Meet Abdulrahman “Koosh” Alkhawashki | Bassist & Producer, Riyadh/LA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abdulrahman “Koosh” Alkhawashki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abdulrahman “Koosh”, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
There’s something about the spirit that brings musicians together as members of the same community who have gone through or are going through similar struggles and existential challenges. Music is a spiritual experience, the best-proven antidepressant, and the closest manifestation of magic. But it’s also a crucial part of human cultures and traditions that emphasize community and belonging, as well as the internal introspective struggles of individuals. In the pursuit of expressing yourself, being in tune with your spiritual side seems like a prerequisite to a more genuine reflection. Having music and art, in general, in your life in that capacity is truly a blessing. We tend to forget that as artists and musicians trying to meet our standards. Music and sound, in general, can be much more than what we obsess over; that’s why we obsess over it. We just can’t explain the effect it has. I’ve always struggled with expressing myself; art gives me a means to access and express my conscious and subconscious experiences in a different way.

I remember the moment I decided to dedicate my career to music. It was in 2018 during our band’s “Min Alriyadh” participation in the first-ever jazz festival in Saudi Arabia, named the “KAEC International Jazz Festival” on the west coast. Besides the fact that we had never imagined such opportunities where we grew up, the festival’s roster featured global artists we never imagined sharing a stage with, making it surreal. I was having a cigarette in conversation with some of the musicians from other bands performing, and with a passing second, I thought about all the experiences, challenges, and doubts leading to that moment in my life. Thinking to myself, ‘I like this, I think this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’

Growing up in the late ’90s and early 2000s in Saudi Arabia, there was no education, career opportunities, or infrastructure for music until 2017 when the government started introducing regulations for public music performances and building an institutional presence. I was always drawn to music growing up, listening to it while spending hours drawing or singing. I was lucky enough to have supportive parents, and it was my mom that got me my first bass when I was 16 years old, I kept it in my room for a couple of years before picking it up. Not having any private tutors around me, particularly for bass, I learned bass and music through tabs, playing along records, and jamming with friends. My passion for music theory grew through YouTube, years after dabbling with the bass, when I started learning piano. I viewed piano and theory as vital tool for composition and a more holistic understanding of music.

I went to college for a bachelor’s in marketing. It was during my time in college when I made more friends who play music and inevitably started a band “Bear & The Happy”. Like other projects started before that, we played music for the sake of it, behind closed doors and with a hint of secrecy because we literally had nowhere and no way to perform. The art form was linked with many negative connotations and societal taboos. Despite that, I started gigging and making a living from music while I was studying marketing when I joined my brother Mohammad (drums) and our friend Mazen (keys/guitar) in their experimental fusion project “Allawashi”. They exposed me to playing jazz after coming from a rock and prog background. We used to play in compounds for private parties, local festivals, and embassies where there was no problem with us performing due to them being outside of the country’s jurisdiction. From project to project, in 2017, I found myself extremely fortunate to be in the right place at the right time as my country started introducing regulations and investment in the cultural arts and musical infrastructure. Due to that, opportunities for music started popping up, and we were fortunate enough to be involved in most of the milestone “first of its kind” music festivals in Saudi Arabia. Many musicians before us were forced to quit for various reasons due to the environment and time period, there were also some that have been releasing records in their privacy since the early 90’s like the band “Sound of Ruby” from the Eastern Province. We felt we were extremely grateful for how we were living through a wave of change, with all sorts of funding and opportunities for artists to perform, connect, and grow. This is what allowed me to switch to music full-time after getting my bachelor’s in marketing.

In late 2021, I moved to LA to get my bachelor’s in bass performance at Los Angeles College of Music (LACM). I’ve met a lot of wonderful and extremely talented musicians and people. Other than having the guidance of the amazing faculty at the school, an environment where there is no shortage of talented musicians, and music is everything everyone is doing was something new to me and not to be taken for granted. Being around so many inspiring musicians and the guidance of my instructors has filled gaps in my musicianship/ playing I never knew I had and has given/keeps giving me things to master for the rest of my life. It’s not that I needed to study music to continue growing as a musician, but rather the environment that a music education offers (compared to my background) and the friends made/projects started that offer the most value and expedite your growth alongside the curriculum and experienced instructors.

In LA, I’m playing bass for an exciting 10-piece Experimental HipHop project for the up and coming artist “Sun Zu” by the name of “The Eternal Students.” I am also playing for artist “Bianco” in his Avant-Rock project “Killing Istanbul.” “Garwasha” is the band that is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where I take more of a compositional role, alongside my bandmates. A 4-piece Alternative Fusion band, with a hint of our Arabic heritage. My good friend Mazen Lawand and I started forming this project on a phone call while he was finishing up his music degree in Boston before moving back to Saudi. I moved to LA after forming the band and we already had an initial setlist of original music we plan to release. The band is actively gigging around Saudi, I join them when possible. We also have a great bassist to fill in for me in my absence. In February 2024, we participated in the inaugural “Riyadh International Jazz Festival”, where I joined the band and performed our EP. We are currently in the process of releasing our first single, which should be out around summer 2024, with other releases including an album on the horizon. For myself, I would like to keep evolving as a bassist, composer, and producer as well as pursuing academia and music education.

