OGMARTZ takes the crown in the MOGUAI x Splice producer contest!

After a contest filled with awesome submissions, MOGUAI had to pick a winner and went with OGMARTZ 7 Ikusa's 'Restless'. We asked them a couple of questions on who they are, what it is like to participate in the Talent Pool and where they would like to go with their music. 

About:
OGMARTZ, is a Spanish-Cuban-American DJ, Record Producer and a Musician. Growing up in Alicante, Spain, he was surrounded by the multicultural sounds which helped him later in life to develop his taste for all kinds of genres in the music scene. He also lived in Cuba for a couple years where the musical environment is unique and diverse such as the rest of the Americas. Moving to Miami, Florida at a young age, he pursued his dream of making music without worrying about the outcomes.

Ikusa is a American Musician, Producer, and DJ. Growing up, he has always been fascinated with music; from pianos, guitars, and his own drum kit, he has always been interested in music from a young age. He has 7 years of experience in symphonic band which further propelled him forward in his music. Being influenced by Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, and eventually EDM, he would eventually go on to produce his own music. 

What can you tell us about this track?
'OGMARTZ made the first draft two months before the contest. It was sitting in a folder collecting dust for a while. One night, we were scrolling through the Spinnin’ Records contest page and Moguai’s contest was at the top of the list. OGMARTZ was working on the project and sent it to me for feedback. The project was very bare-bones, but the idea of the song was there. So we went on Team Viewer and I finished the final drop in two hours. Because of how basic the project was, we were able to revamp the entire project with Moguai’s samples which, in the end, changed the entire vibe of the song. We released the initial version on Soundcloud after two hours, but I felt the break needed more work. I created a new project with just the vocals and came up with an entirely new break. We then spent 1 hour on mixing and 12 hours on mastering. Funny enough, we were restless that night with classes in the morning, so we titled the song ”Restless”.  The song starts out tense, but then goes into a 808 break and into the build and drop. The vibe was totally unique to what we usually made in the past. It has a dark and lo-fi feel overall.'

Why did you choose this style?
'We wanted to make a song different from our previous work. OGMARTZ’s initial project already had the vibe we were looking for which helped drive the project forward. We then built off of the idea and created the unique vibe the song has now.'

What makes you unique as an artist?
'What makes us unique as artists is how relatable our music is. By being relatable through our messages, we are able to make timeless music that connects with a multitude of people. In the end, what makes us stand out is how grounded and organic our music is alongside the messages we bring to the table with our music.'

What do you like most about the Talent Pool?
'Talent Pool is an amazing platform for upcoming artists to showcase their skills to a larger audience. Many big artists used it in the past to present their amazing art to the entire world and got discovered for their talent. We like how much it helps smaller artists gain the recognition they deserve while giving them direct access to Spinnin’ which is hard to come by with labels.'

What is your goal with your music?
'We aim to make music with meaning rather than some of the music we hear nowadays. OGMARTZ and I have recently started striving for meaning in our music rather than the minute details of production like mixing or sound design. Especially in a year such as 2020, we feel it's important to stay real and to express our emotions and ideas through the messages in our music. This year, we felt deprived of emotions as we mindlessly went through months of quarantine and tragedies. This inspired us to make more organic-sounding music that makes people feel. We want to turn towards music grounded in reality rather than something digital and fake. All in all, we hope to make music that connects with people and to express our humanity and emotions through our music.'

Check out the MOGUAI PUNX sample pack over at Splice here!

Want to know what the winning track sounds like? Find it here: