#MusicPH - Nicole Asensio Releases Her Newest Song, CHANGES OVER TIME.

Nicole Laurel Asensio is gearing up to commemorate her birth month with a string of metro shows and 'CHANGES OVER TIME,' a brand-new album of original songs she co-produced with producer Gabe Dandan.

 

The four-track EP "Changes Over Time" entices the listener into a sonic maze that explores time-related concepts. Nicole Asensio, the artist, uses meandering melodies and a literary bent to enhance her electronic tracks with a blend of enticing rhythms and orchestral accents. Waxiefied Sound Production mixed and mastered every track in Dolby Atmos.

“This EP is a cocktail of different styles from me and Nicole’s favourite eras of music.  There are elements from the 80s, acid jazz influences from the early 90s, neo-soul influences from the mid 90s and a melding of 70s disco and modern house/electronic. The Dilla swing feel is present throughout the EP but expressed through the different sonic platforms each of these eras of music have.” shared by Gabe.

“We wrote the initial demos during a lock-in session in my home, and later brought them into the the Dolby Atmos equipped production suite “Waxiefied Sound Production.”it was a tireless three day process of writing and producing on the fly, but the spontaneity of our process for this EP is what gave these songs their unique charm and sound.” Nicole added.

 “Amused” is a tune reminiscent of a smooth cocktail served over the plush velvet seats of a swanky bar. The instrumentation is robust yet laid back, opening with a full orchestra sound and slipping into a slow groove, full horns section. Much of the style is inspired by 80’s soul-r&b. Nicole’s uniquely textured vocal and a section of female backups garnish the track with sensual subtleties.

Nicole shares with the media, “Hours into our session, Gabe continued to stack tracks as I was simultaneously writing words to match them. I already had a melody in my head for the next song, but our first couple attempts to match ideas weren’t jiving just yet. After an ear-break we decided to jump into the next song “Where We’re Meant to Be” a track that is inspired by accepting our circumstances because we cannot chase, change or turn back time. Despite the heavy connotation of this topic, I wanted to keep the vibe light, warm and summery. Lyrically, the song is about accepting that everything happens at the right time and there is nothing one can do to alter that, after all, We still can choose to count the blessings and live in the moment when everything else seems out of sync. 

The second track “Where We’re Meant to Be” blends hints of acid jazz and soul into a spirited and upbeat brew. Percussive elements and classic jazz melodies meld into modern elements and production styles creating a bounty of musical flavours.

"Mirages," the third track, was inspired by a recent event Gabe and Nicole had on the island of Siargao. As they rode their dusty motorcycle through the streets on an oppressively hot day, they saw that the roadways were turning into a silvery mist. Water vapor appeared in spots along the route, but vanished as they approached. The song begins with unusual wind and string instruments, like a lute and koto, and as the composition builds to a crescendo, it abruptly drops into a gloomy pace that sounds like hobbling across desert sand. In order to offer the ear something new to go to, Nicole kept the music sluggish and low. She was overjoyed to hear Gabe contribute a little vocal portion to this song as well! It took quite a bit of coaxing as Gabe can be extremely shy about singing, but Nicole was glad Gabe finally decided to come out of his shell and share it on this EP

Gabe shared “The message of this EP is about how ephemeral our lives are. We cannot escape the movement of time and the fact that everything and everyone around us changes as well. These four songs are our way of expressing how we should grow and evolve without losing what it truly good and beautiful about us. I feel the music reflects the changes over time because of how unconventional the song forms are with the combination of different genres plus all of the abrupt sonic changes that would intentionally throw listeners off yet reel them in again a few seconds later.”

The fourth and final track which is also the EP title “Changes over Time” is comprised of four parts or “seasons” within itself. As the title suggests, the track has multiple shifts in tempo and feel. The song opens with 2000’s influenced house beats, string elements and effervescent vocals, then descends into slow, intimate musings of sadness over a sultry groove, it then picks up again and shape-shifts with the help of electronic elements such as vocoders and synths, the cycle repeats before fading into a gospel choir influenced outro. Truly a sonic experiment reminiscent of the many changes that come as we sift through sands of time.

“We retained a lot of elements from our first writing session such as the bass, keys and some of the synths. We then headed to onQ studios where we got to work with music stalwart Mr. Marvin Querido who tracked our live sessions with drummer Randall Enriquez and a horn section spearheaded by Michael Guevarra. Nicole and I recorded lead vocals and backup vocals at Waxiefied Sound Production Dolby Atmos suite. We blended in vocals from industry friends Mel Torre, Sarah Holmes and Dominic Dimagmaliw. After most stems were in place, singer-songwriter Kevin Yadao added some more smooth backups to the mix. One of the highlights of working on this EP is guesting L.A. based world renowned trumpet player Aaron Janik, who plays alongside some of the greatest musical acts in the international scene. The entire team was comprised of titans in their own right, and we were honoured to work with each player. Finally, I added guitar as a finishing touch. We brought to Waxie Joaquin to mix and master because of his expertise and understanding for this multi-genre type of music. Waxie, Nicole and I would stay up everyday till 5 in the morning working on the immersive experience and getting everything to its optimal sound across the board. After Mastering was done, Jiggs Hermano did the quality control and after a couple of hours of careful listening we all agreed it was ready and sent it out for distribution through Warner Music Philippines.” Gabe added.

Waxie Joaquin, Waxiefied Sound Production shares, “Working on “Changes Over Time” was a refreshing immersive experience.  Bringing all the songs to life was such an impressive sonic journey. These songs were truly conceptualised composed and arranged to be heard, listened and “felt” in  Dolby Atmos.” 

The tandem paints a sonic landscape that is both peculiar and familiar in the same deep breath. Through the shifts in tempo, rhythm and language from English to Filipino, there remains two common threads—homage to soul music and an earnest articulation of words from the soul.

'Changes Over Time' will be released on all digital platforms on July 5, 2024 at 12mn. 

There will be a countdown launch gig on July 4, 2024 at 8:30PM in 19EAST, east service road, Sucat followed by the following tour dates: 

July 7- A birthday show at Salon De Ning, The Peninsula Manila. 

July 19 - 78-45-33 Salcedo Makati 

More Road tour dates across the Philippines to be announced. 

FULL CREDITS CHANGES OVER TIME

Lyrics: Nicole Asensio

Music: Nicole Asensio, Gabe Dandan

Producer: Gabe Dandan

Executive Producer: Nicole Asensio

Musical Director: Gabe Dandan

Drums: Randall Enriquez

Percussion: Migui Bautista

Bass: Gabe Dandan

Guitar: Gabe Dandan

Piano, Synths, Vocoder: Gabe Dandan

Lead Vocals: Nicole Asensio

Horns Arrangement: Michael Guevarra / Aaron Janik

Saxophone and Flute: Michael Guevarra

Trumpet: James Mixto

Trombone: Darius Mendoza

Flugelhorn: Aaron Janik

String and Woodwind Arrangement: Gabe Dandan

Vocal Arrangement: Gabe Dandan, Nicole Asensio

Backup Vocals: Nicole Asensio, Melinda Torre, Sarah Holmes, Gabe Dandan, Kevin Yadao, Dominic Dimagmaliw

Tracking Engineers: Marvin Querido, Gabe Dandan, Isagani Palabyab, Enrique Santamaria

Mixing Engineer: Waxie Joaquin (Waxiefied Sound Production)

Mastering Engineer: Waxie Joaquin (Waxiefied Sound Production)

Distrubuted by: Warner Music Philippines

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