To (finally) answer the question, I chose music because it was always there for me in my life, offering a form of escape or a high that is like no other. It opens the chest and lifts the spirits, offering momentary happiness and connection to something deeper than our perceptions. At times I feel I shouldn’t pursue a career in music because of how I feel and the current climate of the industry, but it doesn’t make sense to stop pursuing something that fills my soul. Accessing new emotions that you can’t quite describe or reference when hearing harmonies/melodies you haven’t been exposed to before, or the cathartic release from involuntary crying when listening or playing/singing something that triggers you somehow, are examples of moments I’m glad I have such a connection with music in my life. Ultimately, I think like many others, I’m just addicted to such feelings, thus choosing a career in music. I feel grateful for having this in my life in such a capacity and fortunate to have met all the people along the way that motivated, inspired, and supported me to reach this point of forward trajectory.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being self taught, I had to learn to listen before I play and lead with my feel/connection to the music. In my view, I’m not a virtuosic player but my love for harmony and my personal touch on the bass is what I would say sets me apart. Recently, I’ve been trying to emulate the Oud’s rhythmic and melodic playing techniques on electric bass, inspired from traditional Arabic music. The technique borrows from the mechanics of classical guitar finger picking and imitation of the Oud’s picking feel. It will still take years to fully master but I am excited for it.

As a bass player, I started discovering the roots/history of my instrument and certain styles and schools of thoughts when I went to music school. It’s hard to pinpoint my influences, but throughout my life there was one constant musical influence, which is video game music. As a producer/composer, that shows in a lot of the music I make. I am excited to share my solo work soon. When I first started learning bass, I was into bands like Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, RHCP, and Tool, but also stuff like Bonobo and Tycho. Then I got into Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Porcupine Tree, and still one of my all-time favorites, Opeth. After that, I got into a lot of post-rock, math rock, and modern prog metal with bands like Russian Circles, Chon, and Animals As Leaders. Then I got into contemporary and fusion through Snarky Puppy, Tigran Hamasyan, Thundercat, Robert Grasper (amongst many others).

Another influence is Arabic music, even though I am not professionally trained in the art, I have always been exposed to it throughout my life, especially Palestinian/Levantine, Khaliji (Arabian Gulf), and Egyptian music, as they constitute my heritage. Trying to bridge my love for western harmony with eastern melody and rhythm is a constantly evolving part of my inspiration in composition and style in bass playing.

In music and life, I’ve learned not to compare myself to others but rather to my own progress, as my musical background has been in an environment of sharing and exploration rather than seeking career advantages. Over the past decade, as I made the career switch to music, I’ve realized the importance of investing energy into building my music career as an entrepreneur, despite dedicating most of my time to honing my craft. My marketing background assists in this endeavour.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m not much of a planner, but we would probably do a lot of music-related activities (since most of my friends play or love music). I would introduce them to my friends, show them my college, and then eat Hawaiian barbecue at L&L’s. I would take them to places like the Baked Potato in Studio City or The 1881 in Pasadena, to watch Jedi-level musicians do their thing.

I recently moved to LA and, being focused on college, haven’t interacted with the city as much as I would have liked. My interaction came in the form of playing gigs in small venues around the city in places like The Mint, and watching bands perform in places like the Wiltern, Fonda Theater, and the Novo. I’ve seen a little of the hiking trails near Altadena and the ones near the Griffith Observatory; you get a beautiful view and fresher air. I definitely want to explore more of the West Coast landscapes. So that’s definitely something we would do if a friend was visiting

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family and friends, for their continued support throughout my ventures. I am grateful for the friends I made while playing music in my upbringing. In such circumstances, the scarcity of musicians becomes a reason to cherish the bonds you make through music. Without people to share your love for music with, it’s not as fun, inspirational, or helpful. Because in the absence of guidance, you become each other’s mentors without knowing.

I would also like to acknowledge the amazing faculty at my school who helped reignite my passion for bass and gave me the foundational knowledge and mentorship I never had the chance to receive beforehand. As well as all the friends I made in music school and amazingly talented musicians I am lucky enough to play with. I met so many amazing artists during my time here I am excited to keep connecting and collaborating with more.

I would like to shout out all the new waves of underground alternative Arabic music coming from Saudi/Arabian Gulf and surrounding countries, including my band “Garwasha” and other local Saudi bands like “Good Company”, “Gimmix”, and “Seera”, as well as regional bands like “Majaz” from Bahrain. Also, shout out to some of the Alternative Arabic fusion music artists from the MENA that have inspired me in recent years: Tarek Yamani, Ahmed Nazmi, Dhafer Youssef, Yousif Yaseen.

Instagram: Koosh_92

Other: https://www.instagram.com/koosh_92?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Safwan Fulani (photos from RiyadhInternational Jazz fest with “Garwasha” and in the backstage room tuning/ playing my bass) Kim Garcia (The one where I’m sitting on a rock in nature and pretending to look into the horizon) Val Nebel (The ones where im wearing blue and sitting on the ground while holding my bass) Talal Alshareef “Noble Talal” (The one where it’s in Saudi landscape and I’m wearing an orange sweater, in walking away in the distance)