Joonas Hahmo- Sahailua

About:


It has been quite a while since we reviewed a progressive house release, while at the same time, it has been ages since Hahmo Recordings last shelved out a release. "Sahailua" by Joonas Hahmo-- latest from Finnish  label, Hahmo Recordings-- freshens up our palate for some good old kickin' Finnish progressive house! Not just that, get ready for a rock-solid remix by Timo Juuti & Hector87!


Sounds Like:


Joonas Hahmo adapts, but never sells out. Throughout the years, musical trends have changed most especially in the progressive house scene, but Joonas Hahmo has lived through them all by bringing all those trends together and turning them into his imprint sound. Same goes for "Sahailua", the track that can rub elbows with current chart-toppers like Avicii, David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, while at the same time keeping that trademark euphoric Hahmo sound-- stabbing pianos, soaring synths, and a crisp atmosphere!


Fellow Finnish producers, Timo Juuti and Hector 87 vow to take over the world with their combined efforts. Their remix on "Sahailua" is a grinding disco-influenced banger that will show no mercy when it comes to aggressive riffs and smashing bass!


Recommendation:


It's just so good to hear these guys again, and "Sahailua" was just the perfect progressive house fix to get us back on track. For the recommendation, it's pretty much a no-brainer: get both tunes!

READ MORE - Joonas Hahmo- Sahailua

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]

Various Artists- Wulongzu Weapons Vol. 1

About:


Wulongzu has already seen light as early as 2002 as a DJ-booking and promotions company founded by Shandong-based Filipino DJ and producer, Aldwin Macapagal. The company have had notable successes in enlisting top DJs from the Philippines and China for several of Wulongzu's events, and by 2004, Wulongzu started to seek out artists from around the world. Six years later, Wulongzu Records was born to aid in the propagation of house music in Mainland China.


After belting out a couple of releases on the label, Wulongzu finally releases its first release-compilation dubbed, "Wulongzu Weapons Vol. 1". Artists who have previously appeared on the label-- Diego Marcelo, Marc Galindo, Karlos Kastillo, and Aldwin Macapagal himself-- are back to deliver their own respective masterpieces. On the other hand, Weapons Vol. 1 also highlights the debuts of Danny Garlick, Andrez Florez, and the highly-acclaimed Finnish artists, Lovetone (Anton Sonin)  and Turismo!


Sounds Like:


The sound of Wulongzu does not deviate far from that of Gabriel Rocha's and Mark Knight's-- two highly-acclaimed producers who have perfected the balance between tech and tribal. Weapons Vol. 1 actually features a rare-shade of that organic tribal-tech sound that will prove very handy on the modern-day battlefield called the dance-floor. Let the heavy, deep and echoing vocal chants be your war cry while let the timely interplay of stabs and bass be your cadence to war.


Recommend:


Even at first listen, we already knew we had to recommend all the tracks on Weapons Vol. 1. At first, we even tried to higher our standards so we could filter-out better the tracks, but our efforts had been futile-- the more you listen to the whole release, the more you will realize that each track on the roster really has its intrinsic dance value and will truly serve you well on the field. 


Choose your weapon!

READ MORE - Various Artists- Wulongzu Weapons Vol. 1

Sami Saari- Trump It EP

About:

We've known Sami Saari for quite a while now— definitely no stranger anymore. Since the early days of his career, Sami Saari has already been humbly honing his sound through experimenting with various styles of music. His duties as label manager of Finland-based label Wicked Recordings and as media-specialist for Swedish label Captured Music have also played vital roles in the development of his career.

His latest release on Neptuun City, “Trump It” marks the maturity of Sami’s sound— a sound that puts together all the different music styles Sami had been trying to perfect since day one— a secret concoction of intoxicating tech house grooves. Two brand new tracks: “Trump It” and “Soul Marvel” will definitely bring to your doorstep the sound of Sami Saari.

Sounds Like:

So we mentioned something about “a secret concoction of intoxicating tech house grooves” earlier, well, it’s what you would expect from the first track, “Trump It”. Being more descriptive, “Trump It” brings together heavy funky bass, filtered disco samples, and a massive build-up! A floor-filler, an onslaught, a bomb, call it whatever you like— this is “Trump It”! 

Sami is also known for his dry and sharp sounds, and “Soul Marvel” is one of Sami’s tracks build on these adjectives. But compared to “Trump It”, “Soul Marvel” embodies more disco influences as heard in the breakdown. 

