AMÉMÉ, a pleasure to have you with us! How are you and where are you speaking to us from right now?
I am great – I feel energized, grateful and excited. I’m speaking to you now from New York.
We’re pleased to get to chat with you ahead of your debut on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels. Congrats on this, what can you tell us about ‘Drum Beat’ and what was the inspiration behind it?
Drum Beat represents the pure essence of my music. I wanted to put a focus around drums and percussion in order to highlight my heritage. I have a wide musical range with an afro percussive base that’s typically married with a different sound; most of the music you hear from me creates a bridge between that afro percussion world and a different destination. With Drum Beat, I wanted to come back to my essence, which is why the drumbeat itself it’s a bunch of drums, percussion, some grooves and a very distinctive African tale. It’s also why I decided to use my own voice, to keep the track as raw and unique as possible. I wanted the identity to be really accentuated.
How did this release come to find its home on Crosstown Rebels?
I met Damian for the first time in 2019 in Ibiza. Fast forward to 2021, I was exposed to him through my manager, Jazz. We sent him a bunch of tracks, and funny enough, he didn’t pick up any of the tracks I expected him to. I asked him why he did that, and he replied that he felt Drum Beat reflects who I am and my real identity, and that at Crosstown rebels that what he was about – finding unique sounds that have genuine and original origins.
AMÉMÉ – Drum Beat. With Joeski Remix. Released 24th June 2022 on Crosstown Rebels
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Can you run us through the creative process behind the tracks?
I started working on Drum Beat in 2019. The first version was a little more of an afro groovy funk – that’s what I was going for. Then the pandemic hit and I started working on a lot of music all the time. I let Drum Beat sit around for a whole year, and throughout that year I really expanded my sound. One year later, I was going through my laptop and I stumbled upon it – and I just felt like, “okay maybe this is the track where I just want to deal with the basic elements of what proper jungle tech is.” I decided to strip down the melodies, focus on the groove, the drums and percussions of the track.
U.S. artist Joeski provides a super remix of the title track, what were your reactions when you first heard his take on ‘Drum Beat’?
The original version is a slower pace than I usually play, and when I made it, I wasn’t thinking about how I was going to play it.Joeski brought the dynamic feel to it for the dance floor, while keeping the original vibe alive. Funny enough, I ended up playing his remix more than mine, but I still listen to mine all the time.
You are the founder of the label One Tribe NYC, what can you tell us about the label?
OneTribe is a label that I launched back when I couldn’t get any of my music signed. My first ever tracks were part of OneTribe. My goal was to create a space where afro house music creates a bridge to other sounds. I wanted to break the boundaries of what afro house is. We spin toward a lot of different showcases with visual activations, including performer and videographics and fashion. This past year was a year where I took my time to brainstorm on my next steps for OneTribe while I was also focusing more on Ameme as a brand. We’ve been doing a lot of work to get it to a point where the release schedule, fashion and showcases are at the same level. I’m happy and excited to say we are almost about to re-launch, stronger than ever.
2022 is proving to be a packed year of music output from you, with your second release of the year on Armada Electronic Elements approaching. What helps you keep so prolific as a producer?
I usually work on music in bulk, and a lot of the music I’m releasing now is music I’ve been working on for two years. My goal was to be able to plant the afro house essence in a lot of different scenes and stages. When I’m on the road, I come up with a lot of different ideas and projects, so it’s always about creating the skeleton of the track. When I hear a sound I’m intrigued by or have an idea about a drum pattern, I beatbox it into my phone and when I get to the hotel, I create the idea. By the time I’m ready to get back to the studio, I have all these ideas I’ve been working on, and soon after have 5-10 projects ready to go.
Thank you for your time today AMÉMÉ! Congrats again on the upcoming ‘Drum Beat’ and we hope to catch up again in the future. To finish off, is there anything else that you’d like to share with us?
I want to give a shoutout to Damian and his legendary label Crosstown Rebels. I’ve always been a big fan of the work he’s done and how selective his choices are. I’m so excited for this release and to share it with the world.
