Interview | Fady D
Up-and-coming D.C. based DJ/Producer Fady D has started off the year on fire with the release of his latest remix of Oliver’s “Heart Attack.” This track is filled with so many innovative sounds and melodies and includes a middle eastern-inspired horn line that is so catchy it may truly give you a “heart attack” on the dancefloor.Fady Rizk, better known by his stage name as “Fady D,” was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt where he was inspired by the French touch scene to blend the old and new together with an upbeat disco flavor. He aims to bring traditional Middle Eastern instruments and samples into modern house sounds and introduce new and contrasting moods into an ever-transforming dance music scene. I had the chance to chat with him and learn more about the inspiration for his latest track sent to Blisspop by SubmitHub.
What inspired you to do the remix?
When Oliver announced the remix contest for the track, I just couldn’t miss the chance. I’m a huge fan and they’ve always been an inspiration to me when it came to production and music writing. The track also features De La Soul and P-Thugg from Chromeo, so I get to remix one of my all-time favorite producers, use vocal tracks from people I admire, and get to add middle eastern melodies to all of that. It was hard to pass up.
Walk me through your production process. Is it more systematic or free-form?
It depends really, but when it comes to remixes, it’s usually a bit systematic in the beginning. I usually take the vocals (the only thing I use from the original track), and then try to play around and figure out the chords. Then I write the bassline and the groove of the song based on that and go free-form from there. I really like the middle-eastern influence.
How did you create that back melody?
For this remix, it was lots and lots of sampling, chopping, and tuning. The mizmar is my favorite middle-eastern instrument, and I like the festive vibe it brings, so I always try to incorporate it into my productions.
What is the mission you’re looking to put out with this track?
I always try to make music I would enjoy listening to and feel represents my sound and vision. Whatever crowd it may cater towards, as long as they enjoy it as much as I do, that’s all that counts.
Do you have any more releases coming up soon or any exciting news you’re looking to share?
I am finalizing a concept mixtape series that I’ve been working on for 2 years now. It will be a series of short sets, made out of tracks I love from different genres, blended with middle eastern twists and touches. It’ll be a way to express my vision when it comes to blending those two worlds together. The series will also include some edits and remixes that I’ve been working on. All for gems and rarities from Egypt and the Middle East that I’ve been collecting from crate digging and doing lots of research. So hopefully trying to turn that into its own edits series later. And I definitely have a couple of originals in the pipeline that I’m excited about. They’re almost done, so I hope I can share them very soon.
