Start paying attention to West Coast Canada, as the abundance of musical talent is peaking with undeniable sounds. Rainforest Music’s front man Andromo, is on a mission to continuously support and release quality over quantity productions, on his very own imprint, showcasing both talent from around the world, and local Vancouver musicians. The next release ‘Just Stay’ on Rainforest Music will drop on April 5th, this time in collaboration with Vancouver musician Iain Howie on vocals.
Electronic Groove spoke with both Andromo and Iain Howie about their next release, collaboration, and the underground music scene in Vancouver, Canada.
Electronic Groove: Andromo and Iain, thanks for chatting with us. You’re about to release your ‘Just Stay’ EP, on April 5th, out on Rainforest Music. How did this collaboration come about, what was the production process, and how do you feel about the end results?
Andromo: Thanks for the invite. One early morning, Iain messaged me out of the blue, to see if I was down to work on some music. I answered the message and told him to come over and that’s how ‘Just Stay’ was composed. The production process was really naturally flowing. Iain would record vocal ideas on his phone and I would work on the production and musical aspect of the tracks. We adapted a lot of the melodic sounds to fit his voice well in the spectrum. I feel really happy and satisfied with the end result, especially because the original track is out of my comfort zone and into a jazzier experimental electronic sound. The ‘Rainforest mix’ was my take on a more clubby and dance floor friendly track.
Iain: Thanks for having me. This tune came from a late night jam we had after going out in Vancouver. I recorded some quick vocal ideas on my phone and we played around with melodies and some groove elements. It was sounding pretty good pretty quickly. I let Andromo take the reigns after the first two sessions and he turned it into a polished final product. I’m stoked on what it turned into and can’t wait to play it out.
EG: Iain, you’re a musician, singer-songwriter, DJ and sound designer. Tell us about your origin as a musician, and where it all started for you? Is this your first electronic music collaboration?
Iain: I started playing instruments and singing from a fairly young age. Growing up, I always wanted to be the front man of a famous band. I never really got too into writing when I was younger, and the dream sort of died out a bit. It wasn’t until high school that I started getting into electronic music/production and it was sort of a eureka moment for me, like “oh, this is actually a way I could do this”. I learned to DJ shortly after and built a solid foundation from all of that.
This is definitely not my first collaboration. My first ever releases were actually with a good friend operating under the name Moosefly. I’ve dabbled here and there with various people since then, and currently I’m actually working on a new project with Saskatoon-based Factor Eight that I am very excited about.
EG: Andromo, Rainforest Music is your label imprint, which launched back in 2004. What’s the ethos of the label, and what’s in store for 2019?
Andromo: Quality over quantity. From experimental electronic music with jazz fusion to techno. The umbrella is quite big with so many sub-genres, but my main focus is always to make our fans and followers feel our soul, our tribal rhythm, our love and passion for dance music. I’m proud to say we focus on the details and make sure that our music will always be memorable and live forever. We aspire for the greater good, and not only take but also give back. For the rest of 2019, we have a 3-track EP with all originals from a very good friend from Central America, and a few more original tracks from talented West Coast producers and artists. We also have special guests to do remixes for the tracks to come, it’s going be a very busy year.
Electronic Groove: You are both currently living in Vancouver, Canada. How has the musical scene evolved over the years? What are some of the notable clubs in Vancouver curating special events to support the underground scene? What direction do you see the underground scene going?
Andromo: The musical scene is growing steadily over the years, but with the strict venue by-laws there is a huge lack of spaces to dance and listen to high volume music. Since I arrived in Vancouver, I’ve seen various DJ’s release constant music and perform every week in different underground events. I would say the two most notable clubs are Gorg-O-Mish and Open Studios. They are both strictly underground music clubs, where the vibe and sound system are the main attractions and not the fame or top 40 music.
‘Just Stay’ is already available on Rainforest Music. Grab your copy here.
Follow Andromo: Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud
Follow Iain Howie: Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud
