MAAL ft. Sep “No More” (Club Mix)

These days, boutique labels are sprouting up almost as fast as the demos producers keep churning out for them to sign. Still, there remains an endless wave of under-the-radar artists just waiting to get snatched up. It’s this same class of burgeoning talent that HMWL, a blog that’s now also operating as an imprint, have had their sights on since launching last year.

Moving into their third release, the Swedish label looks to Marcus Almen, otherwise known as MAAL, as their latest scouted success. The Swede dishes out a spectacular two-tracker titled No More, offering two slices of his new single. Contrasting the garage-influenced Rain version is the sultry club mix. A catchy deep house cut, Sep’s soulful vocals are paired with smooth strings and a groove tender enough to ail the woes of heartbreak.

Available April 24 via HMWL.

Were you impulsive on this track, or did you have a sketch in mind before you started?
When I started making the club version, I was looking to make a powerful, deep house song with a unique sound. The groove and the vocals really added that special touch to it. The Rain version was created to release the raw energy and soulful influences in the vocal. The lyrics are about a breakup, obviously, and the emotional journey handling that situation, going through vulnerability, anger and finally relief. We’ve all been there sometime, I guess.

Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process of this track that made you feel as though you were creating something pretty damn special?
I started making the Club version, and the demo was quite rough when I handed it to my buddy Jonay, who is a songwriter as well. When he wrote the lyrics, and when we later added Sep, there was a new dimension added to the track. Their creative freedom made a quite unpredictable impact, I think. When I heard the vocals performed for the first time, I was blown away. Dark and seductive at the same time, but it also brings you loads of positive energy!

Creatively, how did the work on this track stack up to previous studio sessions? Was this more challenging to complete than others?
The foundation of the track was made fairly quickly, but the details and the production as a whole took quite a while to finish. I’m extremely picky with the details, and I’ve spent crazy hours producing this release on and off because it includes two very different versions of the track. It takes pure grit sometimes, you know. The club version is a vocal deep-house killer and the Rain version was created because I wanted to make something energetic and dark, taking the bass vibe to a new, exciting place.

Describe the best setting/activity to hear this track.
Stay away from shitty headphones. This is a track you wanna hear when you are out and about with your friends in the beginning of the night at your favorite club or loud bar. The bass will make you wanna move for sure. Or if you are staying out late, this is the track everyone will remember in the morning when the light is shining through. Because if it’s loud, you will actually feel the track, not just hear it.

How do you measure the success of a track?
Music is a universal language, and if I can make music that people can relate to, I’m happy. Some listen carefully to the lyrics, but some people just wanna shake their butts off, and all of that is fine. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

Do you think advances in computer technology and gear have affected your creativity?
Yes, definitely. Producing is just easy nowadays. And I just realized that electronic music is the modern punk era. You can easily learn and do the whole thing yourself with what you’ve got on your laptop. It’s cool, because the world’s biggest stages are up for grabs for anyone with the right talent.

Follow MAAL on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
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