Recommendation:

A fantastic release this is! We definitely recommend getting both tracks from this release.

READ MORE - Sami Saari- Trump It EP

Tarmo & Sir Nenis- Big Toons

About: Finnish producer Tarmo Mäkipaja teams up with Sir Nenis for one literally banging floor-filling release, "Big Toons"! We have been following Tarmo for more than a year now, and his sound just gets better. In the past, we were able to hear his progressive-melodic productions like "Sun and Sea", "I Sing for You", and his remixes on "La Biankini" as well as "Hold On". Not to mention, we were also able to interview Tarmo himself back in 2010! This time around, he is back together with Sir Nenis with a brand new bombarding sound!


Sounds Like: There are three tracks in this release: "Big Club Toon", "Big Reggae Toon", and "Big Room Toon"-- in which all three have been tailor-fitted to different venues, depending on where a DJ would like to have these tracks dropped. Just remember, these are all massive, crunching, and bass-heavy tunes. That's it. That's all you need to know!


Recommendations: Really enjoyed the "Big Club Toon" and "Big Room Toon", but of course if you're into reggae dubs, you got to check out the "Big Reggae Toon". This is just huge, we'll be dropping either the "Big Club Toon" or "Big Room Toon" next week!

READ MORE - Tarmo & Sir Nenis- Big Toons

Thomas Feijk- Hi

If you’ve been waiting for this release since that day its sample had been uploaded on Macarize, then your long wait is over! Macarize proudly presents another release of paramount quality and delight-- “Hi” by Finland’s one and only, Thomas Feijk! In its early days on promotion, “Hi” has already received tons of positive feedback and support, most especially from the trance superstars Above & Beyond as they played “Hi” on Trance Around the World. With remixes from Ayleon, Mindset, and Mick Elsa, “Hi” definitely is one of the biggest and most-anticipated release on the label!

From the genial original mix that caters emotive pianos and electrifying bass, it’s not that hard to predict a line-up of remixes just as crafty as the original. First remix is from the mystical duo also from Finland, Ayleon-- everything they touch turns into gold. True enough, the Ayleon remix is something you just can’t leave behind!

Jay Ardrey aka. Mindset and Mick Elsa also contribute their respective big-room renditions of “Hi”-- and the results are beyond measure!

The wait is finally over-- “Hi” by Thomas Feijk is out now on Macarize!

READ MORE - Thomas Feijk- Hi

Labtracks- Dance With You

Taking on their productions at full-force, Finland’s upcoming progressive house superstars, Labtracks, is back on Macarize with their shiny new release, “Dance With You / Miami White”!

Splendid use of the vocoder on the vocals for “Dance With You”, which is why you can actually call this track as one of the first “vocal” tracks Labtracks has ever produced! Aside from it, “Dance With You” brings to life the unmistakable “late night city cruising” vibe perfected by the duo ages ago.

“Miami White” is the perfect progressive house track for glam city rollers! With its sparkling sounds and its happy-go-lucky vibe, “Miami White” truly embodies the essence of Labtracks.

“Dance With You / Miami White”, another stunning release by Labtracks on Macarize-- the more appearances they make on the label, the more we fall in love with their sound!

READ MORE - Labtracks- Dance With You

Hahmo Recordings Summer EP

Summer may have been long over most especially for the people here in Asia but it definitely is not a reason to shove off all the summery vibes! Now that Hahmo Recordings just unveiled its sun-drenched highly-melodic Summer EP, it will always be summer wherever you are in the world. . . well, at least for thirteen minutes longer. . .


Joonas Hahmo, the DJ, producer and label owner whom we enjoy calling, "Finland's Finest", is back once again with the red-hot piano-led progressive house anthem, "Banana Split"! Because of its very melodic approach using Hahmo's trademark piano sample, "Banana Split" has been acclaimed as the proper long-awaited follow-up to "Cocktail Bar", the track that literally made the world dance from Finland to China. Still not convinced? Listen for yourself!


What would the two Finnish guys, Jaakko Viitanen and Jari Saari be doing on a summer? Make more music of course! Yes, Viitanen and Saari, the two guys behind the progressive house project Malfankson also appears on this EP with a track called "Fret Noise". Like "Banana Split", "Fret Noise" too is another stunning piano-led track patched-up with a few bits of euphoric climaxes.


