Justin de Guzman- Wake Up

About: 


Following up "Lined Up", Justin de Guzman-- a young visionary and the big boss of Manila's leading underground label-- "Deeper Manila" returns to Asia Music with a banging big-room piece, "Wake Up"!


Sounds Like:


The intro is a well-worked up progression of kicks, shakers, bongos, rim-shots and whatnot that gives us the feel of the groove in its slightest forms. By the time the main drop hits, you will be moving to an intoxicating interplay of heavy bass and some viciously sounding piano riffs. The breakdown, in addition, will complete the experience as it sends all these elements suspending in a highly-reverberated atmosphere, then drops everything in one solid bang!


Recommendation:


Totally recommending this one. Get "Wake Up" right now, and take it into the darker rooms of the underground. You can even set this as your alarm sound-- no joke.

READ MORE - Justin de Guzman- Wake Up

Interview with SACHRIAS & ASLAK [2012]

"Scandinavia is blessed with four seasons, so we think that the weather has a big influence on our sound." 

-Sachrias & Aslak

Meet one of Helsinki's coolest duo, Sachrias & Aslak. Although 2007 was the year when both artists joined forces, it has been more than a decade of underground music and events promotion for Sachrias and Aslak in their humble hometown. The duo has also appeared on notable labels like Dutchie Music, Deepology, Cabrio Records, and has worked day-in and day-out to hone their highly-definitive winter-esque deep house sound. 


A couple of weeks ago, we were blessed to have been able to speak with Sachrias & Aslak themselves, and in this brief-- yet meaningful conversation, we get to find out more about this peculiar duo from Helsinki! Not just that, they are so awesome that they even allowed us to give away their 2010 release with White Zulu, "Cookie Jar" as a free download! 




Sachrias & Aslak Official Webpage

Copyright © 2012 Miguel Libre 

Finally, the day has come! Couldn't wait to interview you guys back then. Now, let's start! How are you guys there? 


We are fine thanks in snowy Finland. Helsinki has just had a one week snow storm and there is heaps of white powder snow. We are just getting back into the Studio together as Aslak has been in Kenya for a year, and Sachrias has been involved in other audio engineering projects.


Just curious, how did "Sachrias & Aslak" come to be? 


We both have a long history of promoting underground house parties in Helsinki. The memories of the initial meeting are a bit hazy, which strongly suggests that it was one of those special afterhour moments.


Your sound is quite distinct actually. Based from what I've been hearing, I'd describe your sound as chilled-down, groovy, and fresh. How did you guys come about with such a trademark sound? 


Scandinavia is blessed with four seasons, so we think that the weather has a big influence on our sound. During the dark winter times the sound tends to be more on the deep side and obviously midnight sun brings out more chilled & love vibes. 

For the tech heads here is our studio setup:

Countless plugins, Juno 106, Yamaha DX-7, Studio Electronics Omega 2, Korg Trinity, Novation X-Station, Novation Bass Station, Novation Drum Station, Akai S-2000, Fireface 400, Thermionic Culture The Rooster, Neumann 103, and some live instruments. Genelec 8030 & Genelec Sub speakers from Finland. The Studio it self is a hand built floating room.


How do you go about your artist routines? 


Usually our studio sessions take place after our daily work, so we like to have a couple of cold brews to get us out of the rat race.


We could tell you a true story of a vocalist who almost destroyed the whole studio after an excessive Cava session, but lets not go there.


Okay next one. When not in the studio or when not doing gigs, what do you guys do? 


During these winter times, first thing you do in the morning is showel your way out of your house and go hunting and gathering for food. Rest of the day is for music & leisure.


With all the artists you've worked with in the past or currently working with, who are your favorites? 


White Zulu, with smart spoken lyrics, a project with Dave K. White African refugee with no shoes but some soul.. And another ace in our sleeves, Saroa, lovely Finnish singer/songwriter. You can catch us collaborating more with these two in very near future.


Any artist you guys would like to work with in the future? 


We would like to work with labels with 100% commitment and concentration, taking things seriously and pushing our sound even further. As we all know the current status of music business is 13 labels in a dozen.


