Ram Alonzo, DJ and producer, joins us in this episode of Sound Fiesta playing “Out”. More familiarly known as ‘Aries’, he has been in the scene as early as 2015 with his track “Closer”. Taking inspiration from Jacob Colier, King Cruel, and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Aries has since released EPs like Olive, Aries, and his latest project, Manila Dance. 

He describes his style as ambient, glitchy, and down tempo, which perfectly describes the kind of track that we should listen to most especially in the current realities where we had to slow down and take it a day at a time.

We chatted with Aries to check on what he’s been up to, talk about his insights on his new EP, and the importance of staying creative despite the new realities. 

How have you been, how are you coping with the new normal, and what’s keeping you busy recently?

It’s a bit difficult being just at home most of the time since the opportunities for inspiration are limited. Despite that, I’ve been helping my girlfriend (Olympia) with her album, and I’m recording an album with Jack Sikat Kombo. It is kind of like a break for me since I’m working on different projects with different sounds, genres, and styles.

Who were your main inspirations for the music that you create?

My immersion with other artists started when I was in high school and being part of different bands/projects from different scenes contributed to my sound today. For my main project (Aries), I was heavily inspired by the local electronic music scene back in 2014 or 2015. Seeing the different collectives host events showed me all the possibilities – the sounds you can design, the mood you wanna impart, and the vibe that you wanna curate.

Tell us about how Manila Dance EP and Out came about.

The Manila Dance EP is our interpretation of what the Manila club scene sounds like based on our experiences. Lean (LONER) and I started working on the Manila Dance EP around late 2018, back when Lean was still touring abroad. We worked on it for a little over a year, and we didn’t really rush the process. We both had our tracks at the ready but we helped each other in terms of the production, the extra cheese, among other things, which I think is one of the best things when collaborating with another artist. For “Out,” I was trying to go for a lounge house sound using a Rhodes emulator. As an introverted person, this kind of dance music resonates with me well.

As a creative, why do you think it’s important to keep on creating even at times like these, especially when it comes to collaborations?

Collaborations are always going to be interesting since it can unearth new flavors to an existing work of art and it helps create that musical magic because you have more than one brain working on something. New ideas are always good to have, and I think it’s really important especially at times like these where you don’t really get inspiration.

Any future projects we should look forward to?

I have at least 5 tracks since last year that I also played for my live set for UNKNWN, but I can’t seem to finalize the tracks. I don’t have a definite date yet for my next release but that’s something we could look forward to.

You can stream “Out” and the Manila Dance EP on Spotify.

Sound Fiesta is in collaboration with Playhouse Studio for video production and Kindred Productions for audio management. This video is shot in Stockroom, Makati City.