateur level, these people are easy to find and the product you end up with can be good, but it's usually not amazing.... Which is what is expected in the world of professional musicians.
Here's the point.
I produced a song that is at a level I believe could be signed to a big time record label (..... IF it has a great vocal on it too). After making the song, I reached out to a vocalist who is unarguably one of my favorite singer/songwriters I've heard in the past few years in the dance music scene. She has worked (and is currently working) with some of the biggest names in the industry (small artists you've prob. never heard of... like Tiesto!) ...and to my surprise, she loves the song & wants to write/record a vocal for it!
Here's the real point....
Professionals don't work for free. She gave me a discounted rate because I told her how much of a dream it would be to work with her and also I told her I'm broke. Which I am....
(**side note: This is bc I work in commercial real estate during the day which is a 100% commission job and I havent started making any money yet... uphill battle)
... also an FYI, I live & pay my bills off my DJ money (which is only great money when you make it to the next level unfortunately)
$1500 will allow me to work with one of my favorite vocalists in the industry and allow me to have a song finished that could potentially get signed to a major record label. Which is a dream I've had since I started this journey 5 long years ago.
I have one life to live, and this is a bucket list item to complete before it's over.
What better time than now.
Thank you for your help, it means the world to me. Anyone who donates will also get the song for free when it's completed!
Sincerely,
Taylor
a.k.a. TAYKED (tay-ked)