An Exclusive Interview with Roman Angelos and Insights from Ari Joshua of Music Factory Records

Music Factory Records is thrilled to announce the release of “Tropical Nites: Ursula 1000 Remix,” the lead single from Roman Angelos’s latest EP, *Tropical Nites: Remixes and Lost Tracks*. This vibrant project not only highlights Angelos’s innovative sound but also showcases the exceptional talents of an ensemble including composer Rich Bennett on guitar, Brittany Anjou on vibraphone, and a host of other skilled musicians. With an impressive lineup of remixers, this EP promises to deliver a fresh and dynamic listening experience, reaffirming Music Factory Records’ commitment to promoting groundbreaking artistry in the contemporary music scene.

– What was the inspiration or concept behind your new release?
This record features a handful of remixes, and a few songs I wasn’t able to include on the LP release of “Tropical Nites”. I’m always excited to have people reimagine my music so I’m always looking for folks who are interested in doing remixes. It’s fun to hear something like Blake Madden’s remix where he’s moved the harmonies around, or Ursula 1000’s remix where he turns the track into a classic house/edm poolside jam. As for the “lost” tracks that I couldn’t include on the original LP, these were songs that were half recorded at the LP session and then fleshed out by me and some other players afterwards. I’m really happy with how they turned out! – Roman Angelos

– How did the creative process differ for this album compared to previous projects?
Remix records are fun because you can just pick out folks whose work you like and let them do what they do. I’m usually very front and center with the direction on my own records so it’s nice to give up control now and then. Finishing the “lost tracks” was also fun because it allowed me to sit with these tracks that were supposed to be on the LP after the LP was mixed and mastered. So in a way, the record they were supposed to be on influenced the way I worked on them! – Roman Angelos

– Which tracks are you particularly excited about and why?
I really love what Ursula 1000 did to Tropical Nites because it hits all the right elements in such an enjoyable way. When I got the mix back from him and heard the bird calls in the beginning I was like “oh yeah…this is gonna be great”. I also enjoyed working with Frank LoCrasto on Seaside Pagoda and Secrets Of The Soil. I really love the music he puts out, and his group Kolumbo, and it was great to hear him put his spin on what I wrote. – Roman Angelos

– Were there any unique collaborations on this release, either with other artists or producers?
I was very excited to get Ursula 1000, Scott Solter, and Blake Madden to do remixes on this record. Frank LoCrasto played keys on two songs, and it was a really fun experience to record with someone who “gets” the style of music I’m going for (check out his band Kolumbo). One of the more fun collaborations was working with Mari Rosa, my partner from the group Limoncello. I handed her the song “Unwritten Letters” and asked her to write some lyrics for it. I love what she came back with, and it reminded me of how jazz singers often take instrumentals and fit lyrics and a new meaning into an existing song. It’s cool to be a part of that lineage. – Roman Angelos

– Can you describe the recording process? Was it primarily done in a studio, or was there more of a DIY approach?

The non-remixes on this record were done in a piecemeal fashion. They were all done in a studio, but the drums were from a session where I was demo’ing the tracks. I kept that and started building from there. I played bass on “Secrets Of The Soil” and I got Mike Lavalle to play bass on “Seaside Pagoda” (which he killed). After that, the music seemed like it needed some really good keyboards so that’s when I had Frank LoCrasto sprinkle some of his synth and Rhodes magic. And then voila – a track! – Roman Angelos

– What role do you think social media plays in promoting new music today?

On the one hand, I enjoy creating content for Instagram. I’ve gotten to do some fun and creative things like my short series “exotic cocktails for exotic music”, and my walkthroughs of tiki bars. On the other hand, the thing that bothers me is how much time you need to put into it every day in order to make an impression. I’m not naturally an online person, and I much prefer to be writing new music so it’s hard to keep the presence and brand going. – Roman Angelos

– How does the current music landscape influence your decisions on what to release?

Not at all. I don’t purposely ignore current music or trends – in fact I love to check out new stuff – but when I go to write it’s from a place of personal history and taste. I’ve always got a ton of weird influences mixed up in my head when I write; Iron Maiden, Pat Metheny Group, Return To Forever, Stereolab, etc. And then from that arises whatever you want to call what I do. The fun thing about being outside the musical zeitgeist is that eventually it comes back to what you do. I’ve watched smooth, muzak-y, lounge music come back and be way more popular in the last few years; to the point where I’m like ummmm….what’s going on. But it’s fun for me to say, “damn, I’ve been doing this forever!”. And then of course the zeitgeist moves on, and that’s fine too. It’s just the way art goes and all you can do is be true to yourself and make music that moves you. – Roman Angelos

And now, the questions for the label answered by Ari Joshua.

– How does this release fit within the overall vision and direction of the label?
I first saw Roman in the village in NYC when I lived there at the turn of the century and was blown away by his sound, his tone, his feel. When I was approached to release his much and distribute it, I had to hear what he put together and I was just blown away. Both me and Matt Jasper where floored. Really amazing production, and his approach just fits so well, the production, and the plan to remix and put out content from the original recordings was really right on target for us. – Ari Joshua

– How has the label adapted its approach to music releases in the streaming age?
The industry is in a interesting place, you get access to global distribution, and there are ways to reach the listeners who are searching for content like what you put out. Our focus is heavily on the digital side. For Roman he has made a vinyl pressing which looks gorgeous by the way and is available on Band Camp (https://romanangelos.bandcamp.com/album/tropical-nites). The back end of our system was created by some folks from the teams that build tune core from the ground up, so there are a number of angles at play at all times. The system keeps impressing me it’s very robust. It’ set up and engineered for optimizing digital releases, it’s really an asset management system. We crossed the big one million streams across all platforms this year, that was a huge milestone. The previous year we only had a small fraction of that, so there are things we are doing to learn how to work within the systems. – Ari Joshua