Tempo’s Poet Dorian “Paul D” Rogers, met for coffee and conversation with Kwame Busia, architect and musical Renaissance man, to discuss all things arts and culture in the UAE.
Paul D: You are an architect by trade. How and when did you get in to recording, engineering, music production/composing, and singing/rapping?
Kwame Busia: I guess if you’re meant to be or do something, that thing will find its way to the surface one way or another! Architecture is one of those fields where you kind of have to know a little bit about everything, so branching out to other creative fields was quite natural. I was actually trying to film a futuristic Sci-Fi movie in Abu Dhabi and wanted to create a new sound, a kind of futuristic Arabian-style as the soundtrack of the movie. I had a very clear view in my mind but didn’t know how to communicate that to others and couldn’t find people at the time to help so I decided to learn the craft of making music and sounds myself from the ground up. I got hooked on the whole process and well, four years later here I am! And you Paul, do you have production skills outside of being a rapper and poet?
Paul D: I do song-writing and basic recording for an artist. Regretfully, I was always surrounded by great engineers and never took the time to learn the trade myself. You were the main driving force behind my recent poetry album release, “Where’s Pauldo?” You oversaw every step of the process from recording and singing background to mixing and mastering. Your singing and approach to harmonizing is very soulful and similar to American gospel music. What is the source of that inspiration?
Kwame Busia: I grew up listening to a lot of classic soul so I think from a young age I must have soaked it up subconsciously. It’s just something I’ve always done since I was young. My sister is a singer too. But for me, when you harmonize there’s a kind of vibration where a bunch of notes sounds just right together, so I just enjoy experimenting with those sounds in my mind until I find a system that works for me. Sometimes I practice by doing a capella covers – which you can hear on one of my SoundClouds (http://soundcloud.com/car19tobase)
Paul D: You have a really professional sound as a recording artist. Who do you most compare your style to?
Kwame Busia: Thanks, I appreciate the question. Vocally, I draw on so many influences it’s hard to say. I love the power that artists like Florence Welch (Florence & The Machine) have in their voices, that can give you goose bumps – so I take a bit from there. But I’ve also always admired the unique, more acoustic vocals of artists like Feist, Norah Jones, Lykke Li and Ray LaMontagne. My little studio looks a bit like Dexter’s Lab at the moment. I do a lot of genre-mash ups and I love to mix styles just to see what the results will be.
Paul D: You’re from London, England. How did you find yourself in Abu Dhabi?
Kwame Busia: My family was here and I was living in London, so I came down over the summer holiday to visit them and I ended up getting a job in architecture. And you, Paul what is it that made you move here?
Paul D: I was looking for a new teaching abroad opportunity and, after researching, Abu Dhabi stood out as the best option for me. I knew nothing about the budding arts scene at the time… I just kind of fell upon it. What are your ultimate aspirations with music?
Kwame Busia: A Number 1 on iTunes and a couple of million views on YouTube would be nice! I’m just about to release a new album called ‘The Wrath of Calm’ so I’m pretty excited about that. I also have a passion for scoring films and in the future would love to do film soundtracks like for a James Bond movie or a superhero movie or something. My ultimate aspiration is simply to keep being able to do music and get better at it and push myself to the limit with it; I truly love doing it – it’s a blessing!
Paul D: You started the Abu Dhabi Creative Club (ADCC). What was the idea behind that platform? What are your aspirations with this group?
Kwame Busia: When I first got here I couldn’t find a group of people that had the same interests as me like photography, graphic design, art, painting, music, filmmaking etc. So I decided to create my own group. The aim is to create a community from which people can meet other like-minded creative people, network, learn and grow and help develop a creative scene in Abu Dhabi which is open and accessible to all rather than being of interest to the select few ‘in-the-know’. Ultimately I would like it to become a hub and make it a place where anyone can stroll in and bring out their creative abilities, whatever they might be. I have always believed art and culture should be for everyone to enjoy! We are planning to put on creative festivals and events over the course of the year showcasing some of the incredible amount of talent existing in this city. I’m very excited about it.
Paul D: What is your take on the growing cultural scene in Abu Dhabi? How do you compare it to Dubai? Are the two scenes different? If so, how?
Kwame Busia: Culture is a product of the people and the people are the product of their environment, so naturally with Dubai being different to Abu Dhabi, culturally the scene is slightly different. Abu Dhabi, from its sheer size and position as the capital, has a wealth of culture and traditions to draw on and I think that is reflected by the number of art fairs and events and museums that exist or are being planned. However, Dubai also has cool places like Al Serkal Avenue, and the Al Quoz area which is rapidly becoming a cultural hub.
Paul D: There are many artists that want to record in Abu Dhabi. I know you don’t have time to work with everyone. How do you select potential artists to work with? How can local musicians, singers, rappers, poets and performers contact you?
Kwame Busia: When you truly love what you do and are dedicated to your art, it shows. Lots of people would like to be singers or put out a record, but those who are really serious about it take it just that bit further and learn their craft through and through and in that way really become unique artists. I guess those people give off a different vibe that you can pick up on. The city’s cultural scene is also evolving and events like your own ‘Rooftop Rhythms’ are great places to scope out talent. Actually after last month’s show I’m pretty sure my hairline receded because I was so blown back by how good it was. You can always send me demos and I’ll listen and sometimes I decide whom to work with that way. I’m actually working on a project now called ‘TenForwrd’ which is a compilation of tracks produced by myself in collaboration with regional artists, so if you have talent I’d love to hear from you!
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