Alumni News – August 2020
This August we've seen plenty of exciting work from the Metalworks Institute Alumni community, with new socially-distanced music videos and some major hits including Drake's "Laugh Now, Cry Later" and The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" continuing to make waves in the charts. Scroll down to listen to new music from the #MetalworksCommunity, and don't forget to follow us on social media to keep up with all the latest news!
Drake has dropped another hit and it was engineered by none other than diamond-certified recording engineer Noel Cadastre, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program! Drake's brand new single “Laugh Now Cry Later” Featuring Lil Durk has already ranked at No. 1 on the UK's Official Trending Chart and will be featured on Drake's forthcoming studio album 'Certified Lover Boy'. Be sure to watch the epic music video and stay tuned for the album!
Accomplished audio professional Shin Kamiyama, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program, has engineering credits on the The Weeknd's smash hit "Blinding Lights". The track has just broken the No. 1 record on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart after posting an unprecedented 21st week on top! Congratulations!
Tim Oxford, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program, is the drummer for the multi-platinum certified Juno Award-winning band Arkells and they've got some new music for you!
"Quitting You" is the lead single off Arkells upcoming album "Campfire Chords", a compilation of stripped back version of the band's favourite songs. Fans got to preview the single when Arkells performed it as part of the opening weekend for NHL hockey’s return to play. Now the track and official music video are available everywhere so be sure to listen and stay tuned for the album release on August 20th!
GUNNA has dropped the deluxe version of his Billboard No. 1 album WUNNA which includes 8 new tracks including "Nothing 4 Free" featuring multi-platinum certified rapper & producer NAV, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program!
The 26-track record now includes even more exciting collaborators including Lil Uzi Vert on “Relentless,” Future on “Street Sweeper,” Yak Gotti on “Wunna Flo” and mentor Young Thug on “One Watch," along with some of the industry's hottest beatsmiths Mike WiLL Made-It, Tay Keith, Turbo, Wheezy, TrePounds, Frank Dukes and more. Don't forget to stream "Nothing 4 Free"!
Phil Kluba, a 2013 graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program, is the founder and C.E.O. of Press It, a Toronto-based broadcast and media company that specializes in live streaming.
The company streamed a wealth of content during the COVID-19 shut down, including 60 live-remote episodes of "Isolation Nation" with Sick Not Weak, an organization devoted to helping people understand that mental illness is sickness, not weakness. You can stream the episodes here.
Pyramid Theorem has released their new album "Beyond The Exosphere" with Stephan Di Mambro, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program, on keyboards and vocals. The album has been getting some great reviews and ranked at #30 on iTunes' “Top 200 Metal Albums” the week of its release! Don't forget to listen to the album!
Songwriter, producer, vlogger, and music business entrepreneur Ryan Flores, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Professional Sound & Business (Studio Production Major) Diploma Program and 2018 Valedictorian, has just released his much-anticipated debut album "Introspective".
"Introspective contains a brand new collection of ten original songs that resulted from silent and solo introspection over the highs and lows, the simple and complex, the laughs and cries, and the satisfaction and stresses of life." - Ryan Flores
Recording an album is a collaborative process and it's great to see that four other Metalworks Institute graduates were involved in the making of "Introspective." Denice Badua, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program, Renée Soucy and Colton Maddigan, both graduates of Metalworks Institute's Professional Sound & Business (Studio Production Major) Diploma Program, all have recording, production, and performance credits on the album. Plus the album was recorded at Fretted Studios which is owned and operated by Ian Madden, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's (Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program).
Don't forget to listen to "Introspective"!
Songwriter, rapper, and music producer Tom-Providence Matukala, a graduate of Metalworks Institute's Audio Production & Engineering Diploma Program, has just released a new single, "Money Talks" with fellow Toronto rapper Fix. Watch the official music video!