LAMP Weekly Mix #121 feat. Buala

LAMP Weekly Mix #121 feat. Buala

Sometimes things don't always pan out the way you plan it, and those surprises can often be an even more positive experience! Fate has it that we were graced with a brand new mix this past week from a fresh new group out of Dallas, TX calling themselves Buala. MR PUZL got the chance to chat with this newly formed duo made up of Audophile Live Co-Owner Jimmy Freer and longtime friend Chris Wu.MR PUZL: This mix has some jams including a few from Brazilian producer Andre Gazolla and a song from a new favorite label of ours Lauter Unfug. Tell us a bit about this mix and why you chose some of these tracks.Chris: We wanted to keep this mix bright and bouncy since we figured most people would be listening at work or in the car, and Andre Gazolla’s stuff is versatile, clever, and sets the right mood. Rhadow and Riven are also talented producers whose work we have been following for a while, and their tracks are always great for pacing and keeping the groove with subtle, yet interesting elements.Jimmy: Generally we like our sets to have a steady feel that gradually builds while piping in the occasional curveball, so we are always making sure the next track will take us in the direction we want to go. We find ourselves previewing up to 2 or 3 tracks to get the best possible mix, and many times that involves using tracks from the same artist.MP: Buala is a new project that you guys have started. How did it first come about and who is involved?Chris: Buala is Jimmy Freer and myself, Chris Wu. We've known each other since childhood growing up in Dallas, TX, but we lost touch for a while after I moved to LA for college. I found out what he was up to in Dallas, as he was already full steam ahead with the Audiophile imprint and as a DJ/producer himself. I was living next to some of the best dance music venues in Downtown LA, so we started bouncing tracks back and forth over Facebook and realized our tastes were very similar. Once I moved back to Dallas, he showed me the ropes on Ableton/CDJs and we have been working together since.MP: From some basic research I've learned that Buala is a town in the Solomon Island of Santa Isabel. Is there any correlation to this in your name? Does your group's name have a deeper meaning to it?Jimmy: Although a great deal of what we play and produce would fall under tech house, Chris and I are a huge fan of ethnic and tribal sounds, which nowadays is quite underrepresented on the charts. All of what we do is centered around the idea that music brings people together, and Buala does mean community, or village, in the native tongue of that island. We definitely wanted to name our project after something that reflects this ethos.MP: You released a dope tech house tune a little over a month ago called 'Betcha Tigers'. Is this a taste of things to come?Chris: ‘Betcha Tigers’ was a fun track that we made after I finally figured out my way around the DAW and was getting to the point where my grooves sounded somewhat interesting. Once I got a basic arrangement going, Jimmy sprinkled his magic on with the synth, vocal, and compression/ambience. Our forthcoming track is more of a tribal, melodic cut but still has plenty of punch for the dance floor. We have pretty broad taste, so generally what you can expect from us is groove-centered 4/4 music of various, hopefully interesting styles. However, tech house, tribal, or 'jungle tech' as we like to call it are what we are focusing on now.MP: What artists and labels are inspiring this project at the moment? What do you feel is unique about the type of music you are creating as Buala?Jimmy: Honestly, we are getting so many great demoes from within our own stable of Audiophile Deep artists. We have such great young talent that are already charting consistently, and the scary thing is that they will only get better. Across the board, the quality of electronic music at this point is the highest it's ever been, and everyone is stepping up their game.Chris: We get our inspiration from so many artists, labels and styles, so it's hard to pick a few. For the tech stuff, we feel that artists like Olivier Giacomotto, Metodi Hristov and Miguel Bastida have developed a clean, consistent sound that we admire and respect, and their tracks always work in live situations. As far as our own music goes, we are still pretty young in the process and just doing our best to hone the craft and make sure we improve and bring something different on every track.MP: What kind of hardware and software setup do you have going on in your studio? Do you ever take some of your gear on stage with you to perform or is it usually a straight DJ set?Chris: Our studio setup is basically Ableton, some soft synths, various EQs, reverbs, and compressors. I may or may not have spent my last two paychecks on some analog gear that should be on the way soon, though.Jimmy: As far as DJing goes we feel that keeping our setup simple and mobile by using CDJs suits our needs for now, but that could change in the future as we definitely think you can stand out with a live setup. Right now at home we are practicing with the XDJ-RX, which is a cost effective way to learn on CDJs.MP: We've heard through the grapevine about a certain California based desert crew bringing you guys on. Can you reveal some more news on this to us and our readers?Chris: Unfortunately, we can’t reveal too many specifics on what’s going on with that, but let’s just say we are ecstatic to have a record forthcoming on a movement/label that we have followed and respected for a long time. We imagined one day being able to release with them, but to have such a positive reaction to our work this soon is humbling and motivating.MP: Audiophile is an awesome group that we here at LAMP have followed intently over the past few years. In an earlier conversation last year Jimmy, you talked about how things were progressing and changing in 2016. What challenges and opportunities do you face when taking stock of your labels endeavors and keeping things fresh going forward?Jimmy: Mostly just the time it takes people adapt to "what's next". If you don't release along the lines of what's currently pushing borders it makes things a bit more complicated. I'd like to think we are helping set the direction of music along with the hundreds of other quality labels out there doing the same.MP: Being at the forefront of new and forthcoming music, what are you seeing as a new wave of sounds and styles within house that you think will be trendsetting and turning heads this year?Chris: The last two years has been all about the emergence of melodic techno and melodic tech house, and other offshoots such as desert house. This is particularly the case in Europe and the west coast, and we feel that it's barely started to reach markets such as Dallas that aren't as saturated. These genres still have a ways to grow, so we think it's here to stay for a while. Other than that, people are always finding ways to take classic sounds and modernize them. Labels like Low Steppa's Simma Black come to mind as they are combining UK/Chicago vibes with the new bass house sound.Jimmy: As far as what's next after that, one of the artists on our label, Lewis Beck, recently played a really interesting guest mix that featured some European artists who are making experimental deep house that is influenced by 90's underground hip hop. It sounds really fresh, and I wouldn't be surprised if it started to have a bigger presence over the next few years.

Tracklist

1. Tuccillo - Capocabana (Original Mix)2. Andre Gazolla - Myhouse (Original Mix)3. Andre Gazolla - Skywalker (Original Mix)4. Riven - Trigger (Original Mix)5. Riven - When You Are Hungry (Rhadow Remix)6. Andre Butano, Miguel Lobo - Sizzurp Overdose (Original Mix)7. Ben Grunnell - Aria (Original Mix)8.Marc Vedo - Right There (Original Mix)9. Kevin Over - Retrovision (Original Mix)10. Andre Gazolla - Hauzologic (Original Mix)11. Piemont - Omm (Original Mix)12. Denney - Soest (Original Mix)13. Seth Schwarz, Be Svendsen - The Bartender (Original Mix)Enjoy,LAMP