Tariq Pijning

Saxophonist / Producer

Tariq Pijning on SoundBetter

Music Producer. Recording Saxophonist. Sax & Keys player for Sam Feldt. Official remix for Kygo's "Stargazing" in December 2019, reaching +2.500.000 streams on Spotify.

I'm offering custom professional quality saxophone recordings, whether those are live versions of your existing melodies, or you're looking for new melodies / arrangements. I'm specialized in Dance, Pop, Funk and Soul music.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Interview with Tariq Pijning

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: In december 2019 I did an official remix for Kygo, remixing his song "Stargazing" with Justin Jesso. Within 1 week it hit 1 million streams and it currently passed 2,5M.

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: Lots of original music. I'm composing songs with a retro, funky and neo-soul kind of vibe, but I'm also experimenting with other genres like Bossa Nova and Synthwave. Besides I'm producing EDM tracks for a DJ act as well.

  5. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  6. A: Analog! Nothing beats the harmonics, dynamics and emotion a real instrument or analog gear can give you compared to digital plugins.

  7. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  8. A: I make sure the track will be lifted to a higher level by adding a signature saxophone sound to it.

  9. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  10. A: Getting to share my musical passion with others.

  11. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  12. A: Can you do it for free? - No.

  13. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  14. A: My career as a performing artist blew up within the Dance scene, so often people think I only do Dance music, but in fact I do many other genres/styles (some of which I even like to play more than Dance music!).

  15. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  16. A: The main question would be about deciding what the producer wants (i.e. 1 melody or multiple melodies/harmonies, a melody the producer already came up with or a new arrangement/melody, etc.)

  17. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  18. A: Live brass instruments are always better than MIDI brass instruments, so it's an easy choice!

  19. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  20. A: Obviously my saxophone, laptop, audio interface, microphone and a headphone.

  21. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  22. A: I started playing when I was 6 years old. Started out in an orchestra, where I learned to basically listen to other musicians and 'match' my sound with the sounds others were making. when I was 14 I started doing my first paid gigs with a cover band, where I played lots of pop, rock, blues and rock-'n-roll songs. When I was 17 I started doing my first shows with DJs, and I started to make a name in the Dutch DJ scene. I kept on building my network and in 2016 I did my first show with Sam Feldt, and I've been his saxophone/keyboard player ever since. For the past couple of years we've been touring a lot, and in the meanwhile I'm still doing shows in The Netherlands, and I'm working on lots of original music.

  23. Q: How would you describe your style?

  24. A: I would consider my style somewhat smooth and dynamic, but also funky and catchy. I think I'm leaning more towards catchy musical phrases than licks that are just too difficult and complex to follow. My style is heavily inspired by saxophone players like Candy Dulfer, Maceo Parker and Michael Brecker.

  25. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  26. A: I would love to work with Tom Misch one day. He's a musical genius and I admire his ability to keep things simple yet interesting the whole time. His melodies and chords are awesome and I think spending some time in the studio with him would be really interesting.

  27. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  28. A: Don't 'overdo' your melodies and arrangements, usually your first ideas are the best ones!

  29. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  30. A: Lately I've been working on a lot of solo music, which has more of a neo soul vibe. I'm also producing for "Danny & Tariq", another act with a dutch DJ from Groningen, which is EDM. Besides I'm recording a lot of saxophone stuff for other producers.

  31. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  32. A: Adding 'signature' saxophone licks to your song!

  33. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  34. A: Nothing beats live instruments in your song, and when we're working together, I'll make sure to add either a smooth and flowing saxophone lick in your song, a powerful screaming saxophone solo or a tight harmonic saxophone section. Whatever is needed to make your track more 'signature'!

  35. Q: What's your typical work process?

  36. A: I often start with a first take - like how I would play it live - and take this as a starting point for the phrasing of the melodies. Then I record the melody several times so I can choose the best parts and so I have good takes to use as doubles in the stereo field. My next step is comping, deciding which parts are the best and creating a final arrangement. Then I start the mixing and experimenting with some fx settings, before bouncing the final takes. Obviously the next step would be sending it over and, when needed, making minor adjustments to make it perfect.

  37. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  38. A: I'm recording all the sax parts through my AKG C214 microphone, into my UAD Apollo Twin Interface, into Logic. I usually mix my sax with basic EQ-ing and compression and deliver this "dry" take so it's easy to mix into your song with your fitted fx settings. Often I also deliver a 'wet' take with some fx-settings I think would fit best. This could be used as a guideline to mix it into your song.

  39. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  40. A: Production-wise I look up to musicians/producers like Anomalie, Haywyre, Tom Misch, Mac Ayres, Chromeo and Anderson .Paak. When it comes to saxophone players I get inspired by Candy Dulfer, Maceo Parker and Michael Brecker.

  41. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  42. A: Recording professional quality saxophone melodies and arrangements.

GenresSounds Like
  • Sam Feldt
  • Candy Dulfer
  • Mac Ayres
Gear Highlights
  • AKG C214
  • UAD Apollo Twin Audio Interface
  • Neumann KH 310
  • '56 Selmer Mark VI Alto Saxophone
  • Brancher B24 Mouthpiece
  • Marca Jazz Reeds
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More Samples