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You work on a lot of different projects – is there anything that connects them all together?
They all have their specific sounds and atmosphere but the link is how I minimise the music. I take off everything and make it as minimal as possible. If you listen to all of the artists’ solo albums, they’re very different. I have a tendency to strip it down to the voice and keep everything else to a bare minimum.
Who would you love to produce next?
Maybe I would produce the next Mashrou’ Leila album, for the fun of it. I have ideas for what their music could be – I often feel like maybe I could bring more punch to it. I’d like the opportunity to collaborate with some African artists too.
Where do you feel your best – the studio or the stage?
When you play a recorded track, it’s like being at the movies. When you’re on stage, though, it’s like being at the theatre. It gives you a big sound, a big volume dimension that you don’t get with recorded tracks. Working with electronics, most people assume it’s all prearranged to make it sound live, but I do that all on stage and play the guitar at the same time. There are a lot more imperfections but I enjoy that.
What are you looking forward to at the Gulf Music Festival?
I’ve played in Dubai once before with a band I was managing. I loved the mixture of people from all over the world – I’ve never had that in the Middle East. I’m looking forward to playing with Maii Waleed again and I’m also looking forward to playing with Oum for the first time – she’s an artist I’ve known for a long time but we’ve never shared a stage together.
Are there any musicians from the Gulf that you listen to?
There’s a very interesting artist I like in Dubai called Hamdan Al Abri. He’s a great singer. I’ve been following him for a while and have asked him to come to Beirut.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m releasing an album with Maryam Saleh, another Egyptian singer. She has a completely different style [to Maii Waleed]. Our album is going to be released on a French label and we should be touring Europe this summer. I’m trying to record my second album with Zeid and the Wings but I’ve been so busy that it’s going quite slow.
