Producer Spotlight: Ashibah

In the modern era of music, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get by with just one talent – you have to be able to do it all. The democratisation of music production has meant that if you write songs there’s no excuse for you not to be able to produce your ideas, and once you do that, you’re also expected to be able to promote and perform them. Too much of a tall order? Not for Danish-Egyptian house music star Ashibah.

Ashibah (real name Sarah Finne Christensen) is nothing if not humble – she’s also a black belt in karate, and the basketball playing she’s referring to led to her becoming the youngest ever member of the Egyptian national team. Thankfully for the electronic music scene, Finne Christensen chose the club over the court, and since her late teens has pursued a music career that has seen her carve out a name as a rapidly rising talent.

Initially breaking through globally with “We Found Love” alongside South African deep-house producer Nora En Pure, which scraped the ceiling at No.2 on Beatport, Ashibah has had releases on massive imprints like Sony Music, Toolroom, Get Physical Music, D4 D4NCE, DFTD, and more. This year, she made her debut on Danny Howard’s Nothing Else Matters label with the single “Get 2 Know Me,” and collaborated with Beatport Sounds and Loopcloud to bring producers her debut sample pack, ‘4.E.V.E.R.‘

Speaking about her new sample pack, Ashibah says: “I love a good challenge, and since I’m a ‘pack’ girl at heart, this one was truly fun gathering all the things I love to work with and representing my sound in one box for play. From uplifting vocals and chunky basslines to crispy grooves that complement each other depending on what strikes your creativity. I sincerely enjoyed the process of making this pack, so I hope you enjoy using it!”

Loopcloud caught up with Ashibah at her home in Copenhagen for an exclusive interview and studio tour. Watch the full video interview in the player above and read on about her production process, forthcoming releases, and new sample pack below.

How do you manage to have such a busy tour schedule while also continuing to produce a lot of music?

From my point of view, electronic music has evolved in an extremely positive direction, especially from a producer’s standpoint. The possibilities are endless, and that’s something that you can really use to your advantage. There are so many different ways to make electronic music today, whether you prefer digital or analogue, and it’s so much easier to take things with you on the road and be creative anywhere in the world.

The best songs I’ve written have been with my partner; it’s something that we do together. We can be anywhere and end up writing together, whether it’s on the road or in the studio, so it’s our little world, which I love. I have a little audio interface and a microphone which I bring with my laptop, so if we’re in a hotel, we can plug and play.

Also, a lot of my ideas are actually on my phone, because there are so many great apps you can use. If my partner and I get an idea, we’ll both pull out our phones and record it. I’ll sometimes use that recording in the production to see if it works, and then re-record it when I get into the studio. It just shows you there are so many ways to make music today.

What can you tell us about your debut sample pack, ‘4.E.V.E.R’?

‘4.E.V.E.R’ stands for: “For easy voyage, easy record.” As I mentioned earlier, I do a lot of my music on the road, and I wanted the pack to be something that inspired people to be creative and to get their ideas started easily. My production process and creating the sample pack went hand in hand in that sense, because it was an opportunity for me to create something that I would use myself on the road.

One of the reasons why I decided to put a vocal pack within the sample pack was because, when it comes to house or tech-house music, vocals are such an important aspect of the arrangement. They give you that uplifting feel, or something to connect with. I hope that everyone who gets the pack has as much fun using it as I did making it.

What have you got coming up that we should be looking out for?

I’ve got loads coming up that I’ve been really excited to start sharing. Every year I sit down and make a list of goals that I want to achieve or collabs that I want to do, and this year I’m quite proud to say that 80 percent of that list is already done! I’ve got a huge track coming out on REALM, and an EP coming on Lane 8’s This Never Happened, and I’m doing some collaborations with really great artists like Just Bass and Cormac. I’m also really excited to say that next year I’m going to do my first ever album!

8-Track Attack with Loopcloud

Ashibah showcases her 4.E.V.E.R Beatport Sounds sample pack in this exclusive 8-Track Attack Loopcloud session. Take a House masterclass as Ashibah puts together an infectious bass-driven groove in Loopcloud. Download the exclusive session file here.

Listen to Ashibah’s new ‘4.E.V.E.R’ chart below or check it out on Beatport.