A natural gift for a memorable vibe and a need to dance and make others dance marks out DJ/producer/musician Rashid Ajami’s music and sets, but just as he rejects music genres, his talents cross artistic boundaries to include a planned program of digital artworks, installations and cutting edge multi-media creations. Since his emergence was instantly spotted by the likes of Maya Jane Coles and Ramon Tapia whose remixes featured on his first release, Rashid has steadily released critically acclaimed tracks on labels such as Anjunadeep, Eklektish, Einmusika, Get Physical, Tale & Tone. He now adds Selador Recordings to his back catalog, releasing a stunning cut ‘The Lie’ with enigmatic emerging producer Dröm.
We chatted to Rashid Ajami to discuss his top tips for a creative workflow.
1. Patience is a virtue
Taking the time to prepare a record is very important. Don’t try to rush the process especially in the early stages. Take lots of breaks, and if it still sounds good when you come back with fresh ears, then you know that you are going in the right direction.
2. Less is more
When creating ideas, I feel it’s about finding the core elements that sound amazing together. A simple lead, bassline, arp, etc. I see people come up with ideas that might not be strong enough, and their tendency is to keep adding more sounds. If the fundamental core of the idea is lacking, then keep working on that before adding layers of detail. You will know when you have something good. It’s a beautiful moment!
3. Master of none
There are so many products on the market for making music: plugins, virtual synths, hardware, and beyond. It can be really overwhelming! My advice is don’t go and buy a ton of stuff. Find one or two core products to create sounds with and become really comfortable at using them. My go-to plug-in for finding sounds is Omnisphere. It’s a beast.
4. Protect your ears
When you are listening to the same track for hours and hours it’s good to be cautious with volume. If you are constantly pumping your studio speakers or headphones to the max, your ears are going to tire quickly. I find it’s good to keep the volume down and only bring it up when you want to test a new sound. You will thank me in ten years!
5. There are no rules
At the end of the day, it’s your music, so do whatever you want to do. It’s a beautiful ever-evolving journey and everyone has their own evolution.
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