Contributing Writer
AIM Festival returns for its 5th anniversary, taking place at the historical Parc Carillon just outside of Montreal, Canada on July 12-14th. A three day festival including 32 hours of non-stop music, featuring 4 hour extended sets from headliners like John Digweed, Danny Tenaglia and ANNA, plus performances from Pig and Dan, Behrouz, Ben Gold, Code: Pandorum b2b Ten Graphs and many more! With 5 stages to choose from, music lovers can expect an unparalleled experience all weekend long.
Ahead of AIM Festival, we spoke with Adam Husa & Mustafa Ismaeel who’ll be playing a very special back-to-back set at this year’s edition. We asked them their thoughts on the festival, what we can expect from their b2b set, and more about their own individual sounds. Here’s what they had to say…
Check out the official AIM Festival Guest Mix from Adam Husa & Mustafa Ismaeel!
B2B Q&A With Adam Husa & Mustafa Ismaeel:
How did you two meet, and what was your initial reaction when you found out you were playing b2b at AIM festival?
We met in 2016 or 2017, I (Adam) released on Mustafa’s label (Dream Culture) & played a party he hosted in Toronto, but it was really since burning man 2018 we got to really connect as we decided to make the journey together. It was the beginning of something special…
Have you played a b2b set together before? If so, how did you transition your sound to complement the beginning of the other’s set? If not, how will you work together to curate your sounds to complement each other’s sets?
We’ve done these b2bs a few times over the past year and they’ve grown quite a reputation. It started in Burning Man and then we did it again a couple of times in Toronto and Montreal. We really enjoy playing together and the vibe we create. By now, we have a natural feeling about eachother’s taste and direction the set is going. We were both super happy to hear about playing together at AIM! We can’t wait to share decks on the main stage at such a beautiful festival!
‘We’ve been working on this EP together and we’re definitely excited to test out those tracks on the main stage!’
What are you two most looking forward to about playing together at AIM festival? Are there any artists that you look forward to seeing/meeting?
We’ve been working on this EP together and we’re definitely excited to test out those tracks on the main stage! We are excited to see Digweed! That should be special. Soul Button, Rodriguez Jr. and Behrouz. Also Sabo on the Multi Culti stage should be fun, Lots of great acts on that bill…
Q&A With Adam Husa:
When did you start Husa Sounds? What prompted you to launch your company, and what do you do to help up and coming artists with their journey?
Husa Sounds started 7 years ago as a podcast channel. We actually just celebrated the anniversary few weeks back on the opening day of Piknic Electronik! It was launched to have a platform where I can invite guests to showcase their sound, now we expanded to a multi sensory event company, record label, blog & still pushing strong on our podcasts! I like to help up and coming artists as much as I can. When we like what they do we let them have a podcast on our channel & even play some of our parties.
Since beginning your career over 6 years ago, what are some of the major things you have noticed about the evolving Montreal music scene?
It’s expanding! We have a very small but unique creative city with such a good vibe. More and more cool projects are blossoming over the years and it’s super cool to watch unfold. I mean, with projects like AIM, Guy Laliverte’s PY1 project, Stereo Afterhours, Piknic Electronik… We are super lucky to be here. Can’t wait to see what the next few years will bring!
‘We were both super happy to hear about playing together at AIM! We can’t wait to share decks on the main stage at such a beautiful festival!’
You are currently signed to three different labels… Magician on Duty, Dream Culture, and Fauna7Flora. What advice would you give to new artists that are trying to get picked up by a label?
Don’t give up & strive to be different! : )
FOLLOW ADAM HUSA
INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD | FACEBOOK
Q&A With Mustafa Ismaeel
Born in Iraq, raised in India, and now living in Toronto… You have had an extremely culturally versatile journey so far. How do you believe your background has had an impact on your individual sound?
Yes and I always try to represent my cultural background and show a positive image on the people and art that originates from these countries. They all hold a special place in my heart. I grew listening to Arabic music and even singing Arabic songs in elementary school. The eastern music culture and sound is very emotive and powerful. Most of the music coming out of those countries are somewhat sad in nature but it evokes feelings of relief and nostalgia. That is a big reason why I connected with the deeper genres of electronic music. A lot of the music I create has that nostalgic and emotive touch, I find it’s a form of meditation and healing to the soul. Also my first interaction with electronic music was in Goa at a Psy and Progressive trance rave, it opened my eyes to a whole new world and way of self expression. This is where my everlasting love for deep & progressive house all started.
As the founder of InMood events and Co-founder of Deep House Toronto podcast & event management hub, you have quite the professional resume as well. How do you balance your music with your various business ventures?
To be honest this has been the biggest challenge for me lately. I have a lot of projects to work on and complete in the studio but I am constantly working and on all frontiers and sometimes it can get overwhelming. Whenever I feel that I try to take a short brake from events and let my partner and team handle much of the work. We have just expanded the team and I am slowly shifting most of my tasks to the new members that we hired, so I can just focus on strategic planning and networking.
Your ‘Lucid Dream’ EP hit #3 on the Beatport Deep House Release chart, that’s an amazing accomplishment for any artist… what was your initial reaction when you found out?
It was one of the best feelings I ever had. I mean I took my time to release this 3 track EP and I knew it was something special but I did not expect it to go this far. I could not believe it when I saw it enter the top 10 and then sitting at #3. I was speechless, it really gave me a mental boost and now I am working on a couple of solo EPs and some interesting collaborations as well. This year for me is all about the studio and releasing new and exciting music.
FOLLOW MUSTAFA ISMAEEL
INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD | FACEBOOK
You can catch Adam & Mustafa playing a b2b set on Saturday July 13th at the AIM stage at AIM Music Festival. Tickets available for purchase tickets here…
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