Your release "Strömsö" under Cromarti Records was such a huge success. Can you share your experiences with that track to us?


After Cromartis head honcho Abraham asked us for a track for his label, we found the groove & mood quickly.. and you know when you are on a roll things just click. We think Abharam was happy with the result as well, as he collected a quality remix pack around the original Stömsö track.

Click here to check out our very own review on Stromso Part 1!

What is your favorite brand of beer (or any liquor for that matter)? 


In our opinion the domestic lager is quite handy when getting elegantly wasted. 
Top three brands, not in particular order: Lapin Kulta, Karhu, Karjala.
When it comes to the hard liquor, it is consumed only with meals & in good company.


Where do you see "Sachrias & Aslak" five years from now? 


With the current climate of the record business five years is too far away to predict.. maybe you just send your playlists to the robot jocks at clubs of 2017.. or everything goes back to basics you never know.


Any message to our beloved readers on Soundscapes and to your awesome fans? 


For all the fans out there we have a real treat.. Cookie Jar free download. It was released on Add2Basket Records 2010 with Roberto Rodriguez and Apostrophe (Sabb’s moniker by the way) remixes. It is a special track for us, like a modern take on retro, it should have deserved more attention when released. The track is the fruit of a special session with Mr. White Zulu himself that ended up on a high..







Thank you very much for making this interview possible, Sachrias and Aslak! Cheers and may you have a fruitful career ahead. :)


Its been our pleasure doing this interview, and we are honoured with you showing interest in what we do in this small country far away.

READ MORE - Interview with SACHRIAS & ASLAK [2012]

Jaidene Veda- Healing

About:

Lounge, soulful, downtempo, and house all come together when Jaidene Veda sings. A very talented singer, songwriter, producer, and sound designer, Jaidene has been blessed to work with some of the most highly-acclaimed artists in the industry like Glenn Underground, Josh, Milan, and Joe Claussel to name a few. She also has topped several charts with her lovely releases like "Sunday", "Soul Size Love", and the flawless collaboration with Tom Conrad, "The One". 

Jaidene will once again spread solace across airwaves with her much awaited debut on DeepWit Recordings-- "Healing". The first version of "Healing" is the "Micah Morning Dub", the original piece crafted by Jaidene and Micah Likasewich back in 2002. Ten years later, "Healing" also garners yet another version produced by Veda and Victor Underground(Vibe), and this version is dubbed as the "Veda Vocal".

I think we are missing something here. . . 

Of course, the "Veda Vocal" rendition also features the legendary Pete Morris of The Rurals on keys! Now we're talking.

Sounds Like:

Micah paints us the sound of mornings brushed with the beautiful melodic vocals of Jaidene in "Micah Morning Dub". Not just that, the "Micah Morning Dub" also is a fine-brewed track of lush vibes, delicate echoing vocals, and heartwarming melodics. 

The "Veda Vocal" on the contrary, caters to a more jazzy feel with its exquisite interplay of grand piano and cozy Rhode keys, topped off with Jaidene's ever-soothing vocals. 

Recommendation:

"Micah Morning Dub" is for the mornings, "Veda Vocal" is for the evenings. Either way, we suggest getting both versions. We also have been road-testing "Veda Vocal" for quite a while now-- all we can say it's such a perfect opening track for deep house sets.

READ MORE - Jaidene Veda- Healing

Mehmet Akar- Butterflies

About:


Adel "Big Al" Ghandour is known for his impressive line-up of record labels, with Ready Mix Records (est. 1999) being the the label that tops the list. This time around, we get to review something from Empty Whisky Flask Records, the record label that features warm, organic, and sophisticated sounds, established by Big Al himself  back in 2010 with his partner Levente Szabo (collectively known as Harlem Knights).


"Butterflies" is the debut release of Turkish soundsmith, Mehmet Akar on Empty Whisky Flask Records. As the release hailing from one of the most respected electronic artists from Turkey, "Butterfly" comes with two marvelous remixes from Harlem Knights and Alberto Kanzyani. 


