Tiiktak a.k.a. Ricky Guevarra: lead vocals (All tracks)
David Wu: all instruments/percussion (Tracks 1-4, 6-12), all arrangements (All tracks), keyboards (Track 5), background vocals (Tracks 1-7, 10-12), 2008 remastering (All tracks)
DJ Smerk: audio engineering (All tracks), percussion/bass (Track 5)
Spaz-O-Matic: rap (Track 2)
emersonIC: rap (Tracks 2, 10)
Tina Cornejo: vocals (Track 5)
Miguel Colón: rap (Track 5)
St. Ace: rap (Track 5)
Christian St. Jacques: rap (Track 5)
Dural Thomas: rap (Track 5)
EJ Galeon: guitar (Track 5)
Sidney & Sherry-lyn Basa: violins (Track 5)
This album is ancient history.
I’m writing these notes in 2008, five years after this album was completed; but by now, it’s actually been a decade since the project commenced, originally a project meant for a boy band named 3LP. Once the group disbanded, Ricky Guevarra (a.k.a. Tiiktak) and I continued on, and finally completed it in 2003.
What you have in your hands is more than just a collection of love songs. We really strived to make an album, cohesive in every way. Yet, each song tells a different story, and no two songs were approached the same way.
The importance of songwriter and former 3LP member Jason Marzan cannot be stressed enough. It was his song, “Forevermore,” that sparked this project from the get-go, and his influence was felt all throughout the project. Most importantly, Ricky G. had the desire and motivation to make this album work. Almost as important: I had the work ethic to bring this album to completion. But vitally: being that I didn’t have a studio at the time, DJ Smerk lent his recording/mixing expertise to the project. Without any of these pieces in place, the project would have been in shambles.
Honesty is a rare commodity in today’s music, but this album is the epitome of honesty. What you have here is a raw, pure, and genuine article of music. Ricky’s voice speaks for all. My music arrangements seek to inspire and remain in your hearts. We worked hard to create great songs with a unique flair. There is no other album like it anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
The name Tiiktak is on the cover, but in a lesser sense, this album belongs to me as well, as I used it as a battleground for ironing out some of my musical goals. For instance, before this project began, I was not a songwriter and was more or less an underground arranger of sorts, with no songwriting credibility whatsoever. Fast-forward to the album’s completion, and by then I was songwriter in every sense, a more-polished arranger, but still with limited credibility.
Perhaps the best ammunition that I provided for this album was variety. The musical output for the longest time consisted primarily of slow jams. Perhaps there were one or two potential “medium-speed jams,” but those never came into fruition. Long story short, this project was on a crash course to being 9 or 10 slow/medium jams in a row; but I decided to stretch my abilities to create a different vibe, by adding in some upbeat tunes. Out of that creative burst came “Until U R Mine” (the beat I made for that was created in the days following 9/11) and “11:59.”
Years later, the songs sound dated and raw. Yet I believe there are still some gems in here. “Kahapon,” in particular, actually received some radio airplay in the Philippines. Plus, there are great musical moments, from the gospel pop of the title-track, the sunset stylings of “Sweet Escape” (I worked hard on that) to my groovy basslines in “11:59,” to Ricky’s superb interpretation of the first song I ever wrote, “I Wanna Hold U.” It’s a concise musical snapshot of 1998-2003, and it’s worth revisiting for all time.
After this album was completed in 2003, we were all eager to move on to other projects and life’s ambitions. Musically, we moved on as well. (“If I Can Move the Mountains” was the next song I’d compose after this, and from that point on my musical output took a different trajectory.) I now have my own studio, so I now have full control over my music.
Yet, that new technology is what allowed me to present to you this deluxe remastered version—the producer’s cut, if you will, now including some bonus archival tracks that I think you will enjoy. My rework doesn’t take away from the original recordings, but seeks to bring it closer to our original vision. And so, having said that…
Enjoy, and God bless!
David Wu
April 2008
CREDITS/MP3s:
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- ALL MP3s ON THIS SITE ARE iTUNES/iPOD-OPTIMIZED
Until U R Mine: Words & Music by Tiiktak & David Wu / DOWNLOAD
11:59 (feat. Spaz-O-Matic & emersonIC): Words & Music by David Wu / Rap lyrics & performance by Spaz-O-Matic & emersonIC / DOWNLOAD
Kahapon: Words by Tiiktak / Music by Tiiktak & David Wu / DOWNLOAD
I Wanna Hold U: Words & Music by David Wu / DOWNLOAD
Dynastiik (feat. Tina Cornejo & The Text Messengers): Words & Music by David Wu / Rap lyrics & performance by Christian St. Jacques, Miguel Colón, St. Ace & Dural Thomas / DOWNLOAD
Each Passing Day: Words & Music by Tiiktak, Jason Marzan & David Wu / DOWNLOAD
Forevermore: Words & Music by Jason Marzan / DOWNLOAD
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