Rami Imam's 'Safara EP' is due out in
early February on Ponda Records, one of what seems to be endless
supply of labels supporting musicians from
the Melbourne conurbation. YATM is rather excited by
all this so we jumped at the chance to find out more about Rami and
the tracks.
YATM: When you started Ponda Records back in
2020, "to develop cross-cultural sound explorations" your
single on Street Tracks sounded miles away from the six tracks on
'Safara' so have you been working on these tracks since then as
you've more than nailed the label brief?
RAMI: I have always explored new sounds
and styles in my productions, but this new direction has really
taken shape over the past two years. I’d say it’s the path I
want to follow with my music moving forward, and I’ll definitely
be leaning into it even more.
YATM: What's your musical background as
we're told you were inspired by "Afro-Funk, West African
Highlife, Arab Disco, Bollywood, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Libyan Reggae and
Algerian Rai" Sounds like you might have worked in a World Music
record shop/how did this come about?
RAMI: I went to Houghton Festival in the
UK (Ed. founded by Craig Richards; he of Fabric etc) and experienced an incredible six-hour set by Hunee and Antal — two
DJs I hadn’t really heard of before. That set was eye-opening. It
showed me the power of older music and how it can blend with such a
wide variety of genres from around the world. After that experience,
I became obsessed with digging into older, more diverse music, and
it completely reshaped how I approach my own productions. That
moment was a real turning point, and I’m extremely grateful for
it.
YATM: This development in
house/dance/club music seems more prevalent than ever at the moment
[we've recently had the 'similar' Sun Sone album 'Patience' on
Earthly Measures (see review HERE), is
there anybody/artist/label that's influencing you as a musician.
RAMI: I am constantly drawing
inspiration from so many incredible artists across different genres,
so it’s hard to pinpoint just one. Right now, I’m loving what
Demi Riquísimo is putting out on his label Semi Delicious, (Ed. remember the Demi remix of 'Demba' by TSHA featuring Trio Da Kali - 2021) and Radio Slave with Rekids is always releasing heat.
YATM: And turning to the new Safara EP - can we talk through Side A, the amazing 'Yale Yade', 'Kidda' and 'Bombay Sundown' , this last one has a touch
of Be Adult Music on an express train going to Bollywood!
RAMI: 'Yale Yade' I wanted to make as a modern Arabic disco groover that had a cosmic feel to it with the hypnotic synth that loops throughout the song.
The sample in 'Bombay Sundown'
came from an Indian Grooves record I picked up a few years
ago. The moment I heard it, I fell in love and knew I had to do
something with it. I haven’t actually watched or listened to heaps
of Bollywood, but I do loSve the music off the 1986 Bollywood film
‘Shart’ – you should definitely check it out!
So there's our 'Side A' introduction Rami Imam and the LINK to 'Side B' is HERE for more of our favourite "truely awesome release" for far this year.
STOP PRESS: Hunee and Antal have just been announced on this years' WeOutHere Festival DJ line-up.
BUY LINK: https://www.beatport.com/label/ponda/88735.
Artist: Rami Imam
Title: Safara EP
Release date: 7th February, 2025
Label : Ponda Records.
Catalog Number : PONDA 001
Format : Digital / Bandcamp 
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