Hello! Tell the world about yourself. How did you grow up to become the musician you are today?

My name is Omar Aitoulghazi, I am 20 years old, and I am from Morocco. I am actually focusing on my computer science studies for the moment, but music takes a big part of my life as well. I grew up in a musical environment, from my family to my friends. I was introduced to Rock music when I was about 5 years old by my uncle. He is really a big fan of Rock/Blues music, and he still has some records of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, etc.

Introduce your current musical projects and tell us what makes each one special for you!

As I mentioned before, I am not really a full time musician, therefore, I really don’t have any projects for the moment. I make music from simple (not professional) material because I enjoy doing that. But, who knows, I may focus more on music once I graduate, and why not make a record!

You have been playing music for a long while! How do you find the drive and inspiration to keep going all this time?

I can’t live a day without listening to music, I think music is a great way to describe what you see and how you feel, and in this life, there is a lot of stuff to see, and we, humans, can’t ignore our feelings. Therefore, writing songs is the best way to describe these moments. And, as long as I am living this life, I will always feel the urge to write songs about how I feel and how I see things.

What draws you to playing the guitar?

I started playing the guitar three years ago. I am more of a singer and a songwriter. During my first year in college, I met this awesome guy, Amine Zakri, he was really a great guitar player. We decided to form The Walking Birds, we did not have a drummer and a bassist, and we were not really serious about the band thing. We made tunes because we shared the same passion. Then, I think he lost interest in making music, and now it’s just me. The inspiration to start playing the guitar came mainly from him. He was more of a soloist, so I decided to learn how to play and help with the rhythm guitar. Now, I do all the stuff by myself, from songwriting and guitar playing to mixing and producing. However, Amine and I are still friends, and we still jam sometimes.

How does your songwriting process usually go?

Personally, I don’t follow a specific process, it is really random. I don’t really force myself to write a song, and you don’t know when the ideas will come to my mind till they do. They may hit your mind while you’re dreaming, walking or even attending a boring class.

How is your local music scene in your perspective? Do you feel like you belong there?

You mean the Moroccan music scene? I am not really a big fan of our local music nowadays. Moroccan music used to be great in the 70s with bands like Nass El Ghiwane, now I can only name few artists that make good music. Most of the tunes nowadays are commercial ones. So, I am not even sure if I want to belong there.

What is your all-time favorite record and how did it change you as an artist?

Oh well, this is a tough one. I’d say Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not by Arctic Monkeys. An amazing record, Alex Turner is a great song writer, and the band members’ chemistry is just incredible. This record made me focus more about the songwriting aspect, and I’ve got to admit, I am really a big fan of Turner’s songwriting style, it’s very poetic I’d say.

Do you study music from the Internet? Do you play by ear or use tabs?

Yes, I learned how to play the guitar mainly from the internet. Sometimes, I play by ear, and sometimes I use tabs, both ways are very helpful to enhance your playing skills.

How does a curious Westerner go about discovering Moroccan music?

Well, now you can find everything on the internet. But, if you want to have an amazing musical summer in Morocco, I’d suggest you attend the Gnaoua World Music Festival, it usually takes place in Essaouira, a magnificent Moroccan city. Also, good music is played there.

What are your favorite software and hardware tools for music production?

As I mentioned before, I don’t really use professional hardware to produce music. I work with a simple microphone and an audio interface, and I use free software such as MixPad.

Out of all the live shows you played, which one was the most memorable, and why?

There was one kind of a live show, The Walking Birds played in Ifrane, the town where I study. We really enjoyed playing music that night, we spent about four hours of fun and music. It did not really feel like a live show because everybody was singing and dancing along with us, and it was open air, sort of camping.

What is your biggest musical goal?

For the moment, I don’t really have a goal. I make music to entertain myself and feel better. However, I hope that music nowadays can get better, we really need those 60s and 70s vibes back again in the world of music. I think that a lot “artists” nowadays focus more about how to get rich and how to gain more money, and I guess that focusing on things like these is what makes creativity vanish. My only goal for now is to make an end to commercial music and bring back the real music, that magnificent mix of poetic words and melodies.