Whiskers Po - 'Yes' HNHEP047
Released 09.01.2014
Tracklisting:
1. 'Yes' (Original Mix)
2. 'Rift' (Original Mix)
3. 'Yes' (Corporal F Remix)
4. 'Yes' (Principal Dean Remix)
We're proud to present our 47th release featuring Jersey City resident Gregory Evgrafiev aka Whiskers Po. Plus two smashing remixes from the likes of HNH's own Corporal F and Principal Dean of Symbols Recordings.
Press Release by Nicholas Concklin:
Released 09.01.2014
Tracklisting:
1. 'Yes' (Original Mix)
2. 'Rift' (Original Mix)
3. 'Yes' (Corporal F Remix)
4. 'Yes' (Principal Dean Remix)
We're proud to present our 47th release featuring Jersey City resident Gregory Evgrafiev aka Whiskers Po. Plus two smashing remixes from the likes of HNH's own Corporal F and Principal Dean of Symbols Recordings.
Press Release by Nicholas Concklin:
The @HotNHeavyRecordings family grows by one with the debut release from Jersey City DJ & producer Whiskers Po. Known for his lush Juke and cheeky Jersey Club flips as part of the hyper-relevant #TOMCREW and DICKSQUAD collectives, "Yes EP" upholds the San Francisco-based label’s reputation for finely-tuned Garage House and Bass Music and displays the young producer's versatility with House & Techno.
Opening track "Yes" is a light, uplifting Deep House cut, contrasted nicely by the dark Deep Techno throwback "Rift". Anchored together with chopped diva vocals and nostalgic sensibilities, the two oppose one another.
Removing the “Deep” element from the equation, Hot N Heavy staple @CorporalF flips “Yes” on its head, turning it into a Latin Bassline banger with a fiesta attitude. Vermont’s @Principal-Dean takes us the other direction, dismantling “Yes” into a dreamy, broken beat Bass number.
"Yes EP" is out September 1st, 2014 on all fine digital retailers.
Early support from Tittsworth, My Nu Leng, Rico Tubbs, Coco Cole and Reid Speed.
Featured on XLR8R http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2014/09/yes
We asked Greg aka 'Whiskers Po' our "6-Pack" of questions to get to know him a little bit better and this is what he has to say:
HNH Q. 1. During the writing process what was your vision for these tunes, like the vibe and feel?
A. When I set out to make these tunes I wanted one to be nostalgic and longing and the other to be a bit darker. "Yes" is more melodic and the female vocals make me want to be in some Parisian nightclub at 4 am dancing with a girl I like. I've honestly never even been to Paris but that's something I imagine in my head for some strange reason. As for "Rift", it's a bit more dark with the lurking bassline, it's a bit mischievous. The focus in "Rift" was more on the rhythm. However, I was still hoping to keep consistent with the soulful aesthetic and keep some vocals so there's some color in there.
HNH Q. 2. What's the story behind the name Whiskers Po? It wouldn't be cat related would it?
A. Absolutely. I'm a fan of cats, but also by extension I'm a fan of most whiskered animals (we often forget even dogs have whiskers!). I'm just a sucker for animals and cute things in general. As for the "Po" part, I actually legally use my mother's last name since I came into the US from Russia with her when I was little; with Po, I'm paying homage to my dad's last name which begins with those two letters.
HNH Q. 3. What other types of music influence your production style?
A. I've been listening to and making a large variety of genres. I love RnB, Jersey club, soul, old school hiphop, footwork, bossa nova, jazz, baile funk, emotional trap music… I go back to classic rock once in a while as well - the list truly goes on. I've been trying really hard to avoid being pigeon-holed into any musical category because I have so much love for different types of music and want to explore as many sounds as possible. It's probably super tough to market sounds to my audience if I'm pushing this musical ambiguity thing but I'm hoping my listeners will be open to most things and that I'll be recognized as a versatile producer.
