Check Out Tanner Allen’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanner Allen.

Hi Tanner, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my journey in the film world. I went to school for film with the goal to become a writer/director but while in school I decided to learn how to play the piano. That decision slowly led to me learning how to produce music. After a while I realized I wasn’t making films anymore. It never even felt like a conscious decision. Music completely took over my life.

Years later I was working a 9-5 that I hated and eventually decided to quit my job, sell my car, get rid of my apartment and buy a school bus. I built out a music studio in the bus so that I could afford to go full time on music while not having to pay rent. Right after this Covid happened and it was actually a massive blessing in disguise. I was able to collect unemployment while working on my craft. There were no distractions. I was able to make and release so much music. I was making a lot of downtempo at the time. My life was living in a school bus, making music in there and getting by without spending music money at all. Most my unemployment money went back into my art.

As shows started to become a thing again, my style started to shift into a more bass heavy realm. I wanted to make more dance floor tunes. Started playing more festivals and shows and expanding the business.

Eventually I was making enough to move out. I sold the bus and moved in with my friend Orenda in Denver. Now I have a proper studio which Im very stoked about. 🙂

And the journey continues…

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The music industry is NEVER a smooth road haha. There are so many ups and downs. Mostly downs but when you love something so much it literally cant stop you from pushing forward.

Some of the biggest challenges are dealing with the rough bookings you get in the beginning. Barely getting paid for shows and almost losing money just to play certain festivals and venues.

The other hard part of this industry is it is always changing. A few years ago one of the big stats was your spotify monthly listeners. So.. I worked really hard at getting those numbers up. Then it switched. The next most important metric was tour history so I worked really hard on that and played as many shows as possible in different cities. Now the most important metric in social media numbers (followers, likes, shares, comments etc). Now I spend a lot of time working on that aspect of the business. Its constantly changing and you have to quickly adapt.

The other issues are getting lots of no’s. Is there a fest you want to play? Well.. you’re going to get denied over and over. Is there a label you want to release with? You’re going to get declined a ton! But you just keep pushing until those no’s become yes’s.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Simply put I am an electronic music producer. I specialize in making organic and melodic bass music. The electronic scene is chalk full of extremely heavy bass music (dubstep for an example) and I am trying to bridge the world of downtempo melodic productions that make you feel certain emotions with heavy bass music. I feel like my music is the balance of light and dark.

I am very proud of my new releases with Odyzey (Clozee’s Label). The EP is titled Overture and explores bass heavy drops with emotional breaks and stories in between.

I feel like something that sets me apart is storytelling. With my film in background, I like to incorporate the hero’s journey into every track if possible. This storytelling template is used in almost every film and I like to tell stories in the same way but sonically.

Any big plans?
I am playing Red Rocks on October 6th with Clozee and LSDream. Extremely excited about this set and have been working on it for months.

I am also planning out a winter tour and have some great releases planned for this year and early next year. These new releases are a push forward in a new direction. My sound is evolving a lot and I’m excited to share this new world!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.skysiamusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysiamusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkysiaMusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@skysiamusic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/skysia
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YIxufplJpHkE3S1MXQr63

Image Credits
Kathy Rosario Instagram: @kathysnapped