House music mavens, rejoice! EDMTunes is jacked to lock into the world of Kamil Ghaouti, a name synonymous with powerful beats and pulsating energy on the dance floor. Having already carved a distinct path in the house music sphere, Kamil Ghaouti weaves intricate soundscapes that have captivated crowds worldwide. Get ready to explore the rhythmic mind behind the music, their production secrets, and the future vision for house music in this electrifying interview!
Can you share with us your journey from Morocco to Los Angeles and how your cultural background influences your music?
I started making music at age 15 when I was still going to high school in Morocco, I then moved to Madrid, Spain at 18 for a few years and finally decided to move to LA to pursue music full-time a year and a half ago. Ever since I was a kid even before starting to make music, I knew I’d end up in LA someday so when the occasion presented itself, I had already made up my mind. I honestly can’t think of a more suitable city to do what I’m doing and pursue the goals I have. I don’t think I would’ve been able to meet this many creative people who I work with a lot anywhere else and the city itself makes it so easy to feel inspired and driven. I grew up listening to so many different genres I can’t really say Arabic music influences what I end up creating a lot, but I do feel like there’s a certain sense of rhythm and a great use of percussions present in the more traditional music popular in Morocco which makes me more prone to implement the same things in my music.
What inspired you to start your own label, Kameleon Records, at such a young age, and what vision do you have for its future?
To be honest, I always had the idea of making my own record label in the back of my head, but I never thought I would act on it this early on in my career. I just got to a point where I had too much unreleased music that I loved and that other labels didn’t seem to be interested in and I thought why not release all of them under the same structure with the same visual direction. I’m still working with other labels the way I used to before launching Kameleon but knowing I have this structure gives me a feeling of freedom I didn’t really have before. Another thing I love about having my own label is hearing unreleased tunes from friends and collaborators and believing in some of these so much that I want to try and push them as much as possible. I love the idea of playing a role in the release of a dope record without necessarily being involved in the production and music side of things.
Despite your early success, you remain incredibly humble. How do you maintain this attitude, and what drives you to work hard towards your goals?
Thank you! I’m real far from where I want to be in my career even though I’m extremely grateful and proud of everything that’s been happening the past decade, so I always have lots of goals and things to look forward to and work towards. A lot of the dreams I had when I first got started in music already came true but I know the hardest is yet to come and I love it. I used to be a bit scared that after reaching certain milestones I would lose motivation and get complacent, but it had quite the opposite effect so I’m excited for the future and more confident than ever before.
How do you balance the creative aspects of being an artist with the business responsibilities of running your own label?
I’m honestly never happier than when I’m making music and creating so the business side of things is obviously not as fun and fulfilling but it’s very much necessary if you want music to be your full-time job and not just a hobby. When I’m lucky, I get to spend the same amount of time making music and handling business in a day but most days I have to spend more time running the label and my career from a business standpoint. What really helps is that I made so much music that I love these past years that I always have new stuff to release without having to work on new material all the time, which gives me more time to spend on marketing these records and dealing with everything else at the label.
At just 23, you’ve already achieved a lot. What are your main goals for the next few years, both as an artist and as a label owner?
Much appreciated. As an artist, my goals have changed a lot over the years as I realized the things I thought would make me a fulfilled artist didn’t necessarily so now I’m all about staying true to my authentic sound, which I haven’t really had trouble doing up to now, releasing as much of the music I love as possible and eventually being able to look back on my discography decades from now and feel deeply proud. As a label owner, my goals and promise to myself and supporters is to only release the music that moves me and that I’m excited to play out at shows and push as much as I can from people I really believe in, both as artists and people. At first, I wasn’t really planning on releasing music other than mine in the first year of the label, but I ended up receiving songs I liked so much I could only say yes to release and do my best to market them and I’m learning so much because of it.
Tell us what we can expect from you over the rest of 2024.
The best music I’ve put out yet, a release on my dream label end of summer, and more consistency than ever before.