Sounds Like:


The original mix of "Butterflies" lives up to the standards of EWFR. In the first few seconds alone, "Butterflies" graces off with mellow rhode progressions, then continued with a flawless flow of gliding contour-rich bassline and seemingly mangled vocal hooks-- all of which have been dipped into a lush and soothing sample in the breakdown.


"Butterflies" gets a tech wash-down in the hands of Big Al and Levente, the two guys behind the guise Harlem Knights. Their remix still preserves the gentle grooves of the original and is in fact dubbed with more radiant keys in the breakdown. . . just before it fades into the groovy part of the track.


Things get deeper as we hear Albero Kanzyani's take on "Butterflies". Just two things to expect from this one: first, dense bass that will definitely make you move a muscle, and second, the interplay between the jazzy trumpet and the heavenly vocal add-on that will spice things up. 


Recommendation:


Just another fantastic release reviewed. We're pretty impressed with "Butterflies" and its remixes, actually, and thus we recommend all three tracks. 


Watch out for more from Empty Whisky Flask Records!

READ MORE - Mehmet Akar- Butterflies

Palitra- The Return (Remixes)

The return of Ukraine-based tribal-techno artist, Palitra is here. Last year, Deeper Manila had the chance to release “The Return”-- a massive eight-minute track that featured heavy tribal percussion and ground-shaking bass-kicks! This time around, “The Return” sees light once again with its brand new remixes from both new and old artists on Deeper Manila: Justin de Guzman and Anthony Logarta with their respective tech house reinterpretations; Micfreak and Mike Bolante with their own electro-funk remixes.

READ MORE - Palitra- The Return (Remixes)

Ejeca- Drive EP

About:


Our friends from DeepWit Recordings have once again signed another very talented producer on board-- this time it's Ejeca, a producer from the UK who started producing at the tender age of 11! Ejeca's debut marked as "Drive EP", is a four-tracker that brings to life his not-your-usual deep house style. "Drive EP" features two originals from Ejeca himself, and two fantastic remixes from veteran artists: Alvaro Hylander, the head honcho of DeepWit Recordings, and Big Al, the mastermind behind the highly-acclaimed Ready Mix group of labels.



Sounds Like:


"Danehill" the original mix starts out slow-- a hazy yet lush track perfect for night drives. Later on in the track, stripped-down bass, disco-inspired guitar licks, and nocturnal atmosphere come and join in the fun. In the hands of Big Al, "Danehill" turns into a straight-up groovy tune that works well in warming up the dance-floor. Stabs, stabs, bass, and more stabs can be expected from this one!


"Bumbled", Ejeca's second track in this release caters to a more 90s-inspired sound. With the vinyl noise in the introduction, it's not that hard to predict a nostalgic track like this would turn your modern-day dance-floors into long-lost discotheques. 


The last is Alvaro Hylander's remix of "Bumbled". Like the original, this remix also embodies a classic house feel but with a little hint of that Hylander chord-bass groove connection.



Recommendation:


Tried and tested, the Alvaro Hylander remix of "Bumbled" works well on the dance-floor-- this you definitely have to put in your cart. While you're at it anyway, get both versions of "Danehill", you'll never know when you will be needing fine tracks like these!

READ MORE - Ejeca- Drive EP

ALINEP- Deepsomnia

About:


Ali Nepomuceno aka. ALINEP is known for three things (among others): one he is the resident DJ of Manila's only underground club, TIME;  two, the founder of Manila Underground, the counterpart of Detroit's "Underground Renaissance" in the Philippines ; and three, a producer who with this release, "Deepsomnia" celebrates his second appearance on "Funkfield Recordings". 


Sounds Like:


For ALINEP's sound, there's only one direction it's heading-- down deep. That's right. With "Deepsomnia", Ali showcases deep, groovy bass, hypnotizing vocal sample interplay, and seemingly glowing chords. If you like your track clean on the other hand, the Deepstrumental version is ALINEP's own treat for you!


Recommendation:


To keep it short and sweet-- buy both tracks! Watch out for Alinep because he has a lot of surprises in stored for this year-- this is just the tip of the iceberg!

READ MORE - ALINEP- Deepsomnia