Amir Abdullah is part of Hip Hop history as a sample excavator, music historian, compilation curator and DJ who’s already acknowledged alongside some of his childhood heroes. As a DJ he’s rocked parties from Brooklyn to Berlin, where he’s been based for the past few years; as a producer he reinterprets classic cuts into innovative remixes; as an educator he lectures on topics ranging from cultural appropriation in Hip Hop to the history of independent jazz; as a radio DJ his monthly residency for Worldwide FM, The Khronicles, airs every first Tuesday; and as a curator and label executive he’s responsible for over a dozen releases for his label 180-Proof Records.

 

His latest release, distributed by BBE Records, is DJ Amir presents Strata Records -The Sound of Detroit Volume 1 and coming soon is an album he executive produced and is particularly proud of: Strata Records - The Sound of Detroit - Reimagined by Jazzanova.

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Amir’s love of jazz magical musical moments buried in forgotten grooves led him to his initial fame as one half of the legendary mixtape and DJ duo: Kon & Amir. Their half-dozen “On Track'' mixes and three “Off tracks compilations for BBE.

 

While he’s best known as a DJ and compiler of choice tunes, Amir’s expertise also extends to the business side of the music industry hustle. Starting off in 1996 as an entry-level Fat Beats employee, he rose to Vice President before moving on to A&R for Rapster/!K7 and in 2007 he helped launch Wax Poetics’ record label where he worked until 2010. In 2011 he started his record label, 180-Proof, which owns the exclusive rights to release Strata Records’ influential back catalogue and unreleased sessions.

 

Amir lives for sharing his passion and knowledge about obscure and underappreciated music whether it’s as a music industry executive or an educator. Like the jazz musicians that continue to inspire him, Amir Abdullah keeps pushing the envelope of adventurous music into new and exciting places, shedding light on forgotten artists and sounds while inspiring future musicians and music lovers worldwide.