An Artist Interview with Composer Alex Abahmed - By Rodrigo Diaz Nieto

Alex is a musician and composer in his third-year as a music major at SFU, studying composition and electroacoustic music. We sat down for an interview, where we talked about his background, creative process, and what his draw to music is as an art, as well as his artistic influences.

                                                                              

Rodrigo: Who are you and what do you do?

Alex: I’m Alex and I guess I can only really say I’m a guitar player and a composer and maybe an audio engineer.

R: What’s your background, in terms of art and music?

A: Okay, I hated music until I was about like 12, which is when I started playing guitar. A friend introduced me to it and I started going through lots of different phases of genres. I think I started with 70’s rock and 80’s rock like Metallica, Iron Maiden and stuff, then I got really into metal, then I got bored of guitar and stopped doing everything and started doing hip hop. Then I got bored of that and I got into electronic music, then I got bored of that and then I came to school. I’ve been trying to connect with my Egyptian side more lately, because I feel like we lost a lot of that culture coming here, and I also pushed a lot of it away.

R: Oh so you have Egyptian background?

A: Yeah I was born in Alexandria, and we came to Canada when I was like 4 or 5.

R: Do you know any specific Egyptian cultural music or history that interests you?

A: Yeah, I mean my dad still listens to lots of old Egyptian music in his house, like Abdel Harim Hafez. That’s like 70’s stuff. I always find it’s the rhythmic things that get me that I really identify with, like belly dancing music for some reason, I don’t know why! *Laughs* As for the history, I don’t really know as much about it, or as much as I would like to.

R: What themes do you pursue, if any?

A: I don’t think I do. There will be a point where sometimes I’m almost finished something, and after listening to it almost a thousand times and mixing it, I’ll be like “Oh! That’s what that was? Okay.” So I guess no! *Both laugh*

R: So, if there aren't any themes that compel you creatively, what is it that inspires you? I guess a better way to ask this question is this: Why do you do what you do?

A: Why? That’s a tough question to answer. Like why do I do music?

R: Yeah, why music, why the things you make?

A: I’ve always really liked making music and I had a lot of jobs that had nothing to do with that. They’re okay for a little while and then they’re hell, like they just become so monotonous, and music doesn’t really have that. It’s like that quote that our professor Mauricio loves so much from Le Quan Ninh, where he talks about how it’s not his instrument that’s the problem when he gets stuck, it’s him, so he has to change his mindset. I find that that's a lot easier to do in music than it is in anything else. When I worked construction, there’s no way like, if I’m having a shitty day, I’m having a shitty day. *Laughs* I can’t just change my mindset. I think you have to love what you do to be able to do that. I’ve been making a lot of music coming from my heritage lately, kind of based around that and mixed in with other influences that I’ve had. That’s just coming out of wanting to be more connected to that heritage, but I also do some short films and music for ads and stuff, and I don’t involve that in my process at all.

R: So, what is your creative process like?

A: It’s to be a lunatic, I guess. I just try stuff and if I like it I’ll record it and then build on it. I usually work in loops and just keep trying different things over loops and trying to build things out of that. Or it’s just trying to forget everything you know, and turning your brain off and just trying to do something. I don’t know how you do that! *Both laugh*

R: What work do you most enjoy doing, in terms of the creative process, what is your favourite thing about doing music?

A: The beginning phase, where you’re finding sounds and coming up with melodies and things like that.

R: What art do you most identify with?

A: I found this artist, Dina El Wedidi recently, and I can’t really stop listening to her. She’s an Egyptian artist too. I guess psych rock as well, which is kind of related. I may not be right about this but I think it’s kind of stolen from Arab culture. Maybe stolen is a bad word. Inspired by is better. *Laughs* This band, Khruangbin, is also cool.

R: I think for my last question I will ask this: What is your dream project?

A: To do the music for Star Wars, but not like the actual Star Wars or the Mandalorian or anything. Well kind of like the Mandalorian, like how Ludwig Göransson got to create a new theme for it, in a new style.

R: Not really connected to the main story, but something in the Star Wars Universe?

A: Yeah, because I think they would give you the creative reign to go crazy with it right? Not orchestral though, that’s not really my thing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Scarab, composed by Alex Abahmed for Double Bass and Electronics