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Creating plush, atmospheric soundscapes is a natural move for Kenyan-born producer and DJ, Jahawi. His spacey remixes of trance tracks are imbued with a warm, dreamy sensibility that harks back to his African heritage. "Most of my influence comes from the whole African side...They're very in touch with nature...and it's a very relaxed, calm atmosphere. So a lot of my ambient music comes basically when I'm on the beach or out in the bush and...[I'm] trying to recreate what I hear around me and make it into a track."

Now based in London, his music is a convergence of the easy tranquility of the East African outback and the slick pace of the European metropolis. As Jahawi notes, "The sort of harder more techy, trancey stuff...I make the best of it in Europe because it's more technological. The whole way of lifestyle here revolves more around technology." Informed by contemporary classical music such as Ludovico Eidnaudi and trance figureheads such as Paul Van Dyk, the budding producer is building a buzz not only for his signature approach to trance music. His Armand Van Helden remixes have been released in the UK by Southern Fried Records and in the US by Ultra Records with critics praising the young ingenue's soulful tech reworkings.

Jahawi's foray into the professional production world is the stuff of beatmaster dreams. Eager to fine-tune his craft Jahawi looked into music production schools. While researching, Point Blank was recommended often and the online classes were appealing due to his robust travel schedule Jahawi started at Southern Fried Records as an administrative jack-of-all-trades, pitching in around the office. But off the clock, Jahawi was tinkering away on his own music and when the opportunity availed itself, he presented his work to an A&R at Southern Fried. Enchanted by their new discovery, Southern Fried Records released Jahawi's remixes of Armand Van Helden's "A Track Called Jack" and "I Want Your Soul." Artistic ambition and professional savvy aside, Jahawi credits his success to the tools he gained while taking courses at Point Blank Music School. Even in this hyper-technological world, with new and more advanced personal devices and software being rolled-out everyday, Jahawi found that music production was a much more sophisticated animal.

"I'd been dabbling in production for a few months before I went to Point Blank. I found that I could get to a certain point but without that knowledge of, let's say, knowing how to program a soundform, how a soundwave works or how a synthesizer works, you will never be able to fully to...use [equipment] to its full potential. I was getting frustrated. I had all these ideas in my head and I had the program but because I didn't have the skill to translate what was in my head into music, it became one of those frustrating, annoying things." While creating music is an intuitive process, manipulating music production technology is a learned art. However, Jahawi found the hands-on approach of the Point Blank tutors helpful in illuminating the nuances of the craft.

"My first time at Point Blank...what we were learning was pretty much...basics. I remember at the beginning thinking, 'I know all this.' By the end of it, they explain [it] to you and they take you out step by step. They show you how to do it and then they tell you why you're doing it. And to be taught in that way, everything clicks a lot more and it improves your work...and you understand how things go."

The knowledge proved invaluable as Jahawi not only gained technological expertise but he also received an intangible benefit necessary for any successful artist. "Just after I'd done my first course...I got the opportunity to do [the remixes]. After going to that course I was confident that I could give it a shot and see what I could come up with. It did build up my confidence." Fresh off his remixing success, Jahawi intends to ramp up his DJ profile and he has turned to a live music production course at Point Blank to assist him in his latest venture. During his first course he went from office help to label priority. Given Point Blank's track record, Jahawi will probably be making his mark as a buzzworthy DJ very soon.