Afghan Music Videos

Mirwais Ahmadzai born 1960’s to Afghan parents in Paris, France is a leading progressive electronic dance singer, director, composer.

He signed to Sony for his U.S. album release Production which spawned two club hits, “Disco Science” and “Naive Song”. “Disco Science” appeared in the Guy Ritchie film Snatch.

In 1996, he contributed to Quebecois singer Carole Laure’s electronic-oriented album Sentiments Naturels.

Known in his homeland France for the better part of two decades, Mirwais Ahmadzai was a guitarist in the seminal punk group Taxi Girl for 8 years before forming acoustic outfit Juliette et les independents with his girlfriend Juliette.

Production is a full-length solo effort album released in 1999. Prior to “Production”, he released another solo album, named “Mirwais”.

Madonna recruited him for writing and production collaboration on her three latest studio albums; Music, American Life and Confessions On A Dance Floor.

Credits include the title tracks from Music and American Life plus “Impressive Instant”, “Don’t Tell Me”, “Hollywood”, “Nobody Knows Me”, “Love Profusion”, “Nothing Fails” and “Paradise (Not for Me)”. “Nobody Knows Me” is clearly one of Madonna’s personal favourites, being given full remix treatment, prominently performed on her ReInvention Tour (2004) and included on her I’m Going To Tell You A Secret live CD/DVD. From Confessions On A Dance Floor, Mirwais co-produced Future Lovers, which Madonna chose to open her 2006 Confessions Tour with.
“Music” album includes song produced by Mirwais: Music; Impressive Instant; Nobody’s Perfect; Paradise Not For Me; Don’t Tell Me; I Deserve It.

“American Life”: American Life; Love Profusion; Hollywood; Nobody’s Know Me; Mother And Father; I’m So Stupid; Intervention; Die Another Day.

“Confessions On A Dance Floor”: Future Lovers; Let It Will Be; Fighting Spirit. He was also involved in the writing and production of the title track to the movie James Bond: Die Another Day, co-written and performed by Madonna. The “Music” album was nominated for Three grammies (including best record of the year). “Music” won several MTV Europe awards. The song “Die Another Day” was nominated for a Golden Globe for Mirwais, best music producer of the year.

Mirwais also co-produced 2 tracks “Cloud” and “Never Win” on Fischerspooner’s second studio album Odyssey, released in 2005.

He has recently been working on a project called YAS. An update was posted on the official website saying: “YAS is the name of Mirwais new project. The album will be out at the beginning of 2008.All songs are performed by Yasmine Hamdan. Is it some”Arabic Avant Guarde Music”? ”

YAS IS THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL ELECTRO PROJECT THAT PLACES ARABIC LANGUAGE AT THE CENTER OF POP CULTURE! No exoticism but transgression, sulphur and genius, where Arabic discovers a new ultra-modern youth.

YAS is Mirwais and Yasmine: Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Yasmine Hamdan. Leading the project is Mirwais, born in Afghanistan, he has already contributed to several duos; Daniel Darc (French rock icon), Juliette (from Juliette et les indépendants) and Madonna… He is unique, from another planet. He has been rated among the five greatest contemporary producers (alongside Timbaland and Dr Dre) by Esquire Magazine. Releasing many hits with Taxi Girl, Mirwais received planetary recognition in 2000 by creating « Music » for Madonna that billboarded n°1 pretty much all over the world. Thanks to him and to the two albums they did together, The Queen of pop was back at the top. In the 21st century, among others he worked with Fisherspooner, did some remixes for Franz Ferdinand, worked on original film soundtracks and now comes back with a project close to his image: 100 % artistic. Pop and radical. Pop as in popular, accessible to everyone and avant-garde. The first album where Arabic and avant-garde are propelled to the center of pop culture!

The other half of YAS is Yasmine Hamdan. Born in Beirut, she was shunted around between Lebanon, Greece and the Gulf countries. Bred on various musical moods, inspired by artists such as Chet Baker, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin or Nina Simone and fascinated by the arabic traditional old repertoire, she co-formed the lebanese underground band Soapkills, in witch she performed sensual songs experimenting Arabic moods into a minimalist trip hop music. Mirwais and Yasmine met in Paris, where she lives today. Their collaboration started when Mirwais listened to some of Yasmine’s maquettes and was inspired to offer YAS to her. On top of singing in arabic with Lebanese, Egyptian or Kuwaiti accents, she composes and writes her own lyrics. The result is explosive. Completely new, totally intelligible. Nothing in common with a colonial “world-music”. If one needs a reference, take Daft Punk, Kraftwerk and Madonna, put them in a shaker made in Lebanon, shake vigorously and serve on the rocks. That’s YAS: a terrific shot of Arabic electro-pop that goes to your head and gets your pelvis moving. In the 20th century pop culture is an Anglo Saxon affair. In 2008, plate tectonics called YAS revolutionize the world’s geo-cultural order; it’s now between Kabul, Beirut and Paris that it’s happening. A new crusade of liberation: Electro Kasbah !