Photo: Ash

If we had to describe Ash’s music in three words, it would be ambient melodic soundscapes. It comes with no surprise that Cercle has recruited the talented multi-instrumentalist for Cercle Records to release a single - White Desert - for the launch of their record label. Cercle is all about unique music experiences highlighting the beauty of cultural and heritage landmarks, and Ash fits them perfectly.

His hit single, Mosaique alone has racked up over 11 million streams on Spotify, with a steady stream of singles that are an embodiment of soulful and emotional tracks. Drawing inspiration from his own multi-cultural experiences having lived in Egypt, France and Canada, Ash has perfected his sound through his many beautiful tracks that are blended layers of deep electronica and fusion of Middle-Eastern sounds.

We caught up with Ash to find out more about his latest single, his musical journey, and his plans for this upcoming year.

Electric Soul: Congratulations on your new single, it’s another extraordinary track! Tell us more about the inspirations behind White Desert.

Ash: Thank you! The White Desert is such a magical place, just looking at pictures of it is inspiring! I had never been there before but I had already been to other deserts in Egypt, and what inspired me was the feeling of the sandy wind ringing in your ears when you’re in the middle of the desert alone with no other sound around you. When I composed White Desert, I wanted to replicate this feeling through a high-pitched rolling guitar that plays throughout the entire track. It doesn’t really sound like a guitar, it just gives this feeling.
 

ES: And you’ve recently filmed in the White Desert in Egypt together with Cercle. Tell us more about the experience! Is the song named after the location or did you decide on the location because of the title?

Ash: It was such an incredible experience. We camped for three days in the White Desert in order to film the video, and we had so much fun. The sunrise and sunset in the White Desert are just breathtaking! I remember when we had just arrived and put the tents up, the sun was already setting, and I just picked up my saxophone and started jamming because it was just so inspiring. The filming was a challenge because of the wind and sand, but it was definitely worth it. The track was named after the location.

Photo: Cercle 
 

ES: Your music has taken you to many other iconic places like the Pyramids of Giza and rooftops in Paris – where else would you like to go next?

Ash: I definitely want to travel around and film in other iconic places. I think the next location would be in South America or South Asia because I’ve never been to either and am really interested in discovering both regions and their beauty.

ES: You’re obviously well-travelled to call three cities home - Cairo, Montreal, and Paris. How important is “place” and “location” to your music?

Ash: I would say that place and location play a huge role in my music. Each of these three locations inspires me in a different way. I think that for an artist, the sounds you constantly hear around you depending on where you are really affect the music that you create. For example, when I’m in Cairo, just going out to sit in a cafe and hear the Egyptian classics inspires my music. Every city I’ve lived in has helped shape the sound of my music.

ES: You have a pretty interesting musical journey and I want to find out more about the roots of Ash. You grew up in Cairo to Egyptian parents who often hopped between Egypt and France. Is your family very musical?Ash: Thank you! I grew up with the Egyptian and French cultures, listening to French and Egyptian music. My dad would show me Egyptian legends like Abdelhalim Hafez and Om Kalthoum as well as French legends like Charles Aznavour and Julien Clerc. My brother plays the piano, so my parents encouraged me to start learning the piano at the age of six. My parents don’t play any instruments but we constantly had music playing at home.

Photo: Ash

ES: As a multi-instrumentalist, how do you go about putting together a song like “White Desert” or your breakthrough track “Mosaique”? Share more about your inspirations and writing process.

Ash: My writing process is constantly changing, because I stick to one then the structure becomes boring and I often find myself creatively blocked. Though, my favourite way of writing is through live looping with all the different instruments. For example, for Mosaique, it all started on the guitar : I played one bar of the main guitar melody, looped it, then played a guitar harmony over it, looped it, played the piano chords, looped them, and so on. It was pretty much the same with White Desert - I mainly started with the four main chords playing the pad, then I looped these chords and added more arpeggiated layers to them. Then I pretty much jammed over this structure with my guitar and saxophone. As a matter of fact, the main saxophone melody in White Desert was added only when I was rehearsing the live performance. I always record when I’m rehearsing, and the saxophone take that you hear in the track was the first one, I didn’t change it. I think all musicians would agree that the first takes are sometimes the most special.

Photo: Ash

ES: We’ve had many singles since Mosaique... we’re still waiting for an album! Is there one in the works?

Ash: It’s true that I usually focus on releasing singles, but I definitely will release an EP or an album soon, because I love how you can tell a full story with an album instead of giving listeners just a few bits and pieces.

ES: Your live shows are known for their immersive energy and emotional connection. Are you feeling this experiential deficit?

Ash: Thank you so much, that’s really nice. I definitely miss this feeling of being able to connect with an audience. Around the beginning of the pandemic, I did a live performance on Instagram where I spoke with the people watching between the songs, and it was such a great experience because I had missed it. It’s definitely not the same online but I still think we are lucky to be able to maintain some type of connection.

ES: Last year has been a rollercoaster ride and this year looks equally unpredictable. What are your goals for 2021 – musically and personally?

Ash: I just want to keep working on more music and experiment with new sounds. The good thing about quarantine is that it gave me a lot of time to learn a lot of new music production and live performance skills, so now I’m ready to use the new things I learned to create a better live performance and more interesting compositions. I definitely also hope to travel more because the lockdown showed me how much I took this privilege for granted in the past.

Ash ‘White Desert’ is out now on Cercle Records, filmed in the White Desert, Egypt. Get it here: https://www.beatport.com/release/white-desert/3185609