We got our first taste of Amirali with just one track on Damian Lazarus’ Get Lost 4 released last September, but it wouldn’t be long before the Iranian Canadian producer would be making his way into our Beatport shopping carts.
With the release of his Beautiful World EP on Crosstown Rebels, Amirali’s musical career began to flourish – taking him to gigs throughout the globe and making an impression on the underground dance music niche. But he outdid himself with his debut album, In Time, put out this past May. He played every instrument heard in each of the tracks and sang his own vocals. It’s safe to say it inspired us.
In an attempt to learn more about the emerging artist, we linked up with Amirali to talk about his album, his past and his future.
Read the interview below and click here to buy In Time on Beatport!Also, be sure to make it out when Amirali hits the Electric Pickle on July 20.
We love the approach you took with In Time. I feel like the album is so emotional. Since when have you been working on all of these tracks, and what factors in your life contributed to the sentiments you express in it?
Thank you very much. Well I started working on the album when I moved to London in late 2010. It was a year and a half journey into the experimentation of myself and my sound, which consists of 13 tracks.
Each track has a different story to tell and is a reflection of my past. It’s the most honest and personal I have ever been with my music, like I’m giving a part of my soul to the listener, and I hope they enjoy it.
Preview the album and finish reading the interview below!
Is it true you played every instrument that is heard on the album? What’s your musical past? Did you start as a kid?
Yes, that’s true. I started taking piano lessons when I was about five, playing classical pieces and gradually improved in that direction. I come from a musical family: my dad is an architect, but he also plays the piano. As an avid music fan himself, he always had a wide variety of music in the house, from classical and jazz to blues and rock’n’roll. As a kid I grew up listening to his collection and was immensely influenced by it.
Also In my early teens I was exposed to the raw electronic sounds of Depeche Mode, Portishead, Massive Attack, and Chemical Brothers, and I was kind of trapped by their music. So in essence there are many different styles and genres of music that have influenced my taste.
So as an early teen you were exposed to electronic music, but what was your first memorable or inspirational experience hearing these sounds live?
Well, it all started when I moved to Toronto. I was about sixteen years old and that’s where I began to taste the excitement of nighttime clubbing culture and feel my passion in making electronic music and DJing.
My first experiences hearing these sounds live were at The Guvernment Nightclub in Toronto where people like Sasha, Digweed, James Lavelle, Deep Dish and Danny Howells used to come and play long sets. We were a bunch of teenagers, crazy about music and we were always up for going out on weekends to party and check them out. I remember I always had problems getting into clubs because I was underage, so I had to use fake IDs. It was amazing what I experienced in that very young age.
What do you have in store for us for the rest of the summer as far as touring and productions?
My tour diary is about to explode. I can’t believe how crazy this is getting. All the hard work is paying off now. I have two remixes coming out soon on Bpitch Control and the Canadian label, My Favorite Robot Records which I’m pretty excited about. I have also two more singles coming out on Crosstown Rebels; the first single, ‘Just An Illusion’ comes with killer remixes from MK, Franck Roger, and Appleblim.
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