Recording Collaboration Coming Soon!

Recently, I have been collaborating with David Castañeda and Chris Rios, recording two tracks as a homage to the Funk singer, Ed Motta, from Brazil. We have all been a fan of Ed Motta's music for awhile--I myself was introduced to Motta's work back during my undergraduate years at UC San Diego.The songs that we've been collaborating on are "Smile" and "Dez Mais Um Amor" and the recording space was courtesy of C. Rios Studios. This project came at the perfect time as we are each coming to the end of our Master's degree programs, so it seems to me like a fun way to culminate the past two years. Plus, it is always a treat to work with great musicians like David and Chris. Their work ethic and musical knowledge make the recording process remarkably easy and their great personalities make the atmosphere very enjoyable to work in.

Chris Rios laid down the heavy funk drum groove and David Castañeda provided percussion and piano tracks for each song, and both musicians helped to record and mix. This isn't the first or last time I will work with these two--I am currently working on a solo album of which they both will be part of. 

(Chris Rios)

I always find it very interesting, as a vocalist, how the use of dynamics, lyrical expression, diction--all key elements in singing and vocal performance--are needed that much more when recording. Any amount of breathiness, slight rhythmic or intonation issues can be picked up by the microphone. I inhaled to prepare for a high note and you could hear it on the play-back of the vocal track. That is why I always feel it is necessary to know the songs you are working on like the back of your hand. This prevents hesitation or unnecessary mistakes that result in multiple takes during recording. It is always good to develop a healthy working relationship with the sound engineers (people who record and mix music) so that everyone involved can learn from each other while still enjoying the recording process and finished product. Fortunately, David and Chris were patient and willing to work with my lack of recording experience. It was a great learning experience.

(David Castañeda)

The two tracks, "Smile" and "Dez Mais Um Amor" will be available on Sound Cloud in early April to download and listen to. I would also highly recommend checking out The Musicorum website, in the meantime, not only to check out future collaborations and books, but also to read and discuss all things music-related. The link is below:

http://www.themusicorum.com

Be sure to check back often for more updates and let me know what you think!