HNH Q. 4. You're a very active social networker, is it hard to balance that with making music?
A. I just like to post amusing things, troll around, and try not to take the internet too seriously. I'm sure some people are very active online because they feel obligated to keep social momentum for networking purposes or whatever but I just have fun and try to share content I find personally interesting. If I find a picture of a cat wearing shades and a piece of lettuce for a hat (it's an actual picture), I'm going to post it regardless of what my audience thinks. I guess for that reason it's not very hard at all to balance because I enjoy making music and posting fun things and I don't ever feel like I have to do one or the other.
HNH Q. 5. If you could use one word to describe you and your music what would it be?
A. Diverse!
HNH Q. 6. Any shout outs?
A. I'm always get worried I'll miss someone and feel like a complete ass. There are way too many people to name that are dear to my heart so I think I'll just give a shoutout to love, knowledge, and friendship!
*Mixed and Mastered by Michael Harms at MegaSonic in San Francisco, CA.
*Album Artwork by Gregory 'Udachi' Pesochin
Featured on XLR8R http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2014/09/yes
We asked Greg aka 'Whiskers Po' our "6-Pack" of questions to get to know him a little bit better and this is what he has to say:
HNH Q. 1. During the writing process what was your vision for these tunes, like the vibe and feel?
A. When I set out to make these tunes I wanted one to be nostalgic and longing and the other to be a bit darker. "Yes" is more melodic and the female vocals make me want to be in some Parisian nightclub at 4 am dancing with a girl I like. I've honestly never even been to Paris but that's something I imagine in my head for some strange reason. As for "Rift", it's a bit more dark with the lurking bassline, it's a bit mischievous. The focus in "Rift" was more on the rhythm. However, I was still hoping to keep consistent with the soulful aesthetic and keep some vocals so there's some color in there.
HNH Q. 2. What's the story behind the name Whiskers Po? It wouldn't be cat related would it?
A. Absolutely. I'm a fan of cats, but also by extension I'm a fan of most whiskered animals (we often forget even dogs have whiskers!). I'm just a sucker for animals and cute things in general. As for the "Po" part, I actually legally use my mother's last name since I came into the US from Russia with her when I was little; with Po, I'm paying homage to my dad's last name which begins with those two letters.
HNH Q. 3. What other types of music influence your production style?
A. I've been listening to and making a large variety of genres. I love RnB, Jersey club, soul, old school hiphop, footwork, bossa nova, jazz, baile funk, emotional trap music… I go back to classic rock once in a while as well - the list truly goes on. I've been trying really hard to avoid being pigeon-holed into any musical category because I have so much love for different types of music and want to explore as many sounds as possible. It's probably super tough to market sounds to my audience if I'm pushing this musical ambiguity thing but I'm hoping my listeners will be open to most things and that I'll be recognized as a versatile producer.
HNH Q. 4. You're a very active social networker, is it hard to balance that with making music?
A. I just like to post amusing things, troll around, and try not to take the internet too seriously. I'm sure some people are very active online because they feel obligated to keep social momentum for networking purposes or whatever but I just have fun and try to share content I find personally interesting. If I find a picture of a cat wearing shades and a piece of lettuce for a hat (it's an actual picture), I'm going to post it regardless of what my audience thinks. I guess for that reason it's not very hard at all to balance because I enjoy making music and posting fun things and I don't ever feel like I have to do one or the other.
HNH Q. 5. If you could use one word to describe you and your music what would it be?
A. Diverse!
HNH Q. 6. Any shout outs?
A. I'm always get worried I'll miss someone and feel like a complete ass. There are way too many people to name that are dear to my heart so I think I'll just give a shoutout to love, knowledge, and friendship!
=^. .^= / =^. .^= / =^. .^= / =^. .^= / =^. .^=
*Album Artwork by Gregory 'Udachi' Pesochin
As featured on XLR8R September 2014
Available to buy here:
Read full review of Yes - Whiskers Po on Boomkat.com ©
