I started playing the piano when I was five years old. My parents always made sure I was doing a bunch of extracurricular activities. Fast forward to senior year of high school, I’m watching a bunch of festival aftermovies in class while trying to figure out a way to get involved in dance music. I finally managed to save up for a small mixer and some speakers, which I set up in my garage back home. That’s when I started making minor song edits for fun and showing them off at parties. That is really how I was first drawn into music and how it all started for me.
Your track “All You Have To Do” is absolutely amazing! How did you achieve such a great signature sound in such a short time? Also, what is your creative process like?
“All You Have To Do” was probably one of the most spontaneous songs I’ve ever made. I found this vocal sample online and started playing around with it by speeding it up and pitching it. That day I just locked myself in my studio room for 16 hours just working on that song non-stop until it was done. What a beautiful day that was.
I don’t think I have a specific creative process that I follow. It really depends on how I am feeling that day and what I am in the mood for. Usually I just lock myself in the studio and keep experimenting with different projects until something sticks. Time definitely moves differently in that studio. Before I know it, a full day has passed and my parents are freaking out because I am not answering my phone.
It’s really all about putting the hours in and making these hours count.
Going over your Soundcloud we can tell you love experimenting with new sounds. Can you tell us more about your studio setup and some of your favorite plugins/instruments?
I have a pretty simple studio set up which includes a mic, a keyboard, a mixer, a pair of flat studio monitors for producing and a pair of bass boosted speakers to test out how my tracks would sound like at a show. During my free time I’m always looking for plugins that are not that known and just testing them out and experimenting with them. One of my favorite plugins is this reverb plug-in called Black Hole Reverb which my friend told me about. There are so many things you could do with that reverb to give more power to your sound. I’m also a big fan of the Output plugins like Exhale and their Analog Brass and Strings plug-in.
Your music sounds very organic and authentic. Do you play any real-life instruments?
I play the piano and I am slowly learning how to play the guitar. I love adding these organic elements to my songs just because I personally feel like it gives the song a nice warm and fuzzy feeling. I also like adding the sound of a crowd at a festival or a show in the background. When I was performing at Firefly Music Festival in the summer I realized how important the crowd’s contribution is to a show. I decided to test that out in my Baba O’Riley remix that I just put out. I managed to get my hands on a sample of a crowd singing along with Roger Daltrey (The Who’s lead singer) to include in the remix and it just sounded magical.
What are your musical goals for the future?
To continue working hard in developing my sound and pushing the limits of what an artist can do so I can leave a legacy, paving the way for other creators. I also want to represent my country (Egypt) through my music and becoming an integral part of the growth process of dance music over there. Getting to be the first ever Egyptian to perform at a festival like Firefly was a big goal for me and I want to continue taking Egypt’s name with me to bigger stages.
What are your goals for the coming months? Any upcoming projects we can get excited about?
I have lots and lots of new music to release. I am at a point where I am making some of the best music of my life yet. I’m going to be releasing a remix a month till the end of this year which is when I am planning on releasing a very special single that I have been working on. My team and I are also planning on embarking on a college tour sometime in the beginning of 2020 which is something I am really looking forward to.
