Georgeous and Souldate recently teamed up to get in the studio and put some beats together. The result is their Surfin’ The Wave EP, which was released on Deepart Records recently. It’s a brilliant single and we’ve had on repeat here at the Deep House London office for a few weeks now. We caught up with the two men the other day and had a chat with them about all things music…
How was your winter? What was the highlight?
Georgeous: Well, winter was actually cold and dry as always…not much stuff happened. We were working on all the EPs coming out this year, some remixes and freebies. I spent the weekends DJing a lot, as in Madrid it was peak season. We got a residency at Goya Social Club sharing decks with Jonas Rathsman, The Magician, Friend Within and a couple more. It was so nice for us coming up from the studio with more music and new sounds, it was actually our main highlight…will see how it goes!
How do you look back on your early years as a raver? How have your tastes changed since then?
Souldate: Sure, while we both have been pretty much all the time into house music, tastes are changing constantly. Maybe now we are more into deep house and touches of techno, raw mixes and lots of groove. Sadly our early years as ravers weren’t influenced by the so-called Ruta del Bakalao, we meant the “Route of the Cod”. By that time, there was a gathering on Friday night in Madrid, and an eventual migration towards the nearest seacoast, Valencia, to keep partying all weekend. We partied hard some years ago but are now focused on the studio.
If you have some free time… [youtube id=”qNJ5HgYHOn8″ width=”620″ height=”360″]
So what sort of music did you grow up with then? And when did you become interested in house music?
Georgeous: We grew up with so many influences from our parents, from rock to disco and dance hits in the car to jazz and funky classics at home…Tony (Souldate) has spent the last 10 summers holidaying in Ibiza and I have worked several summers in London. I guess it was during these early times when we became more interested in house music.
Was there one moment where you realised this is what you wanted to do then?
Souldate: After spending some years on the decks, I guess both of us naturally felt intrigued about how those sounds are created and starting to study that area. Later, asking for feedbacksand having spent lots of time trying to make music, there is a point when you realise you may have a particular sound, and you realise you want that path to keep unfurling. I mean, apart from being involved in music all the time, I guess you need some kind of mentor(s) who guide you and open your mind to really allocate more time to music and encourage you.
So how did you learn to make music? Did you take classes? Or just through trial and error on your laptop?
Georgeous: We are basically self-taught in all ways of music production, but did take some mixing courses some years ago in order to move forward and reach a proper sound. There is a point where YouTube videos or trial and error cannot show you any more of what you need and you get stuck, so you the idea of having a mentor comes up, as I was saying in the last answer.
Not having music formal training before, just a couple of seasons playing the guitar, drums and keys but just for fun; now at the studio sometimes we regret that lack of flow but keep trying!
How long did it take until you got to a stage where you were pretty assured with your sound?
Souldate: Six years passed away since I was completely sure of sending any stuff to foreign labels to get their feedback. I consider myself very purist in this way, always liking to work with every point controlled, having everything in view…. Better quality than quantity.
What other challenges are you faced with at the moment from a music point of view?
Gorgeous: To keep learning in the studio and getting even more involved into the national house and techno scene which is actually improving a little bit…not compared to the UK haha but well, close…
When was the last time you heard a track that was really stunningly produced? What made it stick out for you?
Souldate: We love tracks produced under the “less is more” mantra when it comes to mixing elements. Regarding the latest tunes that have come into our hands, we were pretty stoked for a guy who has been working closely with us during the last few years. He is called DWYR and made a tune called ‘All Night’, which has a simple but great sound. His workflow in the studio and housey vibes on the track made it kinda unique, despite the elements sounding very familiar…
From that point of view, which track of yours was the biggest challenge to put together?
Georgeous: Our last EP called Modern Buzz seemed at first to be quite easy to arrange but, by when we were in the studio, it was some sort of nightmare! At some points, due to the amount of tracks together it actually became a big challenge…
And when you’re coming up with a new track, what do you start on? The samples? The bassline? How does that all work for you?
Souldate: We open the studio session with new but random ideas we got from promos we have heard and stuff, upcoming artists and so on. Once our head is buzzing with an idea, we start with some basic percussion patterns and expand them with basslines. Later we add more percussion and start thinking about the need of vocals and arrangement possibilities. More or less this is how we work on all out tracks…
So can you explain your latest release to us a bit then? What was the vibe you were going for with it?
Georgeous: Regarding ‘Surfin’ The Wave’ and ‘Twist Of Lemon’, we just tried to inject a club feeling, a proper dancefloor groove and nice sounds you can listen to anywhere and everywhere. The EP is 4×4 house with some blends and touches of other genres, bassy frequencies that make you move. Maybe we can call it ‘pop’ or bassy house music. The vibe sometimes gets raw with distorted effects, we are actually very happy with the results!
How did it come about you releasing on Depaart?
Souldate: As many people ask about this, just to confirm Jorge is actually the co-founder of Depaart and we have been working together on several projects during the last few years. So it was kind of natural to collaborate in this EP and produce some tunes for the label, everything stays at home.
What are your hopes for the upcoming future?
Georgeous: I will launch a remix for Spanish duo Easy Kid right after ‘Surfin’ The Wave’ and we will release another collaboration for Depaart on a VVAA during the summer, now trying them at gigs to see how they work on the dance floor. Souldate is also working on an EP for Alma Soul containing three originals, we will be giving out some freebies in June and getting ready for maybe another collaboration released in September after the summer season in Ibiza, pretty excited for everything!
Georgeous and Souldate’s release ‘Surfin’ The Wave’ is out now on Depaart Records, pick it up here.
