Chillwave Artist Houg Debuts New Album Sameh Wahba is Chillwave artist-producer under the moniker, Houg.
Sameh Wahba is Chillwave artist-producer under the moniker, Houg.
Singaporean artist-producer, Houg, has recently released debut album, ‘The Biting Tempo’.
The past year has seen Houg continuously releasing luscious grooves in the form of new collaborative singles with musicians all over Asia to form his awaited debut album.
The Biting Tempo tells the latest chapter of Houg’s living stint in Australia from 2017 to 2020 – from the ups and downs, dealing with turbulent things such as decayed relationships, introspective stubbornness, and poor lifestyle choices.
“I wanted to focus on the influence time had over the period I spent in Australia. The evolution behind the album, through its expanded narrative flow and accompanying visual experience, was motivated by the fact that I wanted people who experienced the album to embrace these stories of mine, as though they lived vicariously through me,” Houg said.
The album’s focus single, ‘DXO’ leans towards a trippier side of time, exploring time between two lives, the morning hustle of a part-time day job, and the evening musician. The dread of waking up in the cold hours before daylight to fulfill daily obligations, and compounded by the knowledge that tomorrow will bring the same dread and with it, the time-warped grogginess that defies the chase of wanting to be immersed in the music community.
“Musically, I sought to express my faux upbeat feelings about this routine – not too fast, and yet it’s exciting and a trippy doldrum. This is all while singing about how everything doesn’t make any sense and how hard it is for me to find my own fulcrum. The mood of the track is very reminiscent of how those moments subconsciously felt for me during the time – a mixture of excitement, fear, confusion, and doubt,” Houg explained.
“Covid has forced me to adapt my writing process, and to look into the virtual sphere for inspiration and collaboration. It’s like I’ve gone across most of East-Asia on this album without even leaving my room. Having the opportunity to work virtually with all the talented artists on this album has definitely expanded my perspective in music. These creative folks have been amazing at adding more dimension to the stories I’ve written on this album.”
Previously released collaborative singles include Excuse Me (What’s The Time) with Japanese city jazz band, Fontana Folle, Jarr with Thai soul-funk band, Supergoods, and 7 Ain’t Home with Japanese music producer, VIDEOTAPEMUSIC.
The Biting Tempo was released on 4 March 2022 on all major digital streaming platforms. Click here to listen to the album on YouTube.
Follow Houg’s latest creative updates on Instagram.