DJLarge

AMEME Seizes the Day: DJ and producer AMEME started DJing at the age of 18 when he moved from Benin to NYC to study.

“I only decided to go full time five years ago but prior to that I was consistently DJing every weekend in NYC and then eventually in other cities around the world such as Rome, Mykonos, Mexico City, Istanbul and Zurich to name a few,” he says. “I started learning to produce five years ago in NYC then two years in I moved to Berlin part-time to further my skills and collaborate with talented producers and engineers.”

The artist says that his sound and style is a direct reflection of where he’s lived and who he is.

“I like to call it jungle tech because it’s a seamless blend of African influenced percussion, Berlin style melodic techno, and a variety of other diverse elements inspired by my years spent living in Brooklyn,” he says.

AMEME says that he believes this is a pivotal moment for electronic music.

“There are lot of sub genres that are getting a lot more momentum than they have had in the past, especially Afrohouse which has become extremely popular over the past few years on a global scale,” he says. “I remember when I started using Beatport there was not even an Afrohouse genre at that time. When live shows were essentially non-existent that obviously had a negative impact on a lot of artists, promoters, crew, and others in the industry who relied on the income from these shows. Since live events have returned in most places however, we have seen a resurgence like we have not seen before. I think if there is a silver lining from that period its that it forced people to be even more creative than before and gave artists such as myself a period of time to focus on creating new art.”

His latest release is “Carpe Diem.”

“So I first heard of Paso Doble through his hit record ‘Tishiki’ that Black Coffee was consistently playing three years ago. Was really into his sound so I ended up booking him to headline a show in NYC for my brand and label One Tribe. We became very good friends from that moment and knew one day we would work on a project together. We realized we both wanted something melodic and vibey with a touch of percussion, something that would really speak to the soul. We worked remotely as the pandemic was still at its peak and came up with this beautiful piece of music that was included in a compilation to raise funds for kids of a Mexican non for profit Fundación Renacimento.”

Looking ahead, AMEME says that he has lots of really exciting releases planned for next year.

“I am currently putting the finishing touches on an EP to be released on Damian Lazarus’s label Crosstown Rebels. Damian is someone that I really look up to as an artist and as a person and his label has put out some amazing works so for me it was a no-brainer when the opportunity came together. I also have some single releases planned across a few other amazing labels that I have a lot of synergy with and respect for so stay tuned for some announcements on those. And finally I have been putting a lot of work into my own label One Tribe and plan to release an EP, a couple of singles, and a compilation with artists from all around the globe that I have met and connected with during the last few years.”

AMEME Seizes the Day: AMEME’s “Carpe Diem” is out now.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.