Steven Trueba Makes Waves With New Project "Alter."

Written by: Lauren Taylor

“Alter”, the Latin root used to describe a change, a deviation from the norm. The relevance of the root is akin to how each of Steven Trueba’s musical endeavors have their own unique flavor, a creative choice divergent from what’s typically seen in producers.

His newest project, Alter., brings us closer to Trueba than ever before, and this change is not going unnoticed. Using his own vocals on tracks for the first time, Alter. has allowed us to see a personal side of his music that we have gotten with his production for TeZAtalks, Jessie Siren, DEELYLE, Andie Case or his solo project CANDLIGHT.

Alter. has made a large splash quickly, with his first two songs premiering on major music outlets. The debut song of his new alias, Subspaces, was released on Big Slide’s annual Recess Vol. 001 compilation, while Fatal was released by EDM.com. Trap Nation’s YouTube video of “Fatal” is at 449,000 views and growing.

“The main thing is that it is me. It is about my life and my personal experiences of the world. Instead of channeling the emotion of another artist, Alter. is about digging deep into my own soul,” Trueba explained.

Alter. began for Trueba after a period of change in his own life, inspiring a new path for a devoted artist. The music that has been a part of his life since he found a love for it at 14 is what helped Trueba through a tough life transition.

“I loved a person very much and felt like I didn’t receive closure on a lot of things in our relationship,” Trueba said. “I essentially had to write my way out a depression caused from lack of understanding and closure. All the negative emotions I felt towards that relationship I was able to crystalize and leave behind in that first wave of material.”

The emotion poured into these songs can undeniably be felt as a listener. His newest song, Keep Shooting, paints a picture of Trueba’s mental state during this break up. The filled melody paired with the heavy hip-hop beat creates a dynamic similar to artists like Syd, The Weekend and Jhene Aiko.

While born during a painful time, Trueba’s experiences making music for Alter. are not all negative. The music has come to bring him a sense of peace at times.

“It had awoken a new part of me. Singing was something I really enjoyed doing and writing melodies brought me a piece of mind I had not experienced from just production,” Trueba said.

Songwriting suits Trueba. Alter.’s music doesn’t fit neatly into the narrowly defined lane of EDM, it is clear he takes inspiration from many genres. Reaching across hip-hop and trap to soul, each song curates a separate feel, while at the same time staying true to his own sound. The inspiration Trueba gets from artists such as blackbear, 6lack, 21 Pilots, Saint JHN, and The Neighborhood becomes clear when listening to his tracks.

Trueba has been able to say so much with his new musical project in so little time. So much has happened between the time when idea for Alter. was formed in July 2017 to now. The heavily respected producer has managed to become a new kind of artist in his own right, and he has no plans to turn back now.

A Conversation with Samurai Del

Written by Alexander Hume

Samurai Del is a name that has become a staple in the Seattle music scene. Del founded the PNW producer collective Northern Natives in 2015 and his last album, Hodgepodge, achieved major success both locally and internationally. As avid listeners and fans of Del, we here at Big Slide Records were not-so patiently waiting to hear his newest EP Tangerine, which released November 28. We caught up with Del and chatted about his new release, inspirations, studio processes and more.

---

We really appreciate the nostalgia-charged release. What are some of your musical or creative inspirations that influenced the EP?

When I first started making beats I started out sampling. Digging through thousands of records put me onto music I normally would have never listened to had I not been looking for that one gem to flip. I was pretty keen on sticking to cool jazz (Miles Davis, Coltrane, Bill Evans, etc.) and 60's/70's soul records (Smokey Robinson, The Stylistics, Brothers Johnson, etc.) I always HATED wasting my time digging through 80's R&B/Soul records cause they were so synth heavy, which wasn't great for my dusty, lofi approach I was going for at the time. Eventually this style of music really grew on me and I discovered how much great music there is in synth funk. Modern artists that turned me on to this style of music have been Gorillaz, Pomo, Sports, Wild Nothing and many more.

The production on Tangerine goes above and beyond your last few releases. What techniques or tools have you been utilizing in the studio? What're some of your latest production discoveries or achievements?

Samurai Del performing at Q Nightclub. Photo by Jason Woo.

I wouldn't say Tangerine has gone above and beyond my last few releases, from a songwriting standpoint definitely though. It's just a completely different approach on how I make music. I've been honing in on my theory chops, even though I do mostly everything by ear, but this EP is very Jazz/Funk influenced, something directly associated with digging through all those records over the years. Every album/project I release I aim to go in a completely different direction with. I'm all for having a "sound" but when influenced by so many different kinds of music, I get bored doing one thing. Just like Kanye has done with his albums, he takes risks and is innovating. Just look at the longevity that guy has had.

Tangerine exemplifies your unique sound and style, however each track has a featured artist other than yourself. How did these collaborations come about and how did the format of the release affect your process?

I always love working with vocalists, have it be singers or rappers. I want to make songs, man. I do miss releasing instrumentals, but I feel like most people don't give a shit if there isn't a top line over beats anymore. Funny thing with this project is that a few of these songs passed through a couple different hands before becoming the final product which is out today. It worked out for the best, but f*ck it was stressful… I have specific people in mind most of the time when I'm making a new beat, so it's always painful when it doesn't work out like I had see in my head. Thankfully everyone brought their best that did make it on the record, & I'm really proud of how it turned out. This was supposed to be released no later than September, but it was out of my control and I'm not into rushing the process.

