Sharim, a dear childhood friend, returned to the U.S. briefly for work, with a weekend stopover on the East Coast. The timing couldn’t have been better — I had just completed audio engineering classes with producer/engineer Dan Moffat and was already planning some studio work on an instrumental album.

Dan Moffat (engineer), Sébastien Ridoré (viola), Cel Kulasekaran (acoustic guitar), and Sharim Chua (acoustic guitar)

Naturally, it occured to me that we could enjoy producing a song in addition to the usual food, drink, and games — a reunion through music, recording and preserving a moment in time with an old friend.

Rehearsing and noodling around

Two decades ago, Sharim taught me my very first four chords on the guitar, sparking a lifelong love for music. Since then, our musical paths have diverged, but this project brought us back together to explore our common drive for creativity and interaction. Finally reunited again, with his graphite-built acoustic guitar in hand, we set out to do just that.

In session!

On February 18, we booked The Record Co. to record a single and fully immerse ourselves into the joy of music production. By a stroke of luck, a last minute call to Sébatien Ridoré brought him to the studio to join us.

With Sébastien Ridoré in the studio

What followed was pure magic. Sébatien improvised and laid down viola lines in E-flat minor like a pro, adding another layer of artistry to the track. It was an unforgettable evening of music, collaboration, and friendship (old and new) – a wonderful fusion of our experiences and shared history.

Dan Moffat, who handled sound engineering, mixing, and co-production, helped bring our vision to life. The result is a track we’re incredibly proud of, now available on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other streaming platforms today.