After being on hiatus for almost a year (due to a lot of bicycle riding), I found that deep urge to make music again. Between Fall 2012 through Winter of 2013, I locked myself up in my bedroom everyday and toiled over recording and mixing songs that would eventually form this new album, “Desire.”
I really wanted “Desire” to have an eclectic sound to reflect the different sounds I’ve been listening to while recording the album. In particular, I found Bibio’s 2011 album, “Mind Bokeh” an inspiration in terms of eclecticism and wanted to achieve that same level of variety. I also found myself taking inspiration from a lot of my peers on soundcloud who make beats, post-dubstep, chillwave and techno tracks. I knew I wanted my sound to be very “electronic” but I also made it a point to sound warm, organic and imperfect.
Production-wise, I’d like to believe that this is my best sounding album yet. It has been a great learning process for me making this album. I found myself learning and re-learning new things in recording, mixing and mastering. I had always admired high production sounds but I also wanted the intimacy of a bedroom-produced album.
To preserve the lofi and gritty feel, most of the songs here were recorded in one-go. I also utilized home made percussions and field recordings. Sample sources include old tapes, youtube tutorials and j-pop. All of which were chopped and manipulated then rearranged to be come the backbone on most of these tracks.
Collaboration was also something I heavily pursued in this album: both musically and visually. I collaborated with Davao City’s (Philippines), Skymarines on “Candy Flavored Lips.” The look and feel of the album, which is a nod to the japanese aesthetic, was courtesy of the talented visual artist Krystal Perez and features Shanghai-based photographer and artist, Mang.
I did not have any working theme throughout the album but ended up making songs that I feel are somewhat connected to each other. “Desire” is a deeply emotional and personal album for me and I sincerely hope that you find something in here that you connect to. I invite you to listen to it and if you like it, you would pass it along to your friends and loved ones.
released April 9, 2013
Recording/Mixing/Mastering by Mark Redito/Spazzkid
Vocals and Lyrics on "Candy Flavored Lips" by Isa Belle Aniga/Skymarines (soundcloud.com/skymarines)
Album art design by Krystal Perez (quasikrystal.tumblr.com)
Photography/Model: Mang (www.mangmang.me)