Today we’d like to introduce you to Omar Akrouche.
Hi Omar, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and moved to southern California as a teenager where I began recording, releasing and performing my own music in the DIY scene. After high school, I studied music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and began taking engineering very seriously, working at the conservatory, on-location and at historic analog studio Tiny Telephone (SF/Oakland). I finished college during the pandemic and finally relocated back to Los Angeles and have since built my own studio in Glendale. I feel very lucky to have been fostered in the California music scene, in particular I feel very indebted to the Bay Area’s rich history in experimentalism. I look forward to shows coming back and am very excited for some recording sessions I already have in the calendar!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I often go back and forth on “picking a lane”, specifically between being a full-time creative musician and just producing/engineering all the time. Both are honestly so fulfilling to me, and I like the idea that you don’t actually have to choose one. I guess I’ll just be doing both until I hit the ceiling! The idea of losing touch with my intuitive creative side scares me. But paying my rent off of making records is very fulfilling.
I also have experienced a lot of confusion in being a full-time freelancer. Luckily my father was a freelancer, and I picked up a lot of cues about the lifestyle from growing up around that. But the struggle between work/life balance is real– sometimes I find there is no work, and other times, when there is work, I have sometimes taken on too much.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a freelance audio professional and performer-composer based in Los Angeles. I am also a multi-instrumentalist who has poured years of listening and studying jazz, classical music and songwriting. I value the role of the curator and often find myself looking to processes for inspiration. I try to work with intention while at the same time embracing the unknown and unpredictable. I incorporate elements of improvisation, deep listening, deconstruction and general abstraction into my work. I have spent just as much time recording bands to tape as I have recording classical music in concert halls. I love gear, coffee and taking photos <3
I also release music alongside Nicole Rowe as Worthitpurchase. Our sound is anchored around deconstructive production processes, moments of surrealism and pinpoint lyrics. We self-released a record last year called Dizzy Age and have just finished a new album!
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding a mentor is huge! Be engaged, be present, read the room, make every situation better by being there. Know when to speak and when to politely *not* chime in. Go to shows! As an engineer, build a portfolio that you are proud of.
Pricing:
- $250/day
- $35/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: omarakrouche1@gmail.com
- Website: omarakrouche.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omar.akrouche/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worthitpurchase
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZHrAZUpNYwPXwZ55p_Clw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/worthitpurchase
- Other: https://worthitpurchase.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits:
Artist photo; Nicole Rowe 1 Sydney Peterson 2 Nicole Rowe 3 Malindi Walker 4 Omar Akrouche 5 Malindi Walker 6 Adrian Garcia 7 Malindi Walker
