Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Encyclopedia
Mirwais Ahmadzaï, more commonly known as Mirwais, (born 1960) is a Paris
based record producer
and songwriter
. He was born in Switzerland
to an Afghan
father and an Italian
mother. He is a leader in the French style of progressive electronic dance music
and progressive electronica. A former member of the defunct 1980s group Taxi Girl
, he was re-discovered by Madonna
in the late 1990s, when he submitted a demo
to her then record label
, Maverick Records
.
for eight years, before forming the acoustic
outfit Juliette et les Independents with his girlfriend Juliette. Taxi Girl's first EP
, "(S.O.S Mannequin)", was released in early 1980 on Pathé Marconi/EMI.
.
In 1999, he signed to the French independent record label
Naïve Records
and released the album
Disco Science. This single was a success as a club dance hit and appeared in the soundtrack
for the Guy Ritchie
's film
, Snatch
. In August 2000, he released the album Production, which included the single "Paradise (Not For Me)" made in collaboration with Madonna
. It also included two minor chart
hits
in the UK Singles Chart
: "Disco Science" (2000, #68) and "Naive Song" (2000, #50).
(2000), American Life
(2003) and Confessions on a Dance Floor
(2005). He also wrote co-wrote a song that would later appear on her greatest hits
album Celebration
as a previously unreleased track.
Mirwais contributed the following tracks to the Madonna albums:
The Music album was nominated for three Grammy Award
s including Record of the Year
. "Music" won several MTV Europe awards. He was also involved in the writing and production of the title track
to the movie Die Another Day
, co-written and performed by Madonna. The song was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song
in 2003.
's second studio album Odyssey, released in 2005.
. The official website stated: "YAS is the name of Mirwais new project with the singer and composer Yasmine Hamdan. The album was released in France on 8 June 2009. All songs are performed by her. It is some"Arabic Avant-Garde Music"? "
In an interview on 13 January 2007 in lecourrier.ch, Mirwais said
"At the moment I work with Yasmine Hamdan (one half of Lebanon electro-duo Soapkills). The idea is that today, in Western culture, we hear about Arabs everyday - in a bad way, because of terrorism, etc - but we lack of cultural representations coming from those countries that could mix with the western culture, whereas this youth is eager to. I don't want to do world music, but a good western production with a real Arab identity."
Y.A.S.' album, "Arabology
" was released in May 2009, with the first single, "Get It Right", following in June that year.
", Mirwais became one of the producers of Uffie
's album Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans
. He composed four songs ("Add SUV", "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans", "Illusion of Love" and "Hong Kong Garden"), two of which featured Pharrell Williams
("Add SUV") and Mattie Safer ("Illusion of Love").
According to The Independent
, "the record peaks with a cover of Siouxsie’s "Hong Kong Garden" which raises one eyebrow for existing and the other for actually being pretty damn good, leaving you looking like Paul McCartney by the end."
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
based record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He was born in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to an Afghan
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
father and an Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
mother. He is a leader in the French style of progressive electronic dance music
Progressive electronic music
In electronic dance music the term progressive is often used to denote a novel stylistic development within a specific genre of dance music. According to the DJ and producer Carl Craig, the term "progressive" was used in Detroit in the early 80s in reference to Italo Disco...
and progressive electronica. A former member of the defunct 1980s group Taxi Girl
Taxi Girl
Taxi Girl were a French New Wave band, adopting the New Romantic aesthetics of the time, such as clashing red and black clothing, synthesiser-led songs, and taking influence from mythology and literature. The group existed between 1978 and 1986, producing 5 mini-albums, and one full-length album,...
, he was re-discovered by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
in the late 1990s, when he submitted a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to her then record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
.
Taxi Girl & Juliette et les independents
Known in France for the better part of two decades, Mirwais was a guitarist in the punk group Taxi GirlTaxi Girl
Taxi Girl were a French New Wave band, adopting the New Romantic aesthetics of the time, such as clashing red and black clothing, synthesiser-led songs, and taking influence from mythology and literature. The group existed between 1978 and 1986, producing 5 mini-albums, and one full-length album,...
for eight years, before forming the acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
outfit Juliette et les Independents with his girlfriend Juliette. Taxi Girl's first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, "(S.O.S Mannequin)", was released in early 1980 on Pathé Marconi/EMI.
"For a teenager, the late 70s were a strange mixture of disco music and punk, and it was okay to like them all," he says. Taxi Girl captured the punk rock power of The Stooges, the techno futurism of Kraftwerk and the disco euphoria of Giorgio Moroder and molded the diametrically opposed styles into an electrifying new-wave sound that entertained and inspired a generation of listeners bored by the complacency of 80s French pop. Even the current darlings of the French electronic music scene, such as Daft Punk and Air, continue to namecheck Taxi Girl as a major influence on their artistic directions.
