Hello again everybody! This month we travel southward along the east coast of the U.S. and land in Chesapeake, Virginia. While here, we pay a visit to Tim McDaniel, otherwise known as “Techno Tim”.
As you can probably guess, Techno Tim is an electronic music artist. He describes his musical style as “fast paced, upbeat, sad, angry, cathartic, video game music.” His influences include artists such as Infected Mushroom, due to the fact that “Their music is electronic but heavily influenced by classical music. I like how their music changes a lot. Life changes a lot too. I wanted my music to reflect my life.” He also enjoys listening to VNV Nation. Of course, you might also catch him in the car belting out “MMMBop” by Hanson.
To date he has released 5 albums. He also has 3 unreleased albums and about a CD’s worth of remixes in the hopper.
Currently, Tim is in the process of re-releasing two of the five albums he’s already put out, as well as a new album. As of this writing, however, no release date has been set for the new record.
The Early Years of Techo Tim
Tim grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which is right there on the Atlantic Ocean coast. He spent all his life there until moving to Chesapeake to live with his girlfriend of two years. He enjoys the nature trails and the people who inhabit his current city of residence. But, he does look fondly upon his memories of his childhood home and being with his family as a kid.
In high school he played trumpet in the band and credits his band director as having a profound impact on him. He also enjoyed the camaraderie of his classmates. It was also while in high school that he first got into music production: “Some friends in high school mentioned having a techno song writing contest. I was intrigued. I always liked techno. I got into music production in high school and have been making music ever since.”
Musical Highlights
He chose the name “Techno Tim” because, as he recounts: “It describes my genre of music and is personable. I’m not sure how the name came about, I guess it just sort of came to me one time. It’s stuck ever since.”
Tim’s main instrument is keyboard, and he also plays guitar and a little bass and drums, in addition to the aforementioned trumpet.
When I asked him if there was a particular moment that made him realize he was destined for a career in music, he candidly stated, “Gosh, I don’t know… Probably when I was going through a hard time in life and I went to music to express some tough, painful emotions… It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced… I wanted to show people through music how I felt.”
Knowledge Knuggets
During my interview with Techno Tim, I found out that he is a man of many talents and interests. When he’s not making music, he enjoys unicycling, juggling, meditation, yoga, working out, reading, video games, climbing, walking, talking to friends, spending time with family, and traveling. Actually he juggles while riding his unicycle! He also enjoys Mexican food and green tea, reading books by Sebastian Junger and the movie Waterworld.
Tim gave me a few “knowledge knuggets” that I thought were worth sharing: “Creating stuff is cool. Everyone should do it. It’s therapeutic.” And also: “Be your own best friend, not your own biggest critic.” And to the musicians out there, he encourages: “Don’t be discouraged by lack of knowledge, tech issues, or competition. Focus on expressing yourself first, and worry about marketing later.”
Techno Tim adds that he “greatly appreciates the valuable friendships he’s made through music.”
(Can’t argue with that!)
Here’s where you can connect with Techno Tim:
SoundCloud | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok | YouTube