Exclusive: Moor Sound on Producing, DJing and Stepping Out As An Artist

Ghanaian DJ and music producer, Moor Sound has his fingers on the pulse of the country’s music scene. Starting off as a DJ in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he studied Actuarial Science and went by the moniker DJ Kestro., Moor Sound’s skill and ear for earned him notoriety on campus.

To mark the release of his latest video, Bu Wu Mu (Open Sesame), we caught up with him on his journey as a Producer and creating a lane for himself in the music industry.

You’re a record producer who also happens to be the host of one of the biggest urban drivetime shows in Ghana. First of all, how do you combine the two in a way that your objectivity is not compromised? 

On my show, Sundown on Guide, we pride ourselves in being the best in music and music conversations and that’s literally been my motto from the beginning of my music journey. Starting out as a DJ in uni, all I was really ever doing was trying to put people on to great music I wasn’t hearing when I was out in the club. I did that for so long I learnt what it took to make a great song and got into producing my own songs and now I’m on radio. The mission never changed, I’m just doing it bigger now. On a national level! That’s due to my hard work and dedication to music. Being such a dedicated student of music and playing all these different roles in Ghanaian music scene separates me from my peers in the media space. My knowledge base in music, my trained ear for good music as well as my understanding of how the Ghanaian music space works gives me a clearer vision than most in the media space as far as anything music is concerned.

Also, where do you find the time to do both and what inspires you in the course of fulfilling both roles. 

Adding radio to my already busy schedule has left me with no time to spare honestly. It’s crazy. But the beauty behind the madness is that radio has added structure to my life. Right now I’m more intentional. Intentional with the music I make, who I collaborate with and basically what I spend my time doing. Because I don’t have time on hand, I can’t afford to waste a second. I like to look at radio as an extension of production. After spending time in the studio making music. I get the chance to listen to other music and be inspired, discuss music with others as well as introduce my audience to the kind of music I listen to. My whole process keeps me in check & up to date with different aspects of music. I couldn’t ask for more. 

You emerged as a performing artist in your own right last year on Summertime Sound.  How was the process of creating that project and how did you find the reception? 

Summertime Sound was my first solo project after 5 joint projects with different artists. So it was definitely a learning experience doing everything on my own. From making beats, getting the various artists on the project, mixing, organizing video and photo shoots as well as getting the songs distributed. I’m eternally grateful I was able to put myself through that process and come out stronger & wiser. The tape went on to do 100k streams in 2 weeks. Songs off the project went on to get spins on Soulection radio as well as inclusions in JoeKay’s playlist. It was songs off Summertime Sound that caught the ears of some people at Guide Radio. Definitely took me to the next level if you ask me.

Talk to us about your journey into music. How did you get into music and what inspired you to make the transition from producer to artist? 

To be honest, music has always been a part of my life because of my dad. At a young age I was already having piano lessons against my will. Later I joined my school band playing the recorder then later drums. In high school I started using virtual DJ because I was Entertainment Prefect and I had to play music for the students. So it’s no surprise I became a Professional DJ in uni. After djing a couple years I figured out that I’d have to learn to make my own music in order to get to the next level like my idols at the time; Juls, Diplo, and, Black Coffee. Looking back at my journey it’s just my passion and desire to grow that got me to elevate each time and equip myself with the necessary skills to be an artist. Making my own music started just last year during COVID. I was making beats but I had no one to record so eventually I started recording myself. Machine,  off Summertime Sound was my first ever song  and I loved it. At this point I just make music for people to have fun with. As I expand my catalogue I’ll get into different types of music.

What key differences would you note about being an artist and a producer? 

Even though I was just a producer, I always carried myself as an artist because I was around all these artists. I was already dropping my own songs as a producer and I was already paying attention to my image. I was already learning the music business. I like to look at it like an extension of production where I use my voice as an instrument. The only difference is now I have control over when the music comes unlike when you just produce for artists.

You recently collaborated with  2 of the La Même gang members, Kiddblack & $pacely on their recent solo projects For What It’s Worth & Keanu. What’s your working relationship with them like and what did you make of the experience of working with them? 

Kiddblack and Spacely are like brothers to me. I’ve worked on some of my biggest songs with them. Every time we connect it’s magic. Working with them definitely helped shape my sound. Working with them also prepared me for the real music business because of their mainstream exposure. I got to see first hand how to create content, organize rollouts, handle distribution deals & other music business know-how on an almost mainstream level. That’s something I could never buy

You’ve  also contributed to the growing Amapiano wave by laying the beat for Ghanaian rapper Okesse1’s Emuva. What do you make of the current Amapiano wave and what do you think it says about the future of African music? 

The amapiano wave has definitely gone further than I even predicted. Beautiful to see how an organic SA Sound has become the typical club sound now in Ghana. Reminds me of when Azonto went viral. At that time I didn’t deep it too much but at that point Ghana’s Sound was running the world. It definitely inspires me to keep creating sounds I see flourishing in the future and not only look at what can do well where I’m from. I may come up with the next wave, you’ll never know