Style Exclusive - Aziz Ibrahim

Multi-talented guitarist and singer/songwriter Aziz Ibrahim has performed with artists including the Stone Roses, Simply Red and Asia as well as co-writing and playing live with Ian Brown, Paul Weller, Rebel MC and Hot Chocolate.

With a stellar career spanning over 3 decades he’s founded the Asian Blues Collective and toured with Pakistan based rock group ‘Overload.’

Aziz’s solo work includes his acclaimed debut album telling the story of his family’s journey from ‘Lahore To Longsight‘, EP ‘Middle Road‘ and album ‘Rusholme Rock with Tabla maestro Dalbir Singh Rattan’ all showcasing his unique blend of Desi GuitR and Asian Blues.

Style Magazine caught up with Aziz ahead of his main stage appearance at this year’s Rochdale Feel Good Festival.

Style: What age were you when you picked up your first guitar and what first inspired you?

Aziz: I was 8 years old when I got my first guitar. It was £5 from a shop on the estate called 'Joy Town'. We used to get free milk at school and during it our class teacher used to pull out an acoustic guitar and play a few tunes. I was mesmerised by this instrument and its silver strings. Annoyed my folks all the time until I got one for my birthday!

How many guitars do you own?

I have 50 guitars. Some I've bought myself and some given to me through sponsorships. They vary from electrics to acoustics to basses and some very eclectic instruments like santoor, banjo and mandolin.

What are you up to at the moment?

I'm a solo artist at the moment. After lockdown I can't afford to pay a band but I'll get back to that next year hopefully.

I have my solo show and a show with Inder Goldfinger (Ian Brown) where we go out and play all the co-writes I've done for Ian Brown Solo and celebrate the release of Unfinished Monkey Business and the south asian contribution to that album.

I'm also working in the cultural sector with Heritage Learning Lancashire as Musician in Residence across Lancashire heritage sites. I'm part of the South Asia Gallery Collective as a co-curator for Manchester Museum for the South Asia Gallery launch. My debut album is in the museum!

I'm writing and collaborating with other artists including Paul Weller and I'm generally a content creator every day. My latest project is a live guitar-DJ set.

After I received my honorary doctorate from Salford Uni I now lecture at Universities and music colleges on music/ performance/studio/tech/business.

Did you find lockdown helped or hindered your creativity?

It helped in some ways as I could concentrate on my writing but it was a massive hindrance. It destroyed my livelihood and many social aspects of my life. It put pressure on my relationship and my mental health and wellbeing really suffered.

Musically speaking it helped me study a new direction which was content creation. All day and every day I was watching people, learning how they create content, podcasts, game or network.

A lot of people say they got a lot of writing done but I didn't. I was so depressed with the loss of income that I just didn't feel like writing. Still the digital learning I put in over those few years is paying off now!

You replaced John Squire in The Stone Roses - a role Noel Gallagher once described as “the hardest job in the world”. How did that come about and would you agree with Noel?!

It came about in 95/96 through the drummer Robbie Maddix who introduced me to Ian and Mani as we worked together in the past in Rebel MC and Hot Chocolate. I got on with Ian and Mani and as I'm from Longsight Manchester it kinda tied in with the 'Second Coming' lyrics. Besides, Mani said even when Slash was on the cards that they weren't gonna hire a man who wore leather pants so I guess I was a good fit!

As far as Noel's comment, I guess it is virtually impossible to be accepted in the place of somebody who is so loved locally and internationally but as far as the music goes it took me about a week or so to learn the whole set and get the sound. it would have been faster today if I'd had the internet and all the online resources!

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

It's all one big highlight. Even playing the local pub! I guess the biggest shows have been breathtaking like Reading 96 with the Roses or Sau Paulo Football Stadium & Rio Olympic Stadium with Simply Red or Pyramid stage Glastonbury with Ian Brown. All mind blowing.

(...continued) I think the best has been on my own shows promoted by the British Council playing amazing places like Libya, Syria, Jerusalem, Tunisia, Morocco, Pakistan, all over India including Darjeeling up the Himalayas.

I suppose in a writing context I still can't believe I've co-written songs for Ian Brown, Paul Weller, MC Akala and Asia to name a few and put a band together with the rhythm section of the Smiths and recorded my debut album 'Lahore To Longsight' with them.

How would you describe your own style of music?

I call my guitar style Desi GuitR #DesiGuitR as Desi is a punjabi word that means traditional i.e. home cooking or similar.

My playing reflects a very punjabi, mancunian working class mix of guitar playing or so I like to think but the aesthetic behind it I call the 'Asian Blues'. Similar to the emotional influence of the Blues I think there is a colonial south asian parallel that influences our thoughts and processes especially today.

What advice would you give to young musicians who dream of following in your footsteps?

If you want to learn then go to YouTube and type it in. Also get with the digital future stop trying to apply an old business model to the digital world. You've got the advantage that you're born to it so use it. Don't let old school practises hold you back. Learning has been so accelerated by YouTube and Google. It's amazing to see but obviously experience still counts.

All I can really say is that if an ugly, two left feet, working class, south asian Manc can achieve what I did then imagine what you can do!

What do you think it is about Manchester that has produced so many talented musicians?

Wow, that's a book in itself but it depends if you wanna go back to Lonnie Donnagen coffee shop days or just talk about recent decades. Manchester has its own identity and cultural mix that has created some great music but let's not forget that without the diversity from immigration and the music that came with it, there would be no Manchester Music.

You’ve worked with so many charities, schools and arts projects, especially in relation to mental health. Why do you think music is key to mental health?

I connect through music, music is my country and people who love music are from the same country. There's no passports required to connect here. We all know how music fits in our everyday lives. Although politicians may put our mental health and wellbeing on the back burner we all know that when you need to survive when you have nothing, listening or dancing to music will do that for you. Even at our lowest points. That's all I know.

Tell us one thing people don’t know about you…

Er....Longsight Library taught me to be a rock star.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you at the Rochdale Feel Good Festival. What can festivalgoers expect?

Well I would like to say expect me to not ruin your day but I can guarantee that I'll make the same effort that I do for any big budget show with all the bells and whistles. I will be solo but it will be a unique Manc, South Asian working class, DesiGuitR, Asian Blues show.

Oh and lots of guitar!

Aziz will play Rochdale Feel Good Festival on Saturday 13 August. Tickets and more details at: rochdalefeelgoodfestival.co.uk

Ruth Parkinson