Meet Abdous | Producer, Art Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abdous and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abdous, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always enjoyed watching live sessions programs like NPR Tiny Desk, Colors X Studios, Mahogany Sessions… Apart from the good music and live atmosphere, It’s a beautiful way for artists to showcase their music and brand identity in the best form. After many years of consuming their content, i found myself always discovering new favorite artists and adding them to my playlists, and i thought, the talent in my country Morocco is limitless, we need a platform like this to showcase new artists and introduce new music to the world, that’s how The Local Sessions journey started. Aside from the artistic and cultural side, i run a recording studio as my main job, and i always loved making creative videos with my team, and The Local Sessions was the melting pot of that, so we can be creative and do what we’re passionate about, while making a cultural impact.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a music producer who’s passionate about many things, creating, art directing and mostly collaborating, i love it how you can mix different elements and mindsets and come up with something new and different. I’m proud of how far we’ve come with the project The Local Sessions, and excited about the doors that has been opened and what the future holds, because apart from the live sessions, we started The Local Concerts, which are monthly concerts in Tangier where we bring established and emerging artists to showcase their music and get discovered, while giving the audience an experience, apart from the music, there are art instalments and pop-up markets for locals and breath taking theme, all of this thanks to the help of the amazing Sarah Mousabik from IMESLI/Finetune.ma .
To be honest it wasn’t easy to get where I ‘am today. I first started doing this by the beginning of the covid pandemic, i lost 2 jobs when it hit, and i was like “this is the moment to start to do what i love, its now or never” started by collaborating with many musicians and posting 1 minute reels, and people engaged with it, i built a reputation of collabs and didn’t stop since then. End of 2020, run out of money and i had to make a choice, continue with music or find a 9-5 job. It was a risk, thanks to the mindset i developed through the beginning of covid, i took that risk, because if you asked me to take that risk just a year before, i wouldn’t, I was a frightened individual who’s happy in his comfort-zone. So, i decided to start my own business, a recording studio. And you know, its like any start up business, it sucks at the beginning, not many clients and still building my reputation. Had to sacrifice many things for the first year, time, social life, pleasures and entertainment and going out… And the mental fights, every few months i think about quitting. In this period my entourage helped me a lot, I’m forever grateful to my friends for always motivating me and helping in the bad times, i wouldn’t be here without them.
The lessons i learned along the way is that “all the cliché sayings are real!”
Consistency is key. Take risks. Get out of the comfort zone and always welcome change. If you fall get back up… and so on.
I know they sound cheesy but they’re REAL.
And most importantly, keep working, the more you work the more you manifest yourself and your work to the world, its logic, we might wanna make it poetic by saying “never give up” and such sayings, but its just logic, you keep working and eventually it’ll pay off. Learning is a journey that never ends, the mistakes, the good and bad things that’s gonna happen, It teaches you little details that you adapt to your life and you grow only stronger.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Welcome to Tanja! A walk in the Old Medina is a must, discover the rich culture and meet many humble people with amazing hearts who are ready to indulge with you in a conversation and tell you their story, and they’re amazing story tellers, you get some mint tea and enjoy the view of the vast sea while admiring passersby. Try a Moroccan meal, i can safely say we have one of the best cuisines in the world, try Couscous or any kind of Tajine, and while walking you can try salts & sweets that locals sell in every corner, different flavors and different colors.
Here is secret itinerary for you: Go to Cafe Hafa, its a magical outdoor space with a beautiful view of the beach that literally fits any gathering, you can chill with your family, quality time alone while reading a book early morning, play Parchis with your friends, bring your partner for a romantic date, or bring all you friends and guitars and play music nonstop.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yes, many people in fact. First, I wanna thank Mr. Mark, Mr. Zak and Mr. Rabie from The American Language Center of Tangier, because they were the first ones who believed in the project and agreed to support it and make it turn from an idea to reality, forever grateful to them.
I wanna thank my brother Soufiane Rettaa, the videographer and DOP of the project, without his help from the start of this project, his keen eye, artists suggestions and many qualities, this project wouldn’t have been the way it is right now.
My friends, for always believing, encouraging me and spreading their good vibes.
I wanna thank Hiba Foundation for being the missing piece of my puzzle, by taking my hand and help me and my team level up and stand out in a professional way.

Website: https://thelocalsessions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.local.sessions/

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/thelocalsessions

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@the.local.sessions

Other: https://linktr.ee/thelocalsessions

Image Credits
Soufiane Rettaa