Solo career
In 1990, Mirwais released his first album, Mirwais, which contained nine tracks and was sung in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
In 1999, he signed to the French independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Naïve Records
Naïve Records
Naïve Records is a French independent record label based in Paris, specializing in electronic music, pop music, jazz and classical music. It was founded in 1997 by Patrick Zelnik, Gilles Paires and Eric Tong Cuong.-Artists:* Aṣa* Asian Dub Foundation...
and released the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Disco Science. This single was a success as a club dance hit and appeared in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
's film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Snatch
Snatch (film)
Snatch is a 2000 crime film written and directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast. Set in the London criminal underworld, the film contains two intertwined plots: one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter named Turkish ...
. In August 2000, he released the album Production, which included the single "Paradise (Not For Me)" made in collaboration with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. It also included two minor chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
: "Disco Science" (2000, #68) and "Naive Song" (2000, #50).
Madonna
Madonna recruited him for writing and production collaboration on three of her studio albums: MusicMusic (Madonna album)
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on September 19, 2000 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records...
(2000), American Life
American Life
American Life is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on April 22, 2003 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The album produced in its entirety by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï featured references to many parts of American culture...
(2003) and Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 15, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a complete departure from her last studio album, American Life . It included influences of 70s and 80s disco as well as...
(2005). He also wrote co-wrote a song that would later appear on her greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album Celebration
Celebration (Madonna album)
Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, and the closing release under her contract with Warner Bros. Records, her record company since 1982. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, The Immaculate Collection and GHV2...
as a previously unreleased track.
Mirwais contributed the following tracks to the Madonna albums:
- MusicMusic (Madonna album)Music is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on September 19, 2000 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records...
: "MusicMusic (Madonna song)"Music" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 8th studio album Music and was released on August 21, 2000, by Maverick Records. It was also released on DVD single, a debut in this format by Madonna. It earned two Grammy Award nominations in 2001, for Record of the Year...
", "Impressive Instant", "Nobody's Perfect", "Paradise (Not For Me)", "Don't Tell MeDon't Tell Me (Madonna song)"Don't Tell Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released as the second single from her eighth studio album Music on November 21, 2000 by Maverick Records. The single has sold around 4.5 million copies to date.-History:...
", "I Deserve It". - American LifeAmerican LifeAmerican Life is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on April 22, 2003 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The album produced in its entirety by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï featured references to many parts of American culture...
: Co-produced the entire record and co-wrote all songs with Madonna, with the exception of "Nothing FailsNothing Fails"Nothing Fails" is the third single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 9th studio album American Life. It was released by Maverick Records on November 21, 2003. There was little promotion to accompany it and no music video was filmed. The song performed poorly on most mainstream charts...
", "X-Static Process" and "Easy Ride" (written by Madonna and other collaborators). - Confessions on a Dance FloorConfessions on a Dance FloorConfessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 15, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a complete departure from her last studio album, American Life . It included influences of 70s and 80s disco as well as...
: "Future Lovers", "Let It Will Be", bonus track "Fighting Spirit", and the deleted tracks "Super Pop", "Triggering", and "Keep the Trance". - CelebrationCelebration (Madonna album)Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, and the closing release under her contract with Warner Bros. Records, her record company since 1982. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, The Immaculate Collection and GHV2...
(2009): iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
bonus track "It's So Cool", a previously unreleased track from American Life album.
The Music album was nominated for three Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s including Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
. "Music" won several MTV Europe awards. He was also involved in the writing and production of the title track
Die Another Day (song)
"Die Another Day" is the theme to the James Bond film of the same name recorded by Madonna. The single was released in late 2002, marking Madonna's 20th career anniversary, and peaked at number eight in the United States and number three in the United Kingdom, selling 167,863 copies - making it the...
to the movie Die Another Day
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
, co-written and performed by Madonna. The song was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
in 2003.
Fischerspooner
Mirwais also co-produced two tracks "Cloud" and "Never Win" on FischerspoonerFischerspooner
Fischerspooner is an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. The name is a portmanteau of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner...
's second studio album Odyssey, released in 2005.
Y.A.S.
He worked on a project called Y.A.S.Y.A.S.
Y.A.S. is a electronic music duo, formed in 2007 in Paris, France, and consists of Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Yasmine Hamdan ....
. The official website stated: "YAS is the name of Mirwais new project with the singer and composer Yasmine Hamdan. The album was released in France on 8 June 2009. All songs are performed by her. It is some"Arabic Avant-Garde Music"? "
In an interview on 13 January 2007 in lecourrier.ch, Mirwais said
"At the moment I work with Yasmine Hamdan (one half of Lebanon electro-duo Soapkills). The idea is that today, in Western culture, we hear about Arabs everyday - in a bad way, because of terrorism, etc - but we lack of cultural representations coming from those countries that could mix with the western culture, whereas this youth is eager to. I don't want to do world music, but a good western production with a real Arab identity."
Y.A.S.' album, "Arabology
Arabology
-Samples:"A-Man" contains an excerpt from "Man Machine" as performed by Kraftwerk. "Get It Right" contains an excerpt from "Keep The Trance" as performed by Madonna.-Personnel:The following people contributed to Arabology:...
" was released in May 2009, with the first single, "Get It Right", following in June that year.
Uffie
After remixing "Pop the GlockPop the Glock
"Pop the Glock" is a single from French-American electro artist Uffie. The re-released single was released as a 12" vinyl on November 30, 2009. "Pop the Glock" was Uffie's first single and an international underground hit. It was originally released in early 2006 by Ed Banger Records on the Pop...
