Brian is an award winning producer, arranger, jingle composer, remixer and DJ from the Philippines. Brian is a founding partner of Hit Productions, Inc, the largest jingle house and audio-post production. He is one of the resident DJs of BED, the largest gay dance club in Manila. Check out my exclusive interview with him, below.
ExMen: Hi Brian.. can you tell us a bit about the remix work you do?
Brian: Most of the time, i do bootleg remixes, meaning i don't have any acapella or stems from the actual recording to work on, it's something i do to enhance my DJ playlist and offer them to my fans as well.
Sometimes i do get paid for remixing work - still working on that to become a regular thing LOL. For remixing software, i usually work with Ableton Live and/or Logic Studio 9. A lot of people tell me even though
i don't have the acapella my remixes sound better than the ones out there - thank you very much!
Brian: Most of the time, i do bootleg remixes, meaning i don't have any acapella or stems from the actual recording to work on, it's something i do to enhance my DJ playlist and offer them to my fans as well.
Sometimes i do get paid for remixing work - still working on that to become a regular thing LOL. For remixing software, i usually work with Ableton Live and/or Logic Studio 9. A lot of people tell me even though
i don't have the acapella my remixes sound better than the ones out there - thank you very much!
ExMen: You are also the the founding partner of Hit Productions, Inc, the largest jingle house and audio-post production house in Manila. Can you tell us more about the projects you are involved in?
Brian: We do around 60% of the local tv ads being shown in manila, and a bit for regional ads. We provide music, jingles, SFX, and voice dubbing - just any kind of audio requirement you need, we can get it done for you. Our clients include, Coca-Cola, Unilever and P&G
products, etc.
ExMen: How is like spinning for BED, the largest gay night club in Manila?Brian: With the recent renovations, spinning for BED is like giving a performance - the DJ booth is bigger and elevated - it feels like a stage! And it's very inspiring because you can feel immediately the energy of the crowd and how you want to give it back to them!
ExMen: How would you compare the club scene there to other countries you've been to?
Brian: Manila has actually a limited club scene - a lot of small bars and a small handful of big clubs. People here are also very discerning when it comes to music. Filipinos are typically shy to dance but when properly given some social lubrication - they are quite the rowdy bunch. They also like their vocal anthems. Other cities like New York - are more appreciative and would dance to anything that is beat related.
ExMen: What can one expect when visiting Manila for the first time? Brian: Well, the weather is for the most part humid. Our people are very warm and hospitable. Food is relatively cheap and varied. Beaches are heavenly and it's usually a few hours trip away!
ExMen: You are also the remixing partner of Drew G (NY), collaborating on remixes for Solange, Dangerous Muse, Jason Derulo and Cyon Flare. How did that came about and how is it going now?
Brian: I met Drew from twitter/facebook and working with him has been very fulfilling because we challenge each other constantly - we have different musical influences and that's what gives us our unique 'dirty pop' sound. Right now we are waiting for spec approvals from record companies and promoters - market for remixing is very competitive - it is our hope our 'dirty pop' sound would get their attention.
Brian: I met Drew from twitter/facebook and working with him has been very fulfilling because we challenge each other constantly - we have different musical influences and that's what gives us our unique 'dirty pop' sound. Right now we are waiting for spec approvals from record companies and promoters - market for remixing is very competitive - it is our hope our 'dirty pop' sound would get their attention.
ExMen: Your bootleg mixes of Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera and especially Glee songs have inspired quite a cult following of fans. Why the interest in remixing Glee songs?
Brian: The idea of making Glee remixes actually came from a very good DJ friend (and biz partner of BED Manila) DJ Jay Santos. it was he who collaborated with me in remixing 'Don't Stop Believin' - and after that - many requested me for other Glee songs to be remixed - mind you, not all of them were 'remixable' - But i guess i stumbled on a niche market, nobody not even the recording company saw the potential. They also make my DJ playlist special - the Glee songs are the hit with the clubbers! For non-glee stuff -i choose carefully other songs to remix - sometimes i don't touch a song when it's suffering from remix fatigue. It's either i have to come up with that remix very early in the game or not at all. Sometimes i pluck 'unremixable' songs like from 'Burlesque' out of nowhere and make them into dance tracks.
Brian: The idea of making Glee remixes actually came from a very good DJ friend (and biz partner of BED Manila) DJ Jay Santos. it was he who collaborated with me in remixing 'Don't Stop Believin' - and after that - many requested me for other Glee songs to be remixed - mind you, not all of them were 'remixable' - But i guess i stumbled on a niche market, nobody not even the recording company saw the potential. They also make my DJ playlist special - the Glee songs are the hit with the clubbers! For non-glee stuff -i choose carefully other songs to remix - sometimes i don't touch a song when it's suffering from remix fatigue. It's either i have to come up with that remix very early in the game or not at all. Sometimes i pluck 'unremixable' songs like from 'Burlesque' out of nowhere and make them into dance tracks.
Check out Brian's It's My Life/Confessions Video
ExMen: Who are are your favourite DJs/remixers? Who would you like to remix for if given a chance?
Brian: My favorite DJs/remixers are Kaskade, Dave Aude, Richard Grey, Erick Morillo, Edson Pride, Tony Moran, Ralphi Rosario, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Laidback Luke, Sebjack, Chew Fu and many many more!
I would love to remix any of the divas - Madonna, Kylie, Beyonce, Rihanna, etc.
ExMen: If you have a genie to grant you anything you want in the world except world peace, what would you wish for?
Brian: I wish people would be kinder to everyone- that's like world peace too, right? :)
ExMen: What are you working on now, musically? What are your future plans?
Brian: Plans for a 2011 summer US DJ tour (NYC, SFO, LA) , work on a scoring movie, and of course many more advertising work and bootleg remixes (and hopefully get paid for them)
