Filed under: Interviews
Below is the excerpt from the interview. To read the interview in the online magazine please click on the image above.
Zahed Sultanis a music producer / social Entrepreneur from Kuwait. Through mediums such as music, film, online, print, & more, Zahed strives to inspire differentiation in others and push the envelope on pre-conceived routes to achievement. Through his creative ventures, you’ll discover commitments to the environment & community as well as numerous entrepreneurial journeys that stem from an inherent desire to innovate and involve.
We recently caught up with Zahed who told us about his latest venture – a cross-genre, cross-cultural music album entitled “Hi Fear, Lo Love.”
1) How did you get started in music?
My relationship with music started as far back as I can remember. I began to explore music as a budding hobby at age 14 (as the local DJ for mixed as well as segregated parties!)
2) When did you know you were onto something big?
While in college, it was a dormant ambition of mine to be able to write and produce music. It began to materialize in the last 6 months of my senior year – I went on a record-buying spree to master DJ-ing professionally, while I spent my graduation summer learning the ins and outs of my first sequencing software – Reason.
My passion for producing music has only intensified exponentially since.
3) Describe your style of music.
This past spring, a good friend of mine sent my music to world-renowned DJ Stephane Pompougnac of “Hotel Costes” in Paris. In his email, he described my music like so:
“… A true authentic melding of electronica and Arab-Indo sounds which is representative of [his] Kuwaiti and Indian heritage as well as being a global citizen. … This really is the first genuine Gulf-Electro music [of it’s kind] and I believe that its unique sound will herald in much much more.”
[Editor’s Note: Zahed’s 2nd Single from “Hi Fear, Lo Love” entitled “I Want Her But I Don’t Want Her” appears on the Hotel Costes 15 compilation, which was released globally on Sept. 26th 2011]
4) Tell us about “Hi Fear, Lo Love”?
“Hi Fear, Lo Love” has been an on again off again project in the making. I went back and forth tweaking and re-piecing together the sounds you hear today. It took 5+ years to complete and it tells the cyclical story of intimate human relationships [hint: read the song titles in order from track 1 through to track 11].
5) Why the title, “Hi Fear Lo Love”?
Settling on a title for the album was a journey in itself. It’s a combination of a play-on-words as well as my experiences while writing, recording, and producing this album. With regards to the meaning, its open to interpretation by the listener(s) and the experiential stage of life that he or she is in.
6) Where did you get the inspiration for the lyrics?
On “Hi Fear, Lo Love” the inspiration / themes for the lyrics was a joint effort between a young aspiring Kuwaiti lyricist, an established poet, and myself. I can relate to most of the lyrics – given the different junctures I have been through in my life. But, I guess words and music are solely relevant (or irrelevant) to the listener – in their given frame of mind.
7) What artists do you look up to / what genres of music motivate you?
Musically, I have developed (and continue developing) strong connections with everything from raw traditional music to underground sounds that have a cult following.
I am most influenced by producers and artists who have strayed from convention and broken musical boundaries such as Radiohead, UNKLE, Damon Albarn, Kanye West, DJ Sasha, Massive Attack, and Bjork, to name a few.
With “Hi Fear, Lo Love” the intention was to challenge the norm.
8) Tell us about your 1st success in music.
My first success in music came about in 2004 when I was awarded 3rd place for the Involver Remix Competition by world-renowned house music label Global Underground and DJ Sasha. I was later signed alongside DJ Sasha to America’s no.1 TV hit series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Season 5 Episode # 519 “4 x 4.”
9) How does it feel to have your music signed to a hit T.V series in 2004 and an internationally renowned compilation in 2011 (Hotel Costes 15)?
Its humbling, to say the least, not to mention reassuring to know that this is something worth exploring further.
10) What can we next expect from you?
On April 1st 2011, I released “Hi Fear, Lo Love” through the digital realm and engaged in a six-month user-driven campaign to build a global following. On May 1st 2011, I launched the first of these activities; an open remix competition sponsored by my upcoming record label http://www.mousemusic.org.
Voted for by my fans, the 3 finalists’ remixes from the competition, secured a spot on the official Remix EP (for the album) as well as a bonus track by a promising music producer from Kuwait.
On Sept 1st 2011, I released the “Hi Fear, Lo Love-Remix EP.”
I am currently working on my 3rd music video for “Hi Fear, Lo Love” and the 1st single for my second Album. Not to give away too much, I’ll just say that my second album is going to be even more exploratory in nature while dabbling in more refined audio-visual production techniques.
11) What has been the highlight for you so far?
This is the highlight for me – embarking on a courageous journey to build the foundations for the sounds of tomorrow! [dare I say]
Zahed Sultan’s music is available for download on all major online music stores: iTunes, Amazon mp3, mySpace Music, shockhound.com, Thumbplay, emusic, Zune, IMVU, Nokia Music Store, Spotify, Napster, and Medianet.
You can learn more about Zahed via his official digital properties:
• Website: http://www.iamzahed.com
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/zahedsultan
• Facebook: http://on.fb.me/dZSjMo
• Blog: http://www.iamzahed.wordpress.com
• MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/zahedsultan
• SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/zahed-sultan
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/zahedsultan
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