A month or two ago, I collaborated with the band Lackaday as part of my solo project, T-nest. We organised a live event where both acts would perform together and reinterpret each other’s music through live remixes and collaborative performances. The event was called T-nest vs. Lackaday: T-Day.
The two projects had very different approaches to making music. Lackaday’s setup consisted of a sampler and two guitars, while T-nest used multiple semi-modular synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines. Because of these differences, the collaboration encouraged us to think about our music in new ways and experiment with sounds outside of our usual working methods.
The process began by exchanging samples, drum loops, guitar recordings, and other audio material. This gave each of us a collection of sounds that could be manipulated and transformed into something new. Using one of Lackaday’s tracks, See it, Smoke it, Snort it. I created a remix that reimagined the original song as a disco-inspired dance track. I built a driving rhythm designed to be energetic and danceable while incorporating elements that are common in my own work, such as heavy distortion, lo-fi textures, and more abrasive sound design.
As the remix developed, we rehearsed together so that Lackaday could perform their vocals live over the new arrangement. This required me to consider how the instrumental elements would support the lyrics and vocal delivery while still maintaining my own artistic style. It was an interesting challenge to balance the needs of the original song with my own creative ideas.
The collaboration worked both ways. Since Lackaday’s songs were already fully written and released, I spent time learning the lyrics and guitar parts for one of their tracks so that I could perform alongside them during the show. This gave me a greater appreciation for their songwriting process and allowed me to engage with their music from a performer’s perspective rather than simply as a producer or remixer.
During the performance, we took turns playing on each other’s tracks. In some songs we all performed together, while in others we focused mainly on our own material. The result was a dynamic set that blurred the line between the two projects and highlighted the creative possibilities that came from combining our different musical approaches.
This collaboration was particularly enjoyable because it gave me the opportunity to remix someone else’s music while considering how vocals and lyrics would interact with the arrangement. It also allowed me to work closely with other musicians, experience different creative processes, and adapt my ideas to fit within a shared project. The experience reinforced the value of collaboration and showed me how working with others can lead to outcomes that would not have emerged through individual practice alone.
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