Moments and Memories with Marah
Unveiling Vancouver’s rising star, DJ and photographer Marah! Dive into her creative journey, from photography to spinning decks. Explore her inspirations, artistic evolution, and the electrifying release of her debut track “Loner.” Marah’s sound is a blend of influences, with her latest track “Noise Control” boasting a “gritty” drop she loves.
This dedication to captivating soundscapes is evident throughout her work. But wait, there’s more! Marah’s about to join UK artist Hamdi on his US tour, bringing her electrifying sets to Denver, Portland, and Seattle for the first time!
So read up on one of my favorite DJ’s in Metro Vancouver area.
You picked up photography as more than a passing interest during the pandemic. What were you shooting for fun, do you think it affected your photography style at all? And what was your favorite shoot during that era?
It’s crazy to think that it’s already been two years since I did the Taiken photoshoot. I picked up photography during Covid just as a creative hobby outside of music. I initially bought it for doing videos so I was taking videos of tattooing sessions at different tattoo shops in Kamloops where I was living at the time, and also doing a lot of Vlog type videos. When I first started taking photos, I was taking photos of friends or kind of whoever was down to do photoshoots with me.
I would do shoots from fashion editorial to press photos for my artist friends. I definitely just wanted to have fun with photography and kind of develop my style as I went, but I always wanted to do styles that were very fun and not so serious. I feel like my style overtime has stayed the same but just developed. I like to do things that are a little outside of the box and have fun with my editing styles.
My favorite shoot that I did during that era was probably a shoot that I did outside of 7-Eleven, it was in the summertime and I got the idea from a photo on Pinterest of this girl that was sitting in a dress outside of 711 with a slurpee. And I just took that inspiration and made it into my own version.
How was the transition out of covid era lockdowns and back into packed venues and new acts?
Honestly, I feel like the transition for me was pretty fluid. I was just really excited that things were opening up again and that I was able to do the things that I love on a bigger scale like with photography it was nice to be able to take photos at live shows or get in a studio. But with music, the transition was just like a relief because it meant that the scene was opening back up, and I could start focusing on music again and playing shows.
Your Taikan interview also put me onto Amber Asaly! She’s phenomenal with a penchant for warmth like I’ve never seen.
Yeah, Amber is an amazing photographer. I think that I really just gravitated to her style because it was so different. It was just edgy and unique and so clean at the same time. While mixing such a fun and flirty personality to her photos. She really knew how to play with her camera and make you feel like you were the one taking the picture. I definitely think that she inspired me a lot when it comes to the style that I have. She was probably my biggest inspiration when it came to taking photos so I definitely tried to take a lot of tips from her work.
You had your Vancouver debut as a DJ last December…What was the moment like? *my bad LMAO.
So my debut Vancouver show was actually in November 2021. It’s crazy to think that its been 3 years since that show, time has flown by so fast. Since that moment ’ve been able to do things that were on my dream bucket list. So within those 3-4 years ive done a lot of things that I’m super proud of but my music journey didn’t start in November 2021. I started DJing when I was 18 and I started producing music when I was 20 (im 26 now).
I initially had a DJ duo with one of my best friends, and that kind of started my music career. Shortly after that, I went onto my own journey and my first solo project I went by “DAZEY” then after that, I rebranded to “Say Grace”. I moved to Vancouver around that time and thats when I played my first show opening up for Vancouver based artist “MYTHM”. I had my Say Grace project for about 3 years but I recently rebranded to the moniker “MARAH”. It was a big step and a bit of a risk, but I’m really happy that I decided to take the leap and do it.
My involvement with Basscoast started in 2017 when I went to the festival for the first time. Basscoast was basically the place that changed everything for me when it came to Electronic Music, it really opened up my world when it came to the sounds of underground bass music. It was the first time I had ever heard Sound System music and Dubstep in my life. There was just so many artists, and rhythms that I had never heard before, and it completely inspired me with the music that I played today. I ended up being a member of the Basscoast Street team for 3 years. But last year I was able to attend Basscoast as an artist playing my first major Canadian festival.
what’s the quintessential EDM sub genre that’s impacted your music and overall artistic journeys thus far?
I feel like my inspiration comes from lots of different music and genres. I’m a really big R&B head. But when it comes to my recent productions, I try to find inspiration in my daily life and experiences. It always easy for me to write about something when im trying to bring a feeling or emotion to life. But my productions will always incorporate some sort of gritty, heavy bass.
As of late,I’ve been really enjoying playing a lot of techno, hard, techno and then of course I love playing 140/Dubstep. That is my staple artist as an and i will always stay true to that sounds. I dont think theres any genres thatI won’t play just I honestly love all genres of music and I’m always down to sprinkle in bits of different genres during my sets. Its always fun to play with the crowd and see what there reactions are off of different sounds.
My favorite aspect of EDM is the crescendo, the drop… It highlights the genre’s penchant for drama through massive percussive finishes. What are your favorite drops you’ve produced?
The drop for “Noise Control” is definitely my favorite that I’ve produced so far, maybe just because it’s the most recent song that I put out but I just love how gritty the basses are and I love how the drop progresses. I wrote it in a night and ended up sitting on the song for like almost a year, and then ended up actually adding more to the song before I released it.
With so many events, and sets under your belt, what’s been the mix that hit hardest, and lasted the longest?
The moment when I finally released my debut track “Loner” It was honestly such a sigh of relief, it just felt so freeing and just so like rewarding. I was so happy to finally have like a piece of me out into the world, and to be able to start telling my story through music.
What kind of reception has the track got in your sets? Was the crowd the reason you chose Loner to be the first?
The reception of the track has been really great, playing out your own music is always such a cool feeling. It’s definitely a song that I will usually begin a set or end with. It was the first song that I had written that I really felt was my sound, and who I wanted to come across as an artist. Between writing the song, the meaning behind it and the rebrand, I felt like it all fit together really well making it the perfect song to introduce the “MARAH” project with.
And last but not least, what do you have in store for the city, and potentially the World? Any tours, tracks, or performances?
Yeah, I have some things I can’t talk about yet, but they will be announced soon. 🙂 But in the meantime I will be joining Hamdi, an Artist based out of the UK for 3 tour dates on his US Showcase Tour. I’ll be playing in Denver, Portland and Seattle for the first time which i can’t wait for. It’s definitely a dream of mine to play in these cities and Travel while doing what I love to do so i’m feeling super blessed that I get the opportunity to do so.
My show with EPROM was amazing. It was my favorite show I’ve ever played in Vancouver to be honest, to be able to share a stage with him and to meet him was really a full circle, and just an amazing moment that I’ll never forget.
I’ve had so many wonderful shows in Vancouver but that was definitely one of the best ones and a great way to start the year of shows. I always get nervous, and I’ll always get nervous but it’s not necessarily in a negative way. I’m just excited to be there and I’m stoked to be on stage. If it’s a really big crowd or you know, it’s a big show like the nerves will, you know make my hands sweaty or I’ll start to you know get a little shaky, haha. But as soon as I hit that cue button, all those feelings just exude into excitement and I put all those nerves into the energy that I bring onto stage.
I love being up there. I love interacting with the crowd and being in the moment with them. It’s definitely a privilege that I’ll never take for granted. Also yes more music is on the way, soon 😉