"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
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.
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.
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