By Aham is the first home-grown avant-garde electronic artist to come out of Dubai. His stunning eponymous debut album – styled AH.AM – provides the evidence. Out now, the eight-track album is a sumptuous journey steeped in personal emotion. It demands and rewards your closest attention – and we absolutely love it!
Dubai-born and bred DJ and producer Paul Josef is the talent behind Aham and this album marks a breathtaking evolution of his sound. It’s music that comes from deep inside the artist himself. Music played live during unstructured jams. Music that went where it went, with no rules, no expectations and no preconceptions. The resulting album blurs genre boundaries and doesn’t follow usual structures or time signatures.
“Aham is a concept where I’m figuring out the direction I want to take with my music,” says Paul. “There are no rules, no genres, no different styles that drive the mood of the music. Aham does not have any rules. Aham is everything music can be.”
Involving
From the moment AH.AM starts with the brain-cleansing sounds of birds chirping, the album is deeply involving. Tender chords soon wash over you and glow with warmth and soul as electronic synths ripple into earshot. Elsewhere, you’re suspended amongst the clouds with distant drum tumbles moving slowly onwards. There are tracks detailed with soft acid and dog barks, heartbroken major chords next to optimistic keys that lift the spirits. Richly layered, the album marries moving moments of darkness with hopeful passages of light. AH.AM shifts as imperceptibly yet undeniably as the sand on a dune and is just as widescreen and beautiful.
Heart
“I want my music to talk to people in a way that I cannot,” explains Paul. “This last year has been so hard for us all, so this music 100% comes from my heart. I just started with a melody even if I didn’t know where it would go. Whatever I was feeling in that moment I would write it and that turned into a track. Every track has its own story so the album turned out even more emotional than I expected.”
That said, Paul wants listeners to create their own narrative to each track. “It’s not for me to tell people how to feel. One person might consider a particular track melancholic and another might find the same track hopeful. That’s what I want from this album – for people to interpret it in their own way. I’m really happy with what I’ve created and the journey I’ve been through writing it.”
Central Role
Music has always played a central role in Paul Josef’s life. As a child in church he learned how to play piano and drums. He was drawn towards metal and rock music in his teenage years. Fascinated by instruments, he progressed onto Eastern percussion and jazz drumming. But playing with bands didn’t fully nourish him so Paul turned to electronic music and finally found his place.
Before long, his reputation as a DJ and producer in the Emirate began to grow. His house and techno tracks were well-received. He bagged sets at the best underground gigs in town – from Analog Room to Groove on the Grass, Plus Minus, Deep Like and Nomad. These parties introduced him to the more emotional and introspective sounds of artists like Trentemøller, Nicholas Jaar and David August.
Flex
A few years before Aham emerged, Paul represented the UAE at Mutek Middle East. His techno showcase allowed him to flex his muscles further as an experimental electronic artist. But even then, he knew that he wanted to pursue something more unique.
In this search for more, Paul decided first to do less and took a year off making music altogether. It was his way of cleansing himself, of forgetting what he knew. Then, three years ago and with a renewed sense of self, he started creating the music that makes up his debut album.
Baring reflections of Jon Hopkins and Nils Frahm yet completely individual, the album is striking a chord with all who listen. Final track Upheaval moved us to tears. Dubai-based underground DJ and artist Ashwin Menon, aka Liminal Roots, was so moved by the music he stepped up to create the cover art and animated videos for each track.
Meaning
What does Aham mean? ‘Aham’ is a word of Sanskrit origin, and one of many in the language to mean ‘I’. It is the strongest, most egoistic and unapologetic form of the word, and perfect for this most personal of projects. AH.AM is a thoughtful album from a thoughtful artist. Discover its beauty for yourself right here.
Also read: Nominate Your Industry Hero for Our UAE Music Power List 2021
