My first album is almost done.
Since I was a kid and committed to music, my goal has always been recording an album.
I’ve been close before of course, but when the time comes for every band member to drop coin for the studio, well, goals seem less achievable if you get me. So back in October 2018 I said, fuck it! I’m doing it all by myself.
I knew it was going to be a huge challenge and that I would have to learn lots of tricks and trades. Also considered the amount of time I would have to spend doing all of this. Guess what? best decision ever. Honestly, I have learned more about music during this time than the whole 23 years before them combined.
I’ve also met cool people along the way and invaluable friendships like Pepe German whom you might hear playing the drums in several of my songs. He is not only a fantastic drummer, but a real unselfish professional and a teacher at heart. Thanks for all the lessons “ñaño” (brother in ecuadorian)
Personal growth has also been a noticeable reaction to this process. I’ve seen my skills in several different areas growing track after track, while dealing with personal struggle and difficult situations in my daily live.
The thing is, I decided from the start to go with the flow with this, just let things happen and surf every possible wave while prioritizing my health in the balance of mind, body and spirit. Something very important considering that statistically more than 70% of musicians are in risk of developing mental illness like depression and anxiety.
It’s a very tough industry. please consider while appreciating your favorite indie artists, that the only difference between us and Kanye is that we don’t cry sitting in a Ferrari parked inside a Mansion. A public park will do the trick just fine lol. So yes, been an Indie artist requires even more commitment and struggle for the cause.
I suffered depression early in my life and through the years I got strong mentally through different approaches and self conscious.
Anyway, the thing is that during the recording of this album I ve managed to understand myself better and let my mind to listen to my body. It’s difficult to explain but guys, the key in life is balance.
During this period of time, Covid 19 happened. I don’t have to tell you how hard it has been for all of us to deal with this. For me, it has been specially difficult for many reasons, but it also provided me an enormous amount of inspiration that delivered “The Lockdown Sessions” My first Nu Jazz EP. It wasn’t planed. It just happened. And this is what I mean by having a “surfing the wave” kind of attitude. So by the time I release “Duality”, I will end up not only with an album I feel very comfortable with but also with a very solid EP I’m extremely proud of under my belt.
After my last release “Lights Out” on February 11 / 2021, three more songs went into the studio in England for post production. If you know me, that means a luxurious analog gear spa treatment for each songs hahaha in the capable hands of my mixing/mastering engineer Mr. Chris Peden.
I’m pretty stocked with them. Each song complements the album perfectly, just the way I learned life should be. With balance. This is specially important in an ambitious album such as “Duality” which is basically a meticulous and balanced album intended to provide the feel of a mix tape. The idea is to fusion my favorite genres such as Jazz, Soul, R&B, Funk, Rock and New Wave into a sophisticated pop format that feels at home in the same album.
In Disguise
This is the song I composed and produced during March 2021, I really love New Wave and eighties music in general, so my intention was to tribute this influence in a modern take a la Strang!
Electronic drums, synths, power bass lines, catchy rhythms and a bit of sauce: A Brass section.
This song is becoming one of my favorites, hope it would be for you too.
Today
This song is in the works right now during April 2021. This song in this moment, is going with Pepe for tracking drums in the studio and later going with Chris for post production.
This song has a dark jazzy crispy vibe at 100bpm and it is probably one of my most intimate lyrics.
Today talks about how is like to deal with chronic pain. Dealing with bad days, feeling compressed, escaping for a moment grabbing to small things or just going to sleep.
If you suffer from chronic pain for any reason, I would like to dedicate this song to you. I feel you…
Here is a small sample of the lyrics:
Airtight
I’m compressed, super stressed
Uptight
In a mood, feeling screwed
For now
It doesn’t get much better
Resilience gets the worst
out of me
So that’s it for this update, I know nobody reads this but at the end it’s my journal and helps as therapy to unload the spirit and leaves a SEO trail to my site hahaha. If anyone is reading, thanks for making me company so far in this journey. Get in touch!
Peace
Martin