", Mirwais became one of the producers of Uffie
Uffie
Anna-Catherine Hartley , better known by her stage name Uffie , is a Paris-based underground electronic musician, rapper, fashion designer and socialite signed to French electronic music record label Ed Banger Records. She has been described as a muse for French DJs, and is known for working with...
's album Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans
Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans
Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans is the debut studio album by French-American recording artist Uffie. It was released June 14, 2010 in Europe and June 22, 2010 in the United States by Ed Banger Records, Because Music and Elektra Records. Produced by Feadz, J-Mat, Mr...
. He composed four songs ("Add SUV", "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans", "Illusion of Love" and "Hong Kong Garden"), two of which featured Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
("Add SUV") and Mattie Safer ("Illusion of Love").
According to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, "the record peaks with a cover of Siouxsie’s "Hong Kong Garden" which raises one eyebrow for existing and the other for actually being pretty damn good, leaving you looking like Paul McCartney by the end."
In popular culture
- "Naive Song" from his album, Production, was used in a commercial for the launch of the first Apple "iMac" in 2001.
- "Naive Song" was featured as the opening theme for the French television series Clara ShellerClara ShellerClara Sheller is a French television series created by Nicolas Mercier after the idea of Stéphanie Tchou-Cotta that was aired from 18 May 2005 to 3 December 2008 on France 2. The casting was completely changed between the first and second season, but the characters remain the same...
. - "Disco Science" was used in the Victoria's SecretVictoria's SecretVictoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
commercial starring Gisele BündchenGisele BündchenGisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
. - "Disco Science" was used in the film SnatchSnatch (film)Snatch is a 2000 crime film written and directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast. Set in the London criminal underworld, the film contains two intertwined plots: one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter named Turkish ...
. - "Disco Science" was used for the Motorola RAZER cell phone commercial campaign.
- "Disco Science" was used in the film Arthur and the InvisiblesArthur and the InvisiblesArthur and the Invisibles is a French/American part-animated, part-live action feature film adaptation of the 2002 children's book Arthur et les minimoys / Arthur and the Minimoys, and the 2003 sequel Arthur et la cité interdite /...
in 2006. - "Disco Science" was used in the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television show Top Gear in 2007. - "Love ProfusionLove Profusion"Love Profusion" is the fourth and final single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 2003 studio album American Life. It was released by Maverick Records on December 8, 2003 in the UK, Europe and Australia and in North America on March 16, 2004. The song failed to match the chart success...
" was used in the Estée LauderEstée Lauder CompaniesEstée Lauder Companies, Inc. is a manufacturer and marketer of prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The company has its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.-History:...
commercial to promote the perfume, "Beyond Paradise". - "Hollywood" was part of a medley with Madonna's hit song "Into The Groove" for a GapGap (clothing retailer)The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
commercial starring Madonna and Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
. - "Never Young Again" was used in a TV commercial for the Carolina HerreraCarolina Herrera (fashion designer)Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño (born January 8, 1939) is a Venezuelan and naturalized American fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded her eponymous company in 1980.-Early life:...
perfume "Chic" in 2002.
Singles
- "Cellophane" (1990, New Rose Records)
- "Disco Science" (1999, Naive Records)
- "Naïve Song" (2000, Naive Records)
- "I Can't Wait" (2001, Naive Records)
- "Miss You" (2002, Naive Records)
Videography
- "Disco Science"
- "I Can't Wait"
- "Naïve Song"
- "V.I (The Last Words She Said Before Leaving)"
Remixes
- Jean Jacques Smoothie - "Two PeopleTwo People"Two People" was the third single from American singer Tina Turner's sixth solo album Break Every Rule, released in 1986. The song was written and produced by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, the team behind "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "We Don't Need Another Hero". "Two People" peaked at US...
" (2001) - Fischerspooner - "Never Win" (2005)
- Franz Ferdinand - "Can't Stop FeelingCan't Stop Feeling"Can't Stop Feeling" is the 3rd single released from Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand's third studio album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. The song was released on 6 July 2009 worldwide.-History:...
" (2006) - The Slips - "Superbeat" (2007)
- Shortwave Set - "Til' 69" (2008)
- Sonny J - "Can't Stop Moving" (2008)
- Mika - "We Are GoldenWe Are Golden"We Are Golden" is the first single from English singer Mika's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. The song was produced and mixed by Greg Wells and features the Andrae Crouch Gospel Choir.-Release:...
" (2009) - Uffie - "Pop the GlockPop the Glock"Pop the Glock" is a single from French-American electro artist Uffie. The re-released single was released as a 12" vinyl on November 30, 2009. "Pop the Glock" was Uffie's first single and an international underground hit. It was originally released in early 2006 by Ed Banger Records on the Pop...
" (2009) - Madonna - "It's So Cool" (2009)
- Moebius - "Light My FireLight My Fire"Light My Fire" is a song by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released the first week of January 1967 on the Doors' debut album. Released as a single in April, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after...
" (2009)