Behind The Scenes of Sasheen, Barbara ‘Feel Your Soul’ on Blue Magenta
Hi Guys, congrats on your new single ‘Feel Your Soul’ on Blue Magenta, how did the collaboration come about?
Barbara: Thank you so much! We hope you’re enjoying our track. We met through the SF deep house scene as DJs (thanks Martin for bringing together amazing people) but this marks our first collaboration as producers. I’ve been a fan of Sasheen’s music for a while and when I was selecting some of his unreleased for a special locals only radio mix I was doing I asked him if he would be down to ever collaborate. I really enjoyed working together to build out the story of the track and send ideas back and forth. We ended up working remotely the whole time, but the end result feels like we were side by side the whole time together in 1 studio. We pushed each other to go deeper, explore new sounds and test out different things with the arrangement and mix before we both agreed the track was ready for prime time. Thanks to his amazing relationship with Paul and Onno we knew we wanted to release here. And the support and response from the community has been incredible especially having Erdi do the remix.
What was the inspiration behind the release?
Barbara: Your one true soulmate. I heard the instrumental and it instantly brought me to a deep love that touches you on a whole other boundary. You know when you meet someone and feel like you can see the whole world when you look into their eyes. This stranger in front of you that you feel like you’ve met before or known your entire life. That for me is this track. And when you find that nothing else matters.
How would you describe it to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?
It’s a mystical, hypnotic tale of a deep ancient love that defies space and time.
Production wise, how did you go about putting the release together and who did what in the studio?
Barbara: Sasheen sent over the original instrumental, it might have even been just chords, and then I (Barbara) got to work riffing. Whenever I’m working on a track with another producer, I’ll start scat singing until I hit something that feels right. I sent over some voice memos, and we liked a few parts for the chorus and verses. I loved working with Sasheen because he empowered me to tell the story, to go deep on the lyrics and embrace what was calling me. I sent ideas back and then got into the studio again to record on a Telefunken 251, my favourite microphone. We collaborated on the arrangement and then Sasheen managed the final mixing and mastering.
Did you learn anything from each other during the writing and recording process?
Barbara: To go deeper and push boundaries. Sasheen believed in me and the track so much that he really inspired me to get really creative and be unafraid to take risks with my voice. I can honestly say I knew I had this power, but he’s helped restore my voice back to its natural state and I’ve never felt more me outside of working on this track and a few more we have coming 🙂 together. And for the production, Sasheen has such an interesting timing the way he creates melodies. It’s so unique and has inspired me for my original works. There’s so much emotion and in the sound design like you’re in some ethereal world.
Sasheen: Absolutely, working with Barbara on ‘Feel Your Soul’ was a deeply enriching experience. One of the biggest takeaways for me was the way she approaches melody and vocal harmony. Her instinct for weaving emotion into every line really pushed me to explore new soundscapes and rhythms that compliment her style. This collaborative synergy not only shaped the track but also expanded my own artistic boundaries.
Did you face any challenges or obstacles when putting the release together?
Barbara: Not really, we were speaking so regularly that it felt like we shared the same vision for the track and we were really open and receptive to each other’s feedback to try out different things with the arrangement. I did have one session for vocals at one studio and absolutely hated the microphone. It was my first time testing out a new one. It’s a hard lesson learned as I didn’t end up using any vocals from the studio that day for any tracks. I will never use this mic again for as long as I live.
How long did the song take to make?
About 6 months, but a lot of that was time spent waiting as we are both very busy people outside of music as well. So any opportunity to work on the music was phenomenal.
How does this compare to some of your other releases?
Barbara: Feel your soul is the first deep house / progressive house track that I have released to date. I’m taking more risks with my vocals and much more vulnerable on this track than some of my other works. I really love this one because of the story behind the lyrics, it’s similar to how I approached the writing process for my album, ‘Palm Dreams’.
