Playback is a new series that shares the creatives in the audio and music industry that want to be heard. In this edition, Perth student Charles Inopiquez, also known as Charesian, shares how he was discovered by British dance music label, Wight Label Records, what studying for an Associate Degree of Audio at the SAE Perth campus has been like, and why he’s not in the industry for fame and glory.
Hi Charles, can you tell us a bit about your music?
It’s classed as deep house, but it could be referred to as a melodic house as well. It’s heavily influenced by artists like Marsh, Nora En Pure, and Ben Bohmer. They all have a really clear identity and are some of the most progressive artists on the deep house music circuit.
How did you get into making music?
Before I started at SAE I didn’t have a clue how to make music. Once I started my degree, I was able to learn the basics of music production pretty quickly. As I was so excited to learn I started to create something new every day – this often involved working on music for up to eight hours a day. I couldn’t get enough!
How did you go from making music at home to getting your music recognised by a label in the UK?
In my first trimester at SAE, I created a song called Desolate. I wasn’t expecting much out of it, but I put the track out on Label Radar to see what would happen. I left it for two weeks and Wight Label Records got in touch to say they really liked the track and they wanted to sing the song to their label. I’ve now released an EP and have further six songs coming out over the next few months under their label.
What else are you working on right now?
I have a new release coming soon called Tropical Love – again through Wight Label Records.
What was the inspiration for the track?
I found this guitar loop on the internet and I really liked it so I started messing around with it and kept adding new elements to it as I went along. I think that is the best thing you can do when you’re making music – just have fun. I try not to squeeze out ideas, I make my best music when I’m not taking the process too seriously.
I’m also releasing a techno track that has a totally different vibe to what I usually do. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and experiment, and the track ended up being signed by Green Nights Records.
How has studying helped with your creativity and development?
Studying at SAE is probably the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve met so many talented people, and it’s awesome to share ideas and collaborate on projects with them.
I still message my lecturer from the first trimester and he gives me really valuable feedback on my music – it’s like one big family!
What does the future look like for Charesian?
I’d love to play in Europe one day at the Anjunadeep Open Air Festival in London; they play a lot of deep house there. All I really want to do is make music. I don’t care about the fame and the glory, I’d just like to make a decent living doing what I love.
