Nico Morano pushes onward with the second release on his OnTourage imprint: ‘Believe’ (Feat. GinGin)
A few months after firing up his Ontourage label with debut release ‘Blackout’, Nico Morano is stepping up to drop another grade A record on his imprint. Featuring GinGin on vocals, ‘Believe’ underscores the global appeal of the Belgian house mainstay’s trademark sound whilst simultaneously paving the way for a special Early Morning remix from Nandu to follow soon after.
For this second single release on his Ontourage imprint, label boss Nico Morano conjured up a rich and wondrous soundscape. From the warm chords to the ethereal vocals to the downtempo beats tickling the groove, this atypical Nico Morano record will make a believer out of anyone who grants this track a listen, whether it’s on a dance floor or not.
” In this rather special period of life, as an artist, I’m even more driven by emotion than before”, says Nico Morano. ”This record is all about showing how vulnerable and small we can all sometimes feel in this crazy world. But it will all be okay in the end. You just have to ‘Believe’.”
The accompanying remix comes from the hand of one of the premier tastemakers of Copenhagen’s melodic underground scene. Every bit as compelling as you’d expect it to be, Nandu’s wondrous interpretation juggles ethereal vocals and subtle progressions with the serenity of an early morning, making this remix a brilliant musical experience both on and beyond the dance floor.
Throughout the years, the sound of Nico Morano has developed into one of the most sophisticated ones in Belgium. His blend of deep, melodic house with a strong emotional touch rapidly made waves across the country, resulting in more than a hundred gigs in Belgium alone, from shows at highly respected clubs such as La Rocca, Café D’Anvers, Fuse and Ampere to his own Nico Morano & Friends stage at Paradise City Festival and Tomorrowland.
We caught up with Belgian ‘feel good’ producer, Nico Morano for a short Interview on how he is keeping up in this pandemic and hear about his newest release ‘BELIEVE’, coming out on Ontourage Music on 14th of August.
Hi Nico, thanks for taking the time and share your thoughts on these past 8 months. 2020 started great for you, releasing a lot of new music. Can you tell us a bit about the plan you had in mind, pre-corona? And what happened after the club / festival world was put on hold?
The plan… well, it is clear nothing can be planned anymore. Nobody saw this Covid-19 situation coming, I guess.
In January I released a lovely EP with my Danish buddy Radeckt on Récits de Mars, which had a good club impact. Followed in February by an EP on one of my favorite Spanish labels, Sincopat. You guys premiered the Biesmans remix of this one with success. The EP did really good and the tracks were supported worldwide by the likes of Tale of Us, Kevin De Vries, Innellea, Eelke Kleijn, … etc. In March I launched my first release “Blackout” on my proper imprint “Ontourage Music”, including a Moonwalk remix. I never thought the title could have such a double meaning. Then at the end of March, all gigs suddenly were erased from the agenda. From 50 upcoming gigs all over Europe, to Canada and South-America up to zero gigs.
So I dove into the studio, 24/7 for the last months.
You have never been so productive, it seems. Did/does this Covid19-period impact your production process? Do you use a different approach? Does it result in different music
Correct! I just couldn’t stop and it’s been the most productive period since ever! A collab with Jonas Saalbach (Lyra) on Eleatics and my ‘Say Yes’ remix on Atmosphere Records were released recently and many more releases are in the pipeline! But of course first up is “Believe”, a new single featuring GinGin, which will be out on Friday 14th of August.
So I can’t complain about the output level. I didn’t face a writer’s block or got demotivated by these weird times, maybe even extra inspired! It only made me spend more time in my studio and discover more, learn more and… buy more. So I upgraded my setup a bit with new material and rewired my studio. So it triggered me to try things differently and you’ll hear that for sure in the next releases.
So this your second DHA premiere… Vocals & emotions, the Morano recipe?
Every producer has their own vision on sound, rhythm, melodies, …
My preference goes out to melodic tracks, which bring a warm emotion to my heart. And yes indeed… if the right singer then comes with a striking text & emotion in the vocal, then the magic happens for me. In this rather special period of life, as an artist, I’m even more driven by emotion than before
So this was also the goal with your latest Ontourage Music release ‘Believe’ ?
This record is all about showing how vulnerable and small we can all sometimes feel in this crazy world. But it will all be okay in the end. You just have to ‘Believe’. The main element for me in this track which hits your heart are the chords. The rhythm is very different from what I usually produce or play. But fits splendid in these challenging times. GinGin, 2 friends of mine and a superb producer duo, came up with the perfect lyrics for the track! I absolutely love positive messages in music, so this was picture perfect!
And… do you ‘believe’ in the future? What is your short-term planning? Anything you can already reveal?
Well yes! My Danish buddy Nandu (TAU, Exit Strategy, Innervisions) made an amazing remix of Believe. He was completely a fan of the vocals from the first second and immediately started to work on the remix. Two days later I had already a first draft in my mailbox and it was a bomb! Sometimes it just falls into place and you feel the vibe from the first second.
And another good thing, … the difference with the original couldn’t be bigger. As my original is like a kind of ‘compact’, his version is over 8min! He will take you on a lovely dreamy trip! His remix will be released on the 28th of August.
Besides this, I have got a remix in September coming up for Marat Mode, with the beautiful vocals of Eleonora on the Spanish label Musica Cavernicola. Followed by a release on the label of Niconé, Dantze! More info soon on that.
And yes, I’m fully believing in the future, that’s for sure. Keep the faith and hopefully we can meet soon on the dancefloor for real action!
Do you have any gigs on the horizon at all?
In the coming weeks, I’ll be playing in Amsterdam, Brussels & Antwerp. Happy to see my agenda is slowly filling up again!
Nico Morano Feat. GinGin – Believe [Ontourage]
(Incl. Nandu Remix, to come out Aug 28th)
Release Date: 14-08-2020 // Buy here
