BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition September 2018

BPM
HANDSOME TIGER
FINDING HIS STRIDE IN THE ELECTRONIC JUNGLE
PAUL RODGERS
Photo by Fraser Ploss
Hussein Elnamer is juggling his talents with ease in Vancouver’s bass scene.
Considering Hussein Elnamer, a.k.a. Handsome Tiger only started
DJing and producing electronic music three years ago, his progress
has been considerable to say the least. Last summer he did two
festivals, Shambhala and Bass Coast, and this year he was back at
both of them, in addition to a heap of other noteworthy parties.
“This summer’s been crazy,” says Elnamer. “Quite the step up.
I’ve almost tripled my bookings so I’m pretty happy about that.”
This summer also saw him perform at Diversity and Blessed Coast
Festivals, on top of shows in Seattle, a Rifflandia showcase in
Victoria and an appearance at Michael Red’s Few Norms party.
Though he is relatively new to the world of electronic music,
Elnamer has been singing and playing guitar for 17 years. He used
to play in a band called A Name Unheard and credits the time
he spent learning to play and performing in a band with helping
him pick up producing so fast, in terms of arranging and creating
beats.
“The technology has been the hurdle,” he says. “Because I
was never someone who was into using recording programs
or anything like that, so the last three years have been quite
exploratory for me and a lot of fun.”
Elnamer moved to Vancouver from the Northern BC town
of Dawson Creek around nine years ago. While he had been
interested in bass music for quite some time, he wasn’t well versed
in it until some friends from home told him to check out things
like Bass Coast, Michael Red, The Librarian and Lighta!
Elnamer quickly started producing and, shortly after, was
asked to play his first show. His DJ sets encompass a wide range
of influence, predominantly from the UK sound, from dubstep,
grime or dancehall, to rap and, particularly, “badass female rap.”
When it comes to his productions, Elnamer says that with his
latest release, the Juggling EP, he has finally hit his stride. He says
that with his previous work, particularly the track he did with
Nigerian pidgin rapper Magugu, he was starting to get there but
now he has “hit the nail a little bit more on the head.”
“I feel like I’m finally tapping into that and starting to make
sense of what I want Handsome Tiger to sound like. It’s becoming
a little bit more cohesive to me.”
The new release has a substantially fuller sound, and certainly
encompasses the sonic tapestry of what he set out to achieve —
grooves that are deep and dark, while still being hyphy and sexy.
This initial success is remarkable, but is by no means accidental
and Elnamer says there are two main things every fledgling
producer should keep in mind:
“Try to make time every day for your stuff, for whatever you’re
working on. Don’t get down on yourself if you don’t work on
your music every day, just always try to do one cool thing. And
then definitely just be the easiest person to work with, every
opportunity you get to work with someone or when you meet
someone new just try your best to be the best you can be and be
a good person and contribute to the scene.”
Catch Handsome Tiger around BC on September 17 at Rifflandia,
September 22 in Powell River and September 29 at the Arcade in
Kelowna.
16
September 2018