Citysleep
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Citysleep

Calgary, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2015

Calgary, Canada
Established on Jan, 2015
Band Electronic Ambient

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Band Q&A"

With over 70% (!!!) of the vote for our February edition of The Showcase: Best Submissions, it’s clear that Citysleep is on to something big. With only 3 tracks released so far, but garnering more than 3,000 play on Soundcloud, you better believe these guys aren’t something to sleep on.

Today we meet the group below, and get a low-down on their upcoming projects.

Q: Who are you?

A: Citysleep is an electronic project started in September of 2015 by synth-pop artist Dexter Mabanta and myself Jerrick Dela Rosa. I came from an acoustic singer/songwriter background and I’ve always wanted to make the transition into the electronic world making beats and taking a production side of things. I met Dexter through the open mic scene here in Calgary and was immediately interested in working with him after seeing his set. He has an amazing skill set on the electronic side of things and was in dire need of his help since I had no experience whatsoever. Citysleep currently consists of 4 members. Jerrick Dela Rosa, Dexter
Mabanta, Jae Sterling and Mico Javier. Jae and Mico are the newest additions to the group, helping us with the writing process and live performance sets.

Q: What city are you repping?

A: Calgary, AB!

Q: Describe your style of music, and your biggest influences:

A: We like to think that Citysleep has no genre. Sure there will be songs that can fit into any of them but we have a wide variety of influences and ideas that we have as individuals. I guess we do have a specific sound according to a lot of our fellow music consumers. We have been considered as “ethereal” which is dope only because we love ambience, reverb and airy vocals. So to be able to add that element into any genre is a really satisfying experience. We just end up making whatever we feel!

Q: Tell Us A Little More About You Submission?

A: Skeletons was one of the very first beats I had come up with that had a proper structure and feel. It was with this song that we met Jae Sterling, who shares a verse with Dexter in the song. It was originally intended to have rap verses but we decided against it. We posted it on SoundCloud on Halloween and the song now has over 3,000 plays, which the guys and I had never expected. Especially for our first release. So we decided to take the next step and make a visual for the song which Dexter shot the majority of. He has an amazing eye for visuals so I completely trusted him to take it fully into his hands. We shot at various spots in the city that took us 3 nights to fully shoot.

The video is very clippy and we thought that it would have a trippy effect, given the feel and vibe of the song itself. I’m also having this recent obsession with color and neon haze so we decided to add a lot of that in the video.

Q: What is your favourite album of all time, and why?

A: Oh man… Collectively I’d like to say OK Computer by Radiohead. I bought the vinyl for a friend for a secret santa party we hosted and as the night went on, we put that bad boy on and everyone was huddled around the player bobbing their heads lifelessly to Paranoid Android.

Dexter’s personal fave is Is This It by The Strokes, but mine would have to be Continuum by John Mayer.

Q: Who are your favourite artists in the industry right now?

A: There are so many artists killing it nowadays. Especially locally. A lot of my favorite artists are local which feels really good to say! AM Static, Beach Season, Brett McCrady, Ann Taylor and Windigo just to name a few and they are about to lift off! Any Calgarians reading should definitely look them up and go see a show!

Q: Where can we hear your music?

A: The primary outlet for now is our Soundcloud page. We just released a new track called Atmosphere (below) which you should listen to too! Also peep our page on Facebook!

Q: What is the next big thing project fans can expect from Citysleep?

A: Our debut EP – which we will be finishing very shortly, hopefully by the summertime. We might hold off on releasing singles until the EP is finished so keep your ears open. This being my first dive into electronic music/producing, there are a lot of things to learn and take in, so bear with us and grow with us! We are also working very hard on our live sets. It’s a tricky process that we are currently ironing out but it’s very satisfying being able to play this stuff live. You don’t get to see a lot of indie-electronic music played live in the city so it’s definitely something we want to have down pat so we are prepared for anything.

Q: What do you have to say to any Canadian fans out there?

A: Man, this project is so early in its existence that it’s crazy to think that we have listeners elsewhere. So if there are any of you listening around the country, THANK YOU AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL MEET YOU ALL ONE DAY!

Finish the sentence: The hardest lesson I’ve had to learn about the industry is… to not worry what everyone else thinks. Keep your head down, work and master your craft. Everything else comes naturally afterwards. AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SCENE!


Still fresh into the Calgary music scene, Citysleep has nowhere else to go but up. If you take a listen to any of their released songs on Soundcloud, you are automatically transported into the ambient trance world that lives in the minds of Dexter, Jerrick, Jae and Mico. Citysleep isn’t the party; you aren’t bouncing around like you just popped five Adderall and can’t feel your face anymore. Rather, Citysleep is the comedown – the post-party. You know, that part of the night where you find yourself with just a few close friends, and the only thing left to do is sit back and let the celestial, ambiet sounds engulf you until there is nothing left. No thinking, no talking, just listening & feeling.

You better believe that when they drop their EP this summer, things are going to change. With a little work and support from fans like you, Citysleep will become the next anthem to your day, week, maybe even year. And there’s only one way to find out. - Redleafgoldteeth


"Citysleep EP "I" Review"

The boys are back, Calgary’s own Citysleep present their debut EP (the first of 3), I. A beautifully minimalistic 5 track journey, including 2 brand new tracks “Intro” & “Sonic”, its safe to say that I delivers on all fronts.

A long time coming, the project will be the first of 3 EP’s leading up to the group’s much anticipated debut full-length LP due out in early 2017. Inspired by a late night outing after having just formed Citysleep, the theme of the 3 EP’s will be blue, red, & green – a meaningful set of colors to band members Jerrick & Dexter. Of the night in question, Jerrick explains, “it was the first outing he (Dexter) and I had since becoming Citysleep and we decided to check out some local bands at the Nite Owl. Their upstairs floor had a disco floor, consisting of red, blue and green blocks and it stood out and stuck with us.” Fittingly, colors are often bonded with the emotions they elicit (blue with calm, for example) and I definitely delivers the intended chromatic vibes throughout it’s musical delivery. The aforementioned “Sonic” is a definite standout from the project; a blissful, druggy hymn that can be turned all the way up, yet still provide a laid-back soundscape.

Meant to be enjoyed from front to back, neither interrupted nor shuffled, Jerrick mentions one more suggestion of the intended experience to the listener, “the EP is meant to be listened to at night time,” he explains. As with most of the music that Citysleep produces, the relaxed themes simply resonate with most listeners after hours, and this experience is exemplified by the many testimonials from their listeners. - Redleafgoldteeth


Discography

Citysleep I - Released July 2nd 2016
Mixed and tracked and mastered at Mona Lisa Studios


Photos

Bio

Citysleep is the collaborative effort between singer/songwriter Jerrick Dela Rosa and synth-pop enthusiast Dexter Mabanta. Curated late 2015, the duo began self-producing ambient electronic music. Their first single entitled "Skeletons" which released on Halloween featured the vocal stylings of Jae Sterling, along with Jerrick and Dexter. The track, within months, hit over 4K plays on SoundCloud followed up with a self directed music video. Since then, Jae is now a key songwriter with the group as well as Mico Javier offering his unique rnb inspired beat-making talents. Aside from their ethereal beat making experience within their studio and releases, the group acquired local drummer Kyle Donauer as their core session drummer for their live performances, adding a unique take on their live sets. Citysleep is an ever growing project, open to collaborating with different vocalists and producers around the city. With sounds created for a "night-time only" vibe, allow Citysleep to take you in on the comedown of a night out in the city.

Band Members