Contirbutor
Hello Yamil, it’s amazing to have the chance to speak with you today. Congratulations on the release of your Amanecer EP. What was the reason behind releasing this on your own label Pieces Of Life?
Hi guys, the pleasure is mine, thank you very much for having me.
The truth is that the four songs are very personal, for a while I thought about sending it to a label but finally me and my team decided to release it in our home so we could have total control of the release in terms of dates, strategy and not feel pressured by third parties. We wanted to do it our way and at the right time, so here we are, the new year is a perfect occasion to drop this out!
With it going out on your own imprint, did this give you more creative freedom? If so, how was the creative process with this EP different to others?
Honestly, it has been one of the reasons to create POL, it’s all about freedom, I feel no pressure when creating music and I don’t care about trends or fashions, I like to create from the most inside of me and capture what I have inside without caring if this sound does not like or does not fit someone or any label… In this case, the four tracks are related to each other and have a very similar vibe, all were created in a row in a few months quite sentimental where everything came out quite deep so I decided to put them together in the same album.
How was the studio set up for the collection? Are you more of a hardware user or software?
I like both, I love recording all kind of instruments, I also love using hardware and of course I use a lot of VST’s for convenience. This EP has almost no analog or recorded elements, most of the sounds are created via VST. If you look closely, you can easily distinguish sounds of instruments like Pigments, or Diva in most of the tracks.
The EP hints at a number of different music influences throughout, what were you into when you were first discovering music and how do you think it has affected the sound you make today?
I think we absorb and store information and patterns during our lives and when it comes to creating, what comes out of ourselves is that mix of everything we have absorbed since we were born, I love getting to know new cultures and experimenting with the local sound of the places I visit so in my music it is easy to feel Latin, Arabic and European influences.
Have you had a chance to test them out on the road? Which track has had the best response if so?
Of course, I always try to test my music in on the road when it’s done so I have been able to test several of them in different moods and events. I think “Amanecer” is the deepest and it’s the one that performs best, it’s nice to see people close their eyes and fly when I play it. Also one of my favorite artists, &ME, from the Keinemusik crew, has been playing several tracks from the album over last months and the public response has been magnificent. I feel people are very excited about this release, so this makes me happy to see such a support and enthusiasm around my music.
What have been your highlights from 2022 and what would you like to achieve going into next year?
2022 has been one for the books even though it has been very intense, I have collected many emotions and beautiful feelings. I have been able to take my music to many places around the world (I think I did over 60 shows this year and I released a lot of original music and remixes), so it is difficult to choose some highlights, I believe all of them are special and I feel very fortunate to do what I do.
As for next year, I am not very goal oriented in terms of releasing music but I have tons of new stuff and I am creating much more so for the moment, I can say I have a couple of EP’s confirmed on some of my favorite labels like Sol Selectas or Monaberry and as for the tours, I am always on the move, I will return to many of the countries I have already visited and I also hope to take my music to new places this new year so I hope to see you around!
Pick up a copy of Amanecer here.