AMR Finds Familiar Faces: Underground house artist, producer and composer A.M.R. grew up around music from an early age.
"My dad owned a studio in Qatar for recording bands and commercials and he himself was a passionate guitarist, so being around that space built a foundation for me," he says. "But what started it all was discovering my first DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) through my uncle, who too was another musician in the family. He gave me his demo CD of FL Studio when I was a kid, and I’ve been producing ever since. Things got more serious for me after releasing a few records and getting supported by world-star DJs, and from then I knew there was something worth pursuing."
Today, A.M.R. describes his sound as house music with classical undertones.
"My early fascination with film scores greatly influenced my sound and as music technology and plugins advanced and became more accessible to producers, those classical influences found their way into my music," he says.
His latest release is his sophomore album Familiar Faces.
"Familiar Faces is about human connections and their significance in shaping our everyday lives," A.M.R. says. "I had no intention to go with this theme but after stepping back to reflect, I realized the music and lyrics were naturally gravitating towards that idea, which led to its identity. All tracks on the album were recorded in my home studio in Qatar, minus the stems from collaborators, including Fractures, Brandon Mignacca, Kymira, Ahmed Habib and Julia Church. In terms of timeline, the songs range from a span of 3 years. Some projects started and finished this past year and others began way earlier but took longer to finalize, so I'm extremely excited that I finally get to share this with the world."
A.M.R. thinks that the popularity of electronic music is at an all time high.
"Considering how fast audio programs are advancing and the endless availability of online resources, we're starting to see a lot more great artists emerge from the shadows and that competition combined with the growth of streaming services has dramatically pushed electronic music to a new level," he says. "We're also starting to see merging of genres which is opening up new creative doors, creating a broader spectrum of styles, which could draw different opinions, but I believe it's an important part of Electronic music's more recent success. I think we're at a great state right now and I hope that momentum continues to grow for years to come."
Looking ahead, A.M.R,. has plenty planned for 2023 and as we head into 2024.
"I’ve got a few things planned for the rest of the year," he says. "I’m working closely with Monstercat on a Deluxe version of the album. ’ll be giving more details on that later this year. I’m also looking to release a limited-edition vinyl for fans. I miss the days of owning physical copies of my favorite artists and I wanted to bring that back for fans that might want to keep this as a memory. As for gigs, I do plan to play a few shows locally or within the region to promote the new album, and I’m also working on releasing new material after the album gets released but those will likely get announced next year."
AMR Finds Familiar Faces: A.M.R.'s Familiar Faces is out now.
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