Mixing Room

The year 1984 was a landmark year... it was the year i made the big decision to stop playing in my band and going full time to work in a recording studio. Switching from being someone involved in performing and composing music to actually be recording music.

I first applied for a job at RJ's studio as a recoding engineer, but having no prior experience or technical knowledge i was hired as a utility person... my main assignment was keeping the studio in working order, which was something like cleaning up the mess after the sessions.
Being my first time in a regular working environment was a shock for someone used to playing late night gigs and living the rock and roll lifestyle, but i managed.

I hated office politics and i still do... i get things done and i do it to the best of my ablities.
I did learn to keep my sanity despite the rigours and stress of dealing with people who just wait for the end of the working day.

I learned a lot of things about what i can do ... and what i couldn't.
I went thru a lot of things... some of them i would rather forget or just keep to myself .

Amidst all of this though there was one thing i was glad to have found.
I did find someone... who has since left and has found her own view of the sky.

I left RJ studios in the early nineties to find work and try my luck in other studios, where i learned even more about the business of putting out recorded music to the public. I haven't stopped doing so till now.
Now it's just better since i am back to actually arranging and playing music besides recording and mixing.

So it was kind of a reunion for me and Ramon Jacinto, when he called me up and asked me to help him work on an upcoming album. Seems like a good idea to actually pay my respects to the man who gave me my start in my current profession. I am currently arranging music he himself composed thru all these years that i have been away from his company. I actually went back to my former workplace in Makati and went to his old studio which is still in the same location it was when i first started working there.

And the memories came back....
mostly of someone i've lost and i will never see again

Before i knew it... i'm actually working on four albums all at the same time... Oh man!!!
I didn't exactly plan it this way but things are getting to be hectic in the studio. We're actually constructing another room to accomodate the projects. Current albums in progress are as follows:

Mike Bon Project ..... a very good guitar player with a penchant for writing his own original material. His album is going to be a good one since i kinda like his songwriting abilities plus it's material suitable for radio airplay. Produced by the Triggerman

Dk Tijam................. one of the finalist in the first Star in a million competition. We actually started this project some time ago but for reasons beyond our control, this project had to be shelved.
He is back and i am doing two arrangements for him, one of them being a revival of the song "Getting to know each other" and the other one an original composition by Froi Canlas who also happens to be a member of the group " Souldground" an acoustic group of which my son is also a vocalist. I do have a couple of guitar work on this album so it should be an album to watch out for.

Jeremiah................yep the guys who sang "Nanghihinayang " are back as a reformed trio now being handled by my friends at Reddmon Productions.... this album is produced by Paolo Zarate.
I have an arrangement of a song written by Marlone Silva entitled "Only You" where i'm playing my new Taylor.

Carlos Agassi..... being produced by the very talented Gloc 9. This one i was supposed to just arrange one song but i ended up doing two more. :-)
once again it features a lot of guitar work plus very impressive rap styles from Carlos.

and of course other side project... like a new TV network theme for Christmas and a song for one of the guys in Pinoy Big Brother... up to you guys to figure out which one though.
Im actually working with Jon on HIS upcoming album which will have his own version of the Pinoy Big Brother theme song, which he wrote.

Again i got to be on TV when the new Vina M album was launched since i played Electric Guitar for her for that gig. It was such a blast to actually play live again even for just one night.
I miss playing in front of an audience but working with young talented musicians was a thrill to me. Years ago i made a living out of playing live but now i would much rather play on recordings since they last longer and it gives me a chance to actually be creative when putting guitar parts.

Oh and i do have a couple of arrangements and gutiar work on the new Vina Album..
ahhhh, to actually be a musician again. :-)