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INTERVIEW

OUSAMA LARBI

OUSAMA

LARBI

 “I’m always in a ready state for

a project!”

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  • Bandcamp
  • Tidal
  • Apple Music
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Psychedelically inclined and unconventional spirit seeking underground alternative hip-hop artist Ousama is a broadly talented creative with no desire for fame yet with all the ambition for success. You can find him somewhere in the underground scene developing a cult fanbase of likeminded soul seekers with an affinity for the supernatural

Thank you so much for interviewing with us! Can you share your story on how did you get started in music industry?

Thanks for having me. Well, I was attending a video game conference called EGX in 2009 with a good friend of mine, Zan. It’s a fun day out, we get to play unreleased games sometimes years before they came out, 13 year old us was right at home. As we queued up for Metal Gear Solid the conversation of music came up. I asked him what kind of images he visualised when listening to sounds. I was expecting an answer similar to mine with some slight variance but instead he told me that he didn’t visualise sound. ‘’What do you mean??’’ I asked, he said that sounds are just sounds and he doesn’t see anything, if he wanted, he could imagine a video to go along with the music but the sounds themselves didn’t create any visual consistency in his head. This surprised me quite a bit because for as long as I can remember, the WHOLE point of listening to music was to appreciate the beautiful interplay that shape and colour had with the instruments being played. So, I did some googling and realised that I experience some form of Synaesthesia. From there, I started exploring further, downloaded Propellerhead Reason 5 and began experimenting. A little bit each day and in a few months, I was producing some loops that satisfied me. I continued producing quietly in my bedroom for few years then built up the confidence to release instrumentals on Soundcloud. On the side I was writing rap lyrics along with the instrumentals, a few years of doing that eventually resulted in creating my first project with a friend and artist ‘Rin’. We released Lobash: Reggaetronics Vol.1 in 2020, an eclectic blend of underground alternative Hip-Hop with Electronic and Reggaeton flavours. This got my foot in the door; I proved my talent enough to begin connecting with artists and collaborating with people online and in my local circles. This was the end of Phase 1 of my career.

We are now entering Phase 2…

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Who are you grateful for your success and can you share a story about that?
​Someone who helped me a lot was Khalid, my friend and producer. We met on a random forum designed for sharing feedback with other musicians. Not only is he musically talented, he’s got very sharp creative intuition, we don’t see eye to eye on everything, but he’s someone I trust enough to take creative risks with, knowing that we’ll always find a way to make it work. The funniest thing is I’ve never met him. We made the entirety of The Skunkwork Album together just through WhatsApp, sending each other drafts back and forth over the course of COVID lockdowns. Through that we developed a good friendship and a strong business partnership.

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Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I’d say the story started from the second I downloaded Reason 5 and is continuing till now.

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What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far? How did you overcome it?
Balancing my music and academic careers, the more I progress in each the harder it becomes to delegate enough time to carry out my tasks effectively in both. I’m coming up to an important crossroad in my life where I will need to commit to either path. That will depend on how the coming months turn out.

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What are your ‘‘5 things I do to prepare for the job/project” and are you able to share a story or example of each?
I’m always in a ready state for a project. The 5 basic things come down to mindset and flow.

Physically Healthy — Eat well, drink lots, exercise and stay out of incoming traffic
Socially Stimulated — Meet friends, make new friends, speak to strangers, smile to people
Psychedelically Inspired — Get in touch with the supernatural side of reality, life is more than atoms.
Emotionally Involved — Find a deeper purpose for why you’re doing a job or project
Playfully Open — Be open, allow yourself to take in stimuli with minimal instinctive judgement


What methods or techniques do you use to find truth in your work, eg writing songs, creating characters’ behaviours, etc?
Close eyed visual imagination works very well for me. Finding some time to lay down quietly and just let my thoughts roam around the world I’m trying to build. Naturally ideas will come if I listen with the right intent.

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What are your top 3 tips for musicians that are starting?
Find your voice and style. Don’t try to be everything at once, that’s a sure-fire way to spread your creativity too thinly and lose potency.

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What has been inspiring you lately?
Encounters with interdimensional entities.

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What is your next plan/project or idea you would like to explore?
I’m developing a 3-part musical Sci-Fi story with Khalid at the moment. The Skunkworks Album, part one of the story is complete. Upon its release we will be moving on to the next chapter of the story which will be set in space. For more about that, you got to hear the album ,ha.

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What movie would you recommend watching and why?
The Holy Mountain — Jodorowsky. It’s a movie that will test your attention and openness to new ideas. It can be a challenging watch for some people due to its eerie feel and odd pacing, but it’s important to challenge your openness if you want to continue being a creative person.

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What is one message you would give to your fans?
Free Julian Assange.

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