THE STORY BEHIND: VOLUME ONE
SOMETIMES it is hard to write notes about my own album. And as a scientist (well, I'd like to think of myself more of a scientist than a musician), it is important to document every single thing. So here's a bunch of questions I asked myself to make my own writings easier... Q: "VOLUME ONE". Why. Tell more about it?
It's a collective of tracks with vocals. I've been singing covers for many years, so I think it's time to release something that I can call my own. It's like baking a cake. You put together the ingredients not from the readymade boxes, mix 'em, put them in the oven and there, you have a cake! Why it's "VOLUME ONE"? I have had several titles for this project. I dunno really. It just feels right.
Q: How would you describe the process of making this album?
Challenging because it IS challenging to produce a vocal track. Most of these tracks initially started out as instrumental tracks. Then, there's melody playing in my head as I listen to it over and over again, and then I let the melody and the instruments take me and let the words flow naturally. Emotional. Well, these tracks come from inside. Take "Bailar Conmigo (Welcome to My World)". It is a perfect introduction to our lives; chaotic and dramatic. "Haunting" is about those little voices in your head that won't go away. They are what I called "The Ya da ya das". "Be Gone" is one of my personal favourites. It's rather straight forward, isn't it? Healing. Music always heals.
Q: Tell more about "Do you believe in Love". It is very uptempo-ed but the lyrics are depressing. What are you trying to convey?
It is depressing, isn't it? Let's put it this way. Everybody at some point of their lives stop trusting love. You go on a relationship, it didn't work out, you break up, and end up hurt and broken. Then you meet someone else and you find yourself back in that cycle. Never ending cycle. You'd be fed up, and disappointed, and frustrated because you tried so hard. You give your best but nothing good came out of it. So, forget it. So what if that knight in shining armour is not coming. So, forget it. Life goes on.
Q: "All I Ever Wanted". A very intimate song indeed. I wrote that in 1998, and it was only with guitars. (Pause) Well, we all yearn for something, don't we? I think it's appropriate for the project to end with something intimate, and personal. It sort of summarise my life.
Q: Of all these 14 songs, which is or are your personal best? Personal best? Oh, that's tough. (Pause) It doesn't justify at all. A lot of work and effort has been put in all the tracks equally.
Q: Will we be able to see "VOLUME ONE" on iTunes, Spotify and.... Yeah. I hope! But I need to listen to them one more time before I send them out to the digital distributor.
Q: What is your next album? I've started 2 projects concurrently while I was making this one. It's just bits and pieces. Probably an ambient project..I don't know....so gear up for some outerspace experience. (Smile)
