The Marrakech-born and London-based artist has already received support from some of the most celebrated names within the industry, among them Black Coffee, Blondish, Adam Port, Rampa and Sounds of Rituals, just over a year after he made his debut in the scene.
Jalal Ramdani just caught up with CULTR to talk about his career goals, music entrepreneurship, collaborations, future releases and much more.
Without a doubt, one of the songs that stole the show all over clubs this summer is “Sesa” by Jalal Ramdani, Team Distant, Mr Silk and Mel D, released via Connected Frontline. Black Coffee himself gave it the #3 spot on his own Spotify playlist, while Adam Port, Rampa and &Me included it countless times in their sets, having noticed that the infectious tune was gathering an immense amount of support and positive response from the public. Remixed by Jalal Ramdani’s protégée Adjuma, it is a truly vibrant and vivid track, where percussion is infectious and the Afro groove flows masterfully.
Music production is the foundation and backbone of Jalal Ramdani’s buzzing career. With just over a year and a half releasing music officially, Jalal Ramdani admits that starting to compose his own tracks vastly propelled him towards achieving his goals. Now, he has successfully worked with all major Afro House labels around the world: Abracadabra, Connected, Madorasindahouse, Wired, Sudam and many more.
He has a sensational, 3-track EP set for release in November via Abracadabra, BLOND:ISH’s very own label. We have heard FNX Omar’s remix of his track, played by Blondish in Miami; a monumental tune that never fails to captivate with its hypnotic vocal and groovy bassline. The track has even been remixed by Another Afro House heavyweight, Enoo Napa.
Moreover, Jalal Ramdani just unveiled that he has another EP coming out on the most respected Afro House label worldwide, MoBlack Records, featuring the rare and majestic voice of Ahmed Sosso, and including a remix of one of the most prominent figures in the scene! Not to mention upcoming collaborations with Sounds of Rituals, one of the acts spearheading Miami’s scene, Cuban sensation Pauza, and many other amazing artists that he would prefer to keep confidential for the time being.
The elusive Afro House genre is what awakened Jalal Ramdani’s desire to produce music. For him, it’s the genre that connects the most with his dual Moroccan and British cultural background.
“I spent most of my childhood in Morocco, which is home to one of the most ancient and ethnic musical cultures. We have all kinds of native tonal instruments, lots of rare percussions that don’t exist anywhere else in the world! I mean, just listen to a ballad by a ‘Guembri’ musician in the street, while his partner sets the pace with a pair of ‘Qraqeb’ and overlays his vocals, to realize the richness and authenticity of the sounds we have. And that’s what makes up most of the Afro House tracks, the ethnic sounds and the feel of the tribe. Growing up in Morocco gave me a strong sense of rhythm and a performant musical ear.”
On top of being a pioneering artist, Jalal Ramdani also teaches DJing and music production through one-to-one courses, aiming to share all the knowledge he has managed to accumulate while using simple and effective methodologies.
“Tutoring is a crucial aspect for me, it allows me to see music production from the angle of the newcomer students I supervise, and forces to clarify my ideas and concepts in order to transfer them accurately.”
In parallel, Jalal Ramdani also regularly conducts interviews with several renowned DJs and producers to discuss their careers and gather unique insights into the industry. His conversations are then published on his IGTV Jalal and also on his Youtube channel.
“What is Afro House?” is definitely one of the most notorious videos he has made to date, where he digs deeper into the origin of the genre and talks about its most influential artists and labels:
Interview with Sounds of Rituals:
“I recently interviewed the resident DJ of LIV Miami, Mednas, also Amine K and Sounds of Rituals in Tulum, Arodes in Mykonos, Nicolas Sasson in Paris, among others. One of the goals is to showcase specific aspects of their careers and get to know each other more personally”
Last but not least, Jalal Ramdani also manages an artist agency, which is home to several emerging producers, as well as a number of vocalists from Africa who don’t get the exposure they deserve, despite their undeniable talent. His agency acts as a bridge between them and producers around the world. One of his goals is to help expand the reach of Afro House as a genre, which – despite its massive growth over the past years – is still not recognized at the level it should be.
During the summer of 2021, Jalal Ramdani made his official debut in Ibiza, alongside veteran DJ Camilo Franco, at his event Boho Experience. Jalal Ramdani was also invited to play on Ibiza Sonica Radio and discuss his latest releases. He has performed at numerous exclusive private parties, sharing the decks with Angelos in Ibiza, Rampa and &Me in Saint Tropez and many others in Mykonos.
In our interview with the multi-talented producer, we asked him about his references and inspiration when producing. He reveals that he selects two to three songs based on energy level, sound quality and dynamics. For example, when he remixed “Dembele Elements,” his references were Dixon’s remix of “Toukan” and Da Capo’s afro dub of “Drive.”
“Sometimes I don’t use any reference, to have a totally personal and independent style, which is important for the innovation and construction of my own sound. That’s what I did for my next release on MoBlack Records.”
When asked about his dream collaboration, Jalal Ramdani reveals that he would love to work with DJ and producer Dennis Ferrer, who he admires for always being ahead of his time.
“His tracks from him in the 2000s already incorporated many elements of afro house that only spread into the scene 10-15 years later.”
Besides Dennis Ferrer, Jalal Ramdani also dreams of working alongside Roger Sanchez, someone he considers the most technical DJ on the planet.
Among all his unforgettable performances so far, Jalal Ramdani fondly remembers his performance with Angelos in Ibiza last June.
“It was remarkable, the crowd was boiling and we played a lot of unreleased tracks at an amazing private party. Another memorable one was in London, where I organize the Afro House events “Khonsu,” I played with Willy Monfret and we destroyed the club from start to finish!”
As for the return of events and parties, Jalal Ramdani believes that we are not far from seeing the world back to normal again.
“Some cities and countries managed better than others and are already back on track, the luckiest ones were almost never closed, for example, Tulum. The pandemic has clearly left its mark on the entertainment industry, but it will soon be no more than a page in our collective memory.”
Jalal Ramdani’s relationship with electronic music started around 2010 as a listener, through some of the biggest Progressive House hits of the time, “Leave The World Behind” by Laidback Luke and Swedish House Mafia, and “Hesitate” by Ian Carey. That was followed by the massive EDM boom and the Tribal and Deep House mania over the past decade.
For numerous years, he was overloaded with his studies, obtaining a double master’s degree in Financial Engineering from the most renowned financial mathematics school in France, and then becoming a full-time algorithmic trader in investment banks in London.
But in late 2019, he discovered the Afro House wave and decided to take the time to teach himself music production on FL Studio, something that later resulted in his first song “Nayda,” a true afro gem with vocals from Tanzania and the power to move anyone on the dance floor.
It was during the pandemic that Jalal Ramdani found the needed time to dedicate himself to music; as he says music needs 100% of your focus and concentration.
“I managed to produce one track a month during my financial career with high pressure, whereas now I make 3 a month with no pressure. Also, I was completely missing the side of DJ tours and networking, which are equally important, if not more! For example, I managed to do a world tour in 2021 between Tulum, Ibiza, Mykonos, Saint Tropez, Paris and London, but also progress much faster on the production side of things. I may go back to the financial markets or I may not, the future will tell.”