What's the next step for Samurai Del?

I'll be throwing my EP release show for Tangerine at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard on December 28 with the homies Jamie Blake, J'von, Campana and Portland based emcee Donte Thomas, who is featured on the EP. Super excited to play these songs out live for the first time! It is 21 plus so bring your friends! As for future releases, I am currently working on another album which I hope to release sometime in 2019. Complete 180 from Tangerine, and I'm excited to start releasing some singles off the project early next year. Stay tuned!

We want to thank Samurai Del for talking with us and praise him for the diverse music catalog he has shared with the world. With his music and fanbase progressing rate it is currently, we cannot wait to see what the future holds for this musician!

Process 04: Chong the Nomad

Chong the Nomad [Alda Agustiano] has taken Seattle by storm with her melodic production and killer live sets. Her song on Big Slide’s Recess 002 is just one example of her talent and instrument driven production. The Process has taken us behind the scenes with many artists and we couldn’t resist the temptation to learn more about this talented producer’s methods.

How did music play a role in your childhood? Did you have any favorite artists as a child?

It played a huge role in my childhood actually. My parents are very musical. My dad is a guitarist and my mom is a really great singer. I always told people my mom taught me how to sing and my dad taught me how to listen. That’s what my childhood was like. I grew up listening to a lot of what my parents listened to, artists like Billie Holiday, Stevie Wonder, and Earth Wind and Fire. I also listened to a lot of pop music in elementary school, up until I fell in love with dance music in late middle school. That is when I started listening to artists like Daft Punk, Deadmau3, David Guetta, and Tiesto. Those guys got me into dance music early on.

What instruments do you know how to play and in what order did you learn them?

I play 5 instruments. The order I learned them in was piano, trombone, guitar, ukulele, then harmonica.

How did you get started producing music and was it a difficult jump to transfer over to the more electronic side of things?

I had an interest in writing my own music since elementary school, but never started thinking about writing until late middle school. I found the ‘do it all yourself’ aspect of electronic music fascinating. I didn’t need a nice studio or a bunch of crazy equipment, I could just use my laptop and digital audio equipment. I use Fruity Loops Studio, which I still use to this day. When I was 14, I had a bunch of girlfriends who were interested in electronic music and I kind of hopped on the bandwagon. I absolutely fell in love with it. I’ve always flowed from genre to genre. This has been the hardest part for me, finding my own style and figuring out what I want to do with the different genres of electronic music. I have been writing since I was 14 and DJing since I was 16.

How do you first approach a new song and what does your creative process look like?

That always depends. I tend to come up with ideas, themes, and images in my head and go from there. The music that I end up uploading tends to be ideas that have come to me very strongly during very emotional venerable moments. I wrote Love Memo during a pretty strange time in my life. Usually the right circumstance is when I am emotionally vulnerable. I get creatively productive and make the most progress. I went to school at Cornish and one of the things I learned there was to take ideas and stretch them out as far as you can. I learned to develop ideas and extend them, which I think is the best way to describe how I work.

Do you ever get writers block and if so, how do you get yourself out of a rut?

All the f*cking time, but it happens to everyone. This something I’m trying to figure out how to deal with. I would like to say don’t force it, but sometimes in order to make a career out of your art that’s not going to work. You’re going to get writers block and you’re going to not feel creative. I think as an artist you have to do everything possible to not have that happen. What I like to do is go out for a walk and listen to a genre that I haven’t listened to for a while or haven’t even thought of listening to. Listening to other people’s music helps a lot for me. I would say hang out with friends, talk to people, be social, and use the energy within you. Eventually as an artist your creativity should come back.

What software do you use?

I use Fruity Loops Studio and I used to use Audacity for recording. I also dabble in Protools.

What artists are inspiring you today?

BrockHampton, Pharrell, Solange, and Sango.

How do you prepare for a live performance?

This is actually a really funny question for me because the last two gigs I played were very tricky. Over the summer I had a lot of festival sets to prepare for and in each one I tried to do something a little different than the last. Right now, my set is a dj live hybrid. I like to make edits and remixes of music that are calling to me at the time. The last show I did a Berry White remix and a Lauren Hill remix. I spent four all nighters on the nights before the show because that’s how my life is. I’m still a new artist, so I try to find different ways to entice the audience, while still staying true to myself. So, I basically do remixes, try to nudge my own music here and there and add the live element. I play harmonica and ukulele in my shows, so I mix all those things together and rehearse like a mother f*cker. It’s all just a big chaotic mess before the show and whatever happens, happens. But it all works out in the end. I love djing, but the live sets portray who I really am as an artist.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I am currently working with Perry Porter, a Seattle rapper. He is extremely talented, and I look up to him a lot. I am also working with two Detroit artists who I won’t name right now. One is a remix and the other is a demo for an album. As of right now, I’m just grinding, working on new singles. A bigger project isn’t in foreseeable future, but I can tell you to expect a lot of new music with in the next couple of months.

As always, we thank we thank Agustiano for her time. If you are in the Seattle area and want to see a live show, you can catch Chong the Nomad at Chop Suey November 14th opening up for Parisalexa. We here at Big Slide cannot wait to follow the bright future this artist has in front of her!