Sweet Music RecommendsHey Omary, it’s great to meet you! How’s your summer been so far?
Hello hello, it is also a huge pleasure to meet you. Summer is going wonderfully so far, several events in progress, and lots of beautiful things are happening right now. Among them my album is slowly unveiling and I really look forward to sharing it with everyone.
Congrats on your new release Tumrt on Elbaraka Family. What was your inspiration behind this record?
Tumrt means quietness in the Amazigh language. Serenity, peace of mind and inner peace, that’s what the single Tumrt expresses. The catchy sounds of the trumpet mixed with spiritual songs; a sound expression used in peace rituals.
Peace of mind and inner peace is the feeling I had during the COVID-19 period when we were all stuck at home, and it was a very difficult time for everyone. I took full advantage of the opportunity to recharge my batteries, get the ideas straight, and it was especially the perfect opportunity to move forward very well and finalise my album that I couldn’t finish for years.
Does spirituality play a big part in your sound, and if so what is that you’re looking to express with elements like mantras in your productions?
As a producer, in my musical universe, I like to mix electronic music with elements that are related to real life. My musical universe is very open and therefore the inspiration and imagination are unlimited. For example, the first excerpt from my album ‘Skanja’ in collaboration with the great artist Mehdi Nassouli, the wind instrument featured on the single entitled ‘Ghaïta’ frequently associated with bendir is often used in groups of the Wal Ghayta tabl in traditional events in Moroccan families.
On the TUMRT single, during the pandemic, I attended yoga sessions that my mother was doing at home and it was at that time that I came up with the idea of using the mantra formulas on this single.
You’re originally from Casablanca, Morocco. Has the culture you have grown up in have an influence on your sound and how does it reflect in your music?
The city of Casablanca is the economic capital of Morocco, and the largest city of the kingdom and the most populated. What makes this city the centre of the kingdom or gathers the majority of Moroccan citizens who come from the whole kingdom of Morocco, but also citizens of the African continent and the whole world. This allows a wide connection with the different cultures of Africa and the world. I grew up in a world of special musical richness, in a rather festive family. My father plays derbouka, my uncles who play the Oud string instrument, and the majority of my family are good singers. My mother always sings Arab classics at home (Laugh), so I grew up in a world rich in musical culture influenced by traditional Moroccan and Oriental Arabic music. As a very curious person, I have expanded my cultural knowledge by doing several research on music from the African continent from countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Kenya and many others, but also from the Asian continent such as: Jordan, Lebanon, India, China, Turkey and many others. Through this research I discovered a huge cultural richness and this is exactly what emerges today from my musical universe.
How does your setup look like?
For my live sets, I use to work with 3 CDJ Players & DJM mixer, and since I also play percussion, I add to my setup the Handsonic PAD.
What studio gear do you believe defines your sound?
To be honest, I have no particular preference since all the equipment are necessary for the realisation and definition of my sound. It depends entirely on the artistic direction to follow, sometimes it is much more percussions, but sometimes it is more melodic and therefore synthesizer.
Digital or Analog ?
Analog is definitely better. But digital is particularly convenient.
What has been your highlight gig this year?
Oh! During my current tour, I played in a place that captured my attention and curiosity, nestled in the centre of Marrakech. The special feature of this establishment is the DJ booth which is located in the heart of the establishment, and the audience completely surrounds the DJ booth. You are surrounded directly by the audience around you. A very special feeling, where you feel the people around you, which gave me even more energy and an even warmer feeling in my set.
DJ’ing or Music Production?
Very difficult to make a choice between the two, the ideal is to first produce and then share your musical universe with the public through DJ’ing.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer our questions, is there anything else you would like to mention before we go?
Thank you for this wonderful interview and for your welcome, I would like to thank the Elbaraka Family team for the effort made for the realisation of this project, and I would also like to specify that all the news related to my upcoming album ‘Soul Of Winds’ and all other news are regularly published through my networks social and specifically on IG: omaryofficiel
Grab Omary’s “Tumrt” released on Elbaraka Family here
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