Mexico City based Juany Bravo collaborates with Phoenix-based Ghanaian vocalist Sam Opoku on a fantastic new track that kicks off the Championship Music year in style.
Juany has already served up big tunes on Toolroom, elrow Limited, Nervous Records, Hurry Up Slowly, Music is 4 Lovers and Get Twisted, and they have all made their mark with high profile support from Black Coffee, Ameme, De La Swing, Tough Love, Joris Voorn, Lexlay, Ellis Moss & Jaded and more.
This time out the artist shows his range by serving up some deep afro house and says “I wanted to create an emotive track which could be listened to on and off the dance floor, and would still elicit the same feeling and emotions from the listener. After making the instrumental I reached out to Sam for vocals, and his songwriting and voice were the absolute icing on the cake”
Says Sam “The inspiration for the record “Halfway there” comes out of my experience as a U.S. immigrant from Ghana, West Africa. Back home, I often heard the phrase “fortune favors the bold”, as a motivator as to why coming to the U.S. and chasing your dreams would prove itself beneficial regardless of the challenges endured. Thus, the lyric, “fortune gone favor the bold” is the perfect anchor in the record to highlight the theme of adventure and taking a leap of faith to better your life and your family’s lives despite the risk.”
The result is ‘Halfway There’, a steamy and atmospheric cut with rich percussion and dancing drums. The elegant synth work adds plenty of soul, while the authentic Afro sounds create the perfect backdrop for Sam’s vocals to tie all the elements together, and hook the listener in. Juany Bravo has another gem on his hands here.
WWD: Hey Juany, how has the start of your 2022 been?
Hey WWD! First off, thank you so much for having me! 2022 has started off great! I kicked off the year with gigs in Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Mexico City, and of course with this release on Armada Music sub-label, Championship Music.
WWD: How do you evolve your own sound while staying true to your roots and own signature and not jumping on new hype bandwagons?
What an amazing question! For me, it’s particularly important to make sure that the music I make is an expression of how I am feeling, and at the same time always showcasing elements that are true to my Latino roots. As far as hype bandwagons and trends, I think that also has to do with trying to make music that’s timeless. With so much music coming out, and new trends popping up, we see a lot of tracks that get forgotten in a couple weeks. For me personally, I want every track I make to be timeless, and have the same effect on people two, three, or four years down the line.
WWD: Do you make music that suits certain labels or do you create first and worry about that later?
I think it’s a combination of both. A lot of times I may have a label in mind when I start a project, but I also just let my creativity flow, and see where the track goes. I try not to limit my creativity by putting myself in a box of what the track needs to sound like in order to suit a certain label, but having an idea or roadmap of what you want the track to sound like, always helps with workflow.
WWD: Your new release “Halfway There” is set for release on Championship Music – how did it come about?
The label owner and manager is a good friend of mine and we had been talking about scheduling a release of mine on his label. When I teamed up with Sam, who was introduced to me by him, we knew the track would be a perfect fit for Championship and Armada.
WWD: What are some of the key bits of music making gear in your current set up?
Honestly, my set up is as simple as it gets. Everything I have ever produced has been started and finished on my laptop, Audio Technica headphones, and soundcard. No fancy studio gear, or analog hardware here.
WWD: Where is your best environment as a DJ? A small dark club or a huge outdoor festival stage? Late at night for the weirdos or early so you can play slow and eclectic etc, etc?
Another great question, and a tough one to answer! I do love a head-down, dark club atmosphere which allows me to really go heavy with the club cuts. On the other hand, I do love an outdoor festival vibe, with the sun coming up. To me they both have equally special vibes, and allow me to express myself in different ways through my set, and really take the audience on different journeys.
WWD: How do you work, do you have an idea in your head you work towards or do you just experiment and jam and see what happens?
I usually go into the writing session with an idea on how I want the track to sound, but I always just let my creativity flow and let the track take shape as I go along. Experiments and happy accidents are the best ways to let a track flow.
WWD: Tell us about the vocalist on it Sam Opoku – how did you guys come to link together?
We were introduced by the label manager for Championship Music about a year and a half ago. We worked on a few collabs together already, and we just have amazing creative chemistry. Our ideas and songwriting mesh really well together, and every project we work on always ends up sounding better than the last. I look forward to continuing to work with Sam on many more projects in the future.
WWD: What was the last record you bought and why?
Last record I bought was 1995 by &ME. I absolutely love the tune and I wanted to start working it into my sets more often.
Juany Bravo’s collab release with Sam Opoku is out on 28th January on Championship Music. Buy Here