Sadly, these are the only two tracks that make up the Hahmo Recordings Summer EP, but on the brighter side, these two tracks are definitely two of the most solid tunes Hahmo Recordings have released this season or any progressive house label had for that matter! Enjoy summer with the right tunes and the right vibes-- "Hahmo Recordings Summer EP" is out now!


Oh, and if it's not summertime on your side of the planet, just pretend it is!

READ MORE - Hahmo Recordings Summer EP

Thomas Feijk & Richard Davison- Buzz Kill (REMIXES)

“Buzz Kill”-- the track by Thomas Feijk and Richard Davison that set ablaze the path of Macarize’s new beginnings-- is now back on the label with three brand remixes from David Folkebrant, EDU, and Hazem Beltagui! Macarize knew that a solo anthem needed some stunning remixes to accompany it, so here it is, “Buzz Kill: the Remixes”!


We first heard David Folkebrant’s sound on the label with his “Rising EP”, the third installment on the label that received great feedback for its novel sound and superb production. Now, we have David once again on Macarize turning the thundering anthem “Buzz Kill” into one upbeat piano-led track!

Eldar Abdulajev aka. EDU, although not a new name in the industry, is a new addition to Macarize, and he has sent-in his reinterpretation of “Buzz Kill” as the second in this release. The EDU remix of “Buzz Kill”caters electrifying and sharp riffs as well as tech-like bass-- an ideal alternative to the original!


Still fresh from his recent debut release on Macarize, Paris-based Egyptian producer, Hazem Beltagui makes a surprise appearance on “Buzz Kill: the Remixes” with another stunning chill out version of “Buzz Kill”! A dreamy and smooth-flowing version bringing to a close this energy-packed release-- all is perfect.


Three brand new remixes at your disposal-- this is “Buzz Kill: the Remixes”!

To be released in a few hours!

Thomas Feijk & Richard Davison - Buzz Kill (David Folkebrant Remix) by Macarize

Thomas Feijk & Richard Davison - Buzz Kill (EDU Remix) by Macarize

Thomas Feijk & Richard Davison - Buzz Kill (Hazem Beltagui Remix) by Macarize

READ MORE - Thomas Feijk & Richard Davison- Buzz Kill (REMIXES)

Labtracks- Robotic Love / Submarine

Miikka Vaartela and Jarkko Saikkonen, the two very talented Finnish producers behind the progressive house project Labtracks have once again returned to Macarize for their sophomore release, “Robotic Love / Submarine”!

Labtracks takes a blast to the past with their 80’s-inspired progressive house floor-filler, “Robotic Love”! Huge stomping kicks, old-fashioned crunchy snares, heartwarming string-play, and highly-melodic synth-chord interplay— with elements like these, it is not that hard to see where this tune is heading this season. . .

For the second and last track of this magnificent release on Macarize, Labtracks slips-in this buoyant-sounding tune entitled “Submarine”. Prepare yourselves for something that will effortlessly take you deep to the luminous soundscapes of Labtracks!

Explore the new world of the enchanting sounds of Labtracks with “Robotic Love / Submarine”— now closer to you than ever!

READ MORE - Labtracks- Robotic Love / Submarine

Thomas Feijk & Worst Voorhoofd- Late Night Snack

From one-half of the makers of “Buzz Kill”—the stunning debut release of Macarize— together with Finnish producer Worst Voorhoofd, comes another massive piano-led progressive house release entitled “Late Night Snack”! For remixes, expect remarkable stuff from label front-liners Labtracks and Daiquiri. Moreover, Russian project Domestic Technology, the new guise of Invisible Sounds, also makes its debut on Macarize with a special eight-minute remix!

The original mix of “Late Night Snack” by Thomas Feijk and Worst Voorhoofd invades Macarize for the first time with its superbly crisp production. Indulge yourselves in a fine blend of echoing melodic pianos, thick bass, and progressive goodness!

Domestic Technology bathes “Late Night Snack” under the full moon as it adds a harmonious duet of magical pianos and soaring leads. Second remix is from Lithuania’s Daiquiri— this remix serves as the proper club mix of the release. If you do not know what we are talking about, give it a listen.

Fellow Finns behind Labtracks, Jarkko and Miikka will not disappoint you either! From the title “Late Night Snack” itself, it’s not that hard to guess that a fantastic remix from the duo would follow. . .

Macarize finally launches its sixth installment, “Late Night Snack”. Things cannot get any more melodic than this!

READ MORE - Thomas Feijk & Worst Voorhoofd- Late Night Snack