Sasheen: Comparatively, ‘Feel Your Soul’ stands out in my discography. Most of my tracks lean heavily on instrumental elements, often bridging the gap between organic and progressive house and more ambient, introspective beats. With Barbara’s vocals, this track takes on a new dimension—it’s more soulful, more vibrant. It bridges the organic textures with human emotion more directly than my previous works.
What was the main kit that you used on the release and did you get to work with any new instruments or kit in the process?
Sasheen: For this track I used samples that were organic and natural sounding, there was a plethora of strings, organic percussive elements, as well as a synth I sound designed myself for the second drop and bridge.
And what’s your favourite piece of studio kit that defines your sound?
Barbara: It’s all about my mic, vocal processing and sound design. I keep my vocals pretty raw and authentic with reverb, delay and slight adjustments in melodyne. I’m not a huge fan of overly processed vocals and heavy auto tune because it sounds robotic – unless you’re intentionally going for a distorted sound. I believe that when my fans come to see my live I should be able to sound the same as if they were listening to me on the streaming platforms. For fx and sound design I really love Soundtoys Crystalizer, Little Alter Boy, Valhalla Vintage Verb, Dada Life Endless Smile and Sting. I love my Arturia Keylab Essentials and go deep on finding really unique samples and sounds to keep things quirky and interesting. For example, I found a vintage Gameboy startup sample for my track ‘Girls for Sport” and a vintage Ferrari car engine revving sound.
Sasheen: while I deeply appreciate the classic analog synths, my true love in the studio has shifted towards working “in the box” with software synthesizers. The potential to sculpt and manipulate sounds is astounding — today’s technology allows us to achieve an incredible range of tones and textures that were unimaginable a few decades ago. This shift towards digital allows me to seamlessly integrate and process live recordings of acoustic instruments, which is a hallmark of my sound. The fusion of organic, acoustic elements with the expansive capabilities of software synths not only defines my music but also continuously inspires me to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
How has the release been going down in your DJ sets?
Barbara: Folks really love this break in my set. I start really high energy and this comes at a moment of reprise. It’s airy, soulful and really has touched people. I also sing this one live which is a surprise in my set and the crowd is like lost in a trance when this happens. It’s really intimate and beautiful.
Sasheen: Well, it’s been electric! Dropping ‘Feel Your Soul’ during a set really shifts the energy. You can feel the crowd connecting with the track on a visceral level, especially when the vocals hit. It’s one of those tracks that not only gets people moving but also feeling, and seeing that unfold live is just incredible. It reinforces the power of music to connect and transform, which is always what I aim to achieve with my sets. Playing it on the big Funktion 1 system at Audio nightclub for the first time had a massive response.
Are there any remixes of the song planned?
Yes, and we’re really excited about the artists we’re working with on these. They’ll be coming in the fall.
How important are songs for our dance floors?
Barbara: Incredibly important. Dance music is literally our heartbeat. There’s no greater feeling in the world than making music that really touches people and when you feel that energy from the crowd on the dancefloor it’s euphoric.
Sasheen: A dancefloor can be anywhere, in your bedroom, in the shower, in your kitchen, in your garage, in your living room, in a bar, in a nightclub, at a festival, as long as you as the artist/DJ are connecting someone with a the language of music you are doing your job as a producer, musician, DJ, or singer. Songs are incredibly important as therapy, as an escape, as something that helps the world turn, release, inspire, and feel. With the advent of Spotify and streaming services, everyone has the ability to experience it, although I believe we can best experience it on a well tuned nightclub system with our best friends.
Will you be working together on a future release?
Yes, we really enjoy working together and have some beautiful tracks coming later this year. They are a similar style to ‘Feel your Soul’, with soul, deep meaning and vocals that will give you goosebumps. We can’t wait for listeners to enjoy them.
Sasheen, Barbara ‘Feel Your Soul’ is out now on Blue Magenta.
http://manual-music.lnk.to/BLMA051
