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"Here’s a big Latin broken-beat and future-jazz thing from Canada’s Future Elements label. Aklimatize proves he’s definitely one to watch, with three solid tracks in league with artists like Afronaught, Seiji, and Freedom Soundz. “Dime La Verdad” combines Puerto Rican vocals and percussion over a stomping broken rhythm, and UK producer Spiritual South has notched his support for this track[more]..." -XLR82 Nov 2007
It's been known for peeps to check themselves after they realized they were grinding to filthy re-edits of The Beatles and The Clash by this producer/DJ from Vancouver, Canada, but if you've ever lost yourself on a tropical dance floor, amid a haze of smoke and hypnotic riddims, chances are you were flexing to the Aklimatize bounce.
Aklimatize's recording and DJing travels fly high from Philly to Vienna, Los Angeles to Montreal, Toronto to Zurich, London to Amsterdam, playing Braceleone in Rome, Barcelona for Sonar Festival, Puerto Rico, and in Miami for WMC in 2005 and 2006 with the COOP heavy weight lineup including Bugz, MDCL, Bembe Segue, Jeremy Ellis, ,John Arnold and Domu. Although travel shapes the nature and energy of his sound, Vancouver provides a solid home base of flourishing vocalists and musicians for this quickly maturing artist and producer. “Stepping out of my usual elements always intensifies my creative process, last fall, I spent a couple months in Amsterdam tucked away writing beats, those songs came home with me to track vocals and and arrange at my studio mostly with local talents...” Like any movement, it starts with a few amazing people, developing from the ground up with Vancouver artists like Amalia (1LUV/Seqoya), Myles Bigelow (MO/B-Filthy), Hando Jin and Roxy Bebe (The Function), and Dr. J (1LUV). “after the 2006 Vancouver Jazz Festival, we hosted Mark deClive Lowe and Bembe Segue at our Future Elements studio, playing studio boss as they recorded the Politik album taught me a lot more about the process of writing and tracking vocals…”
After a steady flow of DJ gigs on the West Coast in mid-90’s, it was outside of Canada where he first gained attention for his music production. In 2004 Aklimatize released ‘El Uno’ on Amalgama Records of Puerto Rico, followed by a 12” remix of Moody Allen’s ‘6 Feet’ on Holland-based label Flying High (his mix picked in Compost’s Soul Patrol Radio’s top 10 tracks of 2005). Selection to the Red Bull Music Academy in the fall of 2004 flew him out of his modest studio digs into the city of Rome, humid sessions recording and writing with future beings like Omaas Keith of SA:RA, Zed Bias of Phuturistix, Michelle Amador, Eurok and a host of talented cats from all corners of the world. “working with people, writing, recording, and being a part of the whole creative flow is what I’m feeling as a producer, after sessions in Rome and Puerto Rico, I knew it was time to build a studio in Vancouver that would allow me to work together with all the amazing people I’ve met along the way…”
A breakout year for releases, 2007 will include the Aklimatize EP 12” on Future Elements Recordings featuring tracks with Deviant from Miami, Totin Augosto from Puerto Rico and a remix of Vancouver’s (via Uruguay) group NovaLua. Watch out for the Do Right! Label from Toronto as John Kong stamps Aklimatize’s ‘Dime La Verdad’ for a 12” vinyl sampler and compilation titled ‘Required Listening 2’. Storming in from the land of the rising sun is Japan’s Wonderful Noise Label, releasing Aklimatize’s Reversed EP that drops late summer 2007, featuring collaborations with Amalia, The Function and Joni Love. “In music and life, surrounding yourself with quality people that share your mentality…supporting yet pushing each other forward quickly evolves the music and perspectives, that’s what’s happening for me right now.’
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