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Producers Angel Moraes and Manny Ward return "home", breathing new beats and classic sounds to STEREO this Saturday.
1. With a musical range that is as vast as the lengths of your respective careers, what can one expect this Saturday at STEREO?
MANNY: A lot of the underground after hours tracks that I'm feeling right now. Along with some of mine, and my close friends favorite classics that I know are not played much at all.
ANGEL: FIERCENESS!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. As producers with a credible library of tracks and remixes under your belts, how do you balance the �wow� factor of a new creation versus all the tracks you have access to?
MANNY: I try to keep abreast of what's really hot, and what I'm liking. That being said, when I do a track or remix sometimes it can start as one idea and it can take itself to something totally different. As far as the "Wow" factor, I can't plan that. I just go with my expression and hopefully it will be good enough to capture the "Wow" factor.
ANGEL: This used to be a challenge, not so much anymore cause as of late there is less and less quality tracks to chose from. That said, what does make it a bit easier is the crowd you play for or where you are playing. A good dance crowd can make it significantly easy for me to play music for them and luckily enough we get a lot of love from Montreal.
3. Though you have both hailed from NYC, you have countless numerous times referred to Montreal as home. What make this city so special to you?
MANNY: For me personally, no other place appreciates, and embraces my music & me like Montreal does. Not to mention the amazing friends & family that I've developed here over the years.
ANGEL: Oh God I'm going to need a lot of space to answer this one. I fell in love with Montreal from the moment I played my first record at playground 15 years ago. Since then I have so many reasons to be enamored with this city. Beginning with the warm reception and embrace I get from the friends I've made here and the people to the creation of STEREO and housing my sound system in it right on through everything else that I have been allowed to live in this great city. For quite sometime now when people ask me where I'm from i say "New York is my city, but Montreal is my home".
4. You both also have profound relationships with this after-hour club? Can expand more about this?
MANNY: For all who don't know, before I came to Stereo to play on an invite from David Morales, I was ready to just hang it all up. Stereo not only rejuvenated my belief in house music, but restarted my career as a DJ. In addition; all of the people whom I know and love in Montreal I've either met at Stereo or had something to do with Stereo. I got the STEREO logo inked on my bicep because of the impact that it's had had on my life as a whole.
ANGEL: Let me put it to ya'll like this...imagine you walk into the Paradise Garage in 1982 and its the most incredible experience of your life: you're poor, ignorant, but you make a promise to yourself that you�re going learn how to do this and one day you will recreate that and it will become the most coveted after-hours in the world. Well my friends, I live with that feeling everyday. Just an incredible sense of accomplishment - and yes, it�s a hell of a feeling. Heh heh�
5. How did the two of you meet? (And is it safe to publish?)
MANNY: Angel and I met at 8 Ball Records back in 93' I believe. He brought in his promo of the Cure - no I take that back - it was the track he released before "The Cure". We knew each other pretty well by the time The Cure came out because of Sound Factory Bar and his manager Jeff. I loved that fact that he sang on both of those records. He was just so adorable!!! Still is�
ANGEL: MANNY WAS WHORING. I WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND!!! Hahaha [Editor�s note: oh shame�just a damn shame.] �just kidding...I've known Manny for 18 years and to say the least he is by far one of the sweetest people I've met in this business and a great friend. It�s so long ago but I think we met at the 8 Ball Records shop in NYC.
6. Which was your favorite STEREO moment?
MANNY: This is a very very very hard and unfair question!!!!! But I will say this. One of my favorite times with Angel is when he was playing "Running", and he kept stopping the record, and playing Third World's "One More Time". He sent me through the ROOF!!!! I have to say I learned so much from Angel through the years of my coming up there. He taught me how to sound check and HEAR a system. He also taught me that playing LOUD was not the thing, but when to bring it louder, then softer. ALL VERY PRICELESS INFO TO HAVE!!!! Plus I just love the guy. He's definitely one of my key family members in MTL. I'm really looking forward to coming "home" to Stereo again.. It's been too long, but like they say, and Nayobe sang: "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait". Hmmmmm, maybe I'll pull that one out as well :)
ANGEL: As you might imagine i have countless favorite moments but I'll give you a few.
1. The first time I fired up my baby. She sang for me like she knew we're home.
2. I was in the "tool shed" with Judy Weinstein and we are having a moment and she looks at me and she says "if Richard Long and Larry Levan were alive today they would be so proud of you". What a ing compliment!!! Tears came to my eyes immediately. After that moment even if someone came into STEREO and hated it, I could give a . Cause I heard one of the greatest compliments of my life from the one person that could give that compliment.
DJs/Producers Angel Moraes and Manny Ward bring their unique NYC sounds with an abundance of Montreal flava this Saturday April 24th , 2011 at the one and only STEREO.
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