Ghoula, real name Wael Jegham, is a Tunisian film music producer and composer. Seven years after the release of his debut album, he is making a comeback with a new album called “Demi-Ecrémé”.
With this second album, Ghoula sticks to his favorite weapon: a refined approach of sampling that pays an infinite tribute to North Africans musical legacies. As a multi-faceted artist holding a very diversified musical background, he sails throughout electro-pop, techno, breakbeat and IDM, while always paying a special attention to the arrangement of the lyrics he samples from his personal vintage vinyls collection.
His signature sound can be recognized from the very first seconds
A subtle harmony of crackling voices speaking dialects from all around the Maghreb, augmented with folk guitar, electric bass, groovy percussions typical from the Mediterranean basin, shaken up with Acid House and Jungle electronic productions.
Ghoula meaning “monster”
“What I like about sampling is that I can isolate a vocal from its initial background, and teleport it towards a novel arrangement. The aim is never to misrepresent the essence of it, it’s actually the opposite. I try to make it resonate with the original intention of the composer, to convey their vision and respect the original work. When I’m sampling an old vinyl, I’m always asking myself the same question: how far can I go with this primary matter, this texture, this melody, this rhythm? This is my way of preserving the rich heritage of my homeland, while refreshing it at the same time,” said Ghoula.
Whether or not we speak the same language, the experiences and emotions we share bring us together. They are the very substance of Ghoula’s music. He touches us beyond his cultural background, and gifts us with the singularities of his mosaic musical personality, eventually walking us towards the path to union, celebrating what makes us all different!
NMR (foto: press Goula)
