MOOR SOUND TALKS DJ’ING, LEARNING FROM HIS PEERS AND HIS FASHION STYLE.
Moor Sound is one of the prolific artists in the scene in Ghana. He started out as a DJ, morphed into a producer and a singer/songwriter. We caught up with him for a brief conversation following his new single titled Emergency (911).
730 Magazine: Moor Sound, nice to have this conversation with you. How are you doing?
Moor Sound: I’m Fantastic man. Enjoying life & whatever it throws at me. I just dropped some new music too. Been a long while since I did that. Almost 2 years. So I’m grateful for the ability to that again man. I’m blessed, life’s good.
730 Magazine: Awesome. The hiatus was worth it. Your new single sounds refreshing… Let’s take it far back. We heard you were one of the illest DJs back in KNUST, so you’ve always been at it but how did you get into music production?
Moor Sound: Thank you man, I appreciate that. But to be honest I didn’t necessarily take a break on music. I was still creating I only took a break on releasing because a couple of the different projects I was working on at the time fell apart due to various reasons. So I had to regroup & come up with new plan of action.
Yes it’s true, I was one of the best DJs on campus back in KNUST. At a time where being a DJ wasn’t as cool as it is now you know. After I got to certain level with the djing, the question on my mind was how do I take this to the next level? At the time I had no role models around me so all I could do was study the people I thought were great. The likes of Calvin Harris, Diplo, Black Coffee & Juls. All these guys had one thing in common, they produced their own records in addition to djing. So they would include their own music in their sets. So when I came to that realization, I did what needed to be done.
730 Magazine: That’s really great. As multifaceted as you are as an artist, does that mean we could get a DJ set with you playing your records in the future?
Moor Sound: A 100%. That’s the era I’m in right now. I’m in my Captain Planet era, all my powers combining. I feel like this is most creative I’ve ever been as a person, embracing all sides of me gives my art a unique perspective.
730 Magazine: Great. You are known for being influential in the hiphop scene in Ghana. Doing collab projects with some of the notable names on the scene like Kiddblack, Questo & Kwame Yesu.
Prior to your new release “Emergency”, we’ve heard you experiment with the afro sound on your “Summertime Sound” EP, which sounded amazing. Is there a natural shift in sound to fit the growing African landscape in popular music?
Moor Sound: Ahhh thank you for this very dicey question. The thing about me is I love music! I’m a music lover 1st & an artist 2nd. I love the whole spectrum of music from Beethoveen’s “Für Elise” to Sexxy Red’s “Skee Yee”
When I started producing my skill set at the time was limited to rap/trap music because that was the genre with readily available tutorials on YouTube so I could study it. After meeting guys like Magnom, Nshona Muzick & DredW I learnt a lot about the Afro sound. So it’s less of a shift more of an understanding of the genre to be able to break the rules the way I would like & make it my own.
Don’t be surprised when I drop a Lover’s Rock anthem on your head. I’m always learning.
730 Magazine: We can tell you have a diverse music taste. How’s your experience working with Guide Radio been so far?
Moor Sound: Guide radio has been a blessing! Working at guide radio has helped me become a more well rounded person. Increased my communication skills, helped me add a little more structure to my day to day life, helped me build a community that loves moor sound, not for just my music but for my taste. Working at guide has also given me insight on a lotta industry topics from some of my fav artists & industry executives. It’s been an invaluable experience.
730 Magazine: You’re so detailed with your images, style & presentation of your works as a whole. How important is having a strong image to you? And who are some of your style icons?
Moor Sound: To be honest, I’ve been like this from time. I’ve always had that aura about me. Obviously over time I’ve learnt to be more intentional with it. I never liked to fit in, even with my friends. I was the type to wear Bapesta’s just cause everybody wearing Nike Air Force 1s, Just so you go “what are those?”
As I got older I became aware that it wasn’t even about my drip or money but rather what’s in me, my aura. I’ve been to places broke as fuck & in a fit I randomly put together because I hadn’t done my laundry & I still had the same effect on people. I talk about this on my new record Emergency (911); “Everywhere I go I’m VIP” so to answer your question it’s not important to me to have a strong image, it’s just who I am as a person. It’s in me not on me.
As far as my style goes I’m inspired by my personal life. I am a high energy person, don’t really enjoy the low vibrations. So you hear it in my music & see it in my style. I like bold colors like red, yellow, purple, pink
And as far as icons go, I try to learn from everybody but guys like Pharrell, Prettyboy Do, Chingy, King Promise, Skepta, Kanye west & even anime characters like ichigo & abarai renji. Guys that like those keep it fresh all the time
730 Magazine: Awesome. What have you been listening to? Top 3 artists on your playlist at the moment?
Moor Sound: Well this list is always changing cause I’m a student of the game. Right now I can’t go a day without listening to Burna Boy’s “I Told Them”.
I’m also really enjoying Gabzy’s “Jambazz” that’s a song I wish I made tbh. And the Juls’ “Palm Wine Diaries”
730 Magazine: Moor Sound, it’s been great having this brief conversation with you. We wish you a successful rollout with your new single Emergency (911)
Moor Sound: It’s already successful to me. Success is doing what I like with the people that I love. So I wish you guys the best in the assimilation of the music. I’ll do my best to help y’all digest it better with all the content I’m creating around it.
730 Magazine: That’s great. Best wishes!
https://open.spotify.com/album/5GVn5iVnYqK5YOHFpGPZQY
Photography by Erica (@pxceria) & Studio CD34 (@studio_cd34)