FEATURE
FEATURE
The 411 Editor, Amanda Sweeney, catches up with
AYO BEATZ
Tell us how you and SOS Music all met? We both had records playing on Radio 1 Dubai and having heard of each other on radio and liked what the other was doing, I reached out to SOS to collaborate on a track I had put together called ' Abu Dabbin '.
What / where are your musical roots? I started my musical journey at 16 when I moved to the United States to live with family in New York for a while. I was heavily influenced by the sound of the city, which was and is, hip hop. It was there I determined I want to be a rapper. It was also in New York I learnt how to produce. I did not have access to studios, so I taught myself.
England and Dubai are quite different in terms of the music scene, what are some of the differences you have noticed between the two? To me, yes there is a difference in the music scene. Whereas England has an established music scene, for all different genres. Dubai has the feel it is a developing music scene, in a positive way. Dubai has become aware of and embraced the urban music scene and if Dubai likes you, music fans will come out to support you regardless of music genre. However, Dubai doesn ' t really mess with up and coming artists. They much prefer established artists. But saying that, Abu Dhabi has really embraced SOS and me.
With trap music dominating the mainstream chart, what are your thoughts on the current state of the game? I think it ' s good. As we know, music genres and what is dominating goes around in cycles. At the moment, it ' s trap and I don ' t see that changing anytime soon. It ' s mixed things up, you hear it fused with pop, afrobeat, grime, even indie. It ' s mainstream which means it allows artists who would not normally be heard on radio, get heard. You hear trap in films, commercials and video games.
I am feeling positive about the current state of the game. With social media, streaming sites and the internet in general. The way it is, it ' s easier to get to your target audience, and for music lovers who would not normally listen to a certain musical genre, have easy access to it.
How do you separate yourself from other artists / producers? I really don ' t to tell the truth. I just make music and try to be on top of my game. If I consciously did separate myself from others it would be in the sense that I have a world view when making music. I am not blinkered in how I make music. I have travelled the world quite a bit. As a music engineer, I have also worked with artists and musicians from a wide musical spectrum. From classical, indie to dance, hip hop, afro beat and everything in between.
Tell us about a time where you needed to change your producer
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