>> I really like to turn people on to new music. I get a thrill out of it…

Few artists can lay claim to the fact that they’ve spent more than two decades surviving in the ever-changing world of popular music. But then again, the word artist doesn’t aptly describe the work of Amir Derakh, a highly successful guitarist, songwriter and producer whose musical roots date back to the early 80ies Los Angeles metal scene.

Amir was born on June 20, 1963 in Schenectady (New York). In 1983, he moved to Los Angeles to join the hard rock outfit Rough Cutt. This really set the ball rolling for his career.

Derakh, best known for his groundbreaking guitar synth work as a member of the platinum selling electro rock outfit Orgy, has also been spending a lot of time behind-the-scenes. For example he wrapped up production on Radioactivist, the debut album by the Sacramento thrash punk quartet Red Tape, and produced a track on the Gold-selling soundtrack album to Freaky Friday, the blockbuster summer movie in which Derakh also had a cameo appearance.

In January 2004, Derakh was named one of 75 “Masters of Metal and Hard Rock” by Guitar Player magazine for his combined fret and synth work in Orgy, which, according to the magazine, revolutionized the sound of late nineties hard rock and metal and spawned dozens of imitators.

However, what is virtually unknown about Derakh’s artistic wizardry is his technical and inventive skills designing customized guitars: Axes that produce a certain type of sound for guitarists seeking something different. One such guitar is showcased in the Hard Rock Café’s top 10 pieces of rock memorabilia and can be seen at Hard Rock Café Munich. Along with Yamaha Guitars, he also created his signature guitar AES-AD6 and the AES-RS7, designed for Ryan.

Because of such a high amount of combinations of pedals, amps, and effects in the studio, Orgy‘s sound was so complicated that Amir actually had to write down every tone formula to even come close to the record live. While the others in Rough Cutt did not really approve of Amir’s sporadic use of synthesizers, he got even more praise for it in Orgy… A sign that Amir was constantly ahead of the game.

Ever since his time with Rough Cutt, Amir was equpped with Jackson guitars that were specially made for him, and his unique designs for above mentioned company are still really popular.

From the ashes of Rough Cutt came Jailhouse – a poppier sounding band than their previous outfit. Jailhouse released an EP, Alive in a Mad World, in 1987. A second album was shelved, but was finally released in 1998.

As the eighties came to a close and with Seattle’s grunge scene moving in on metal’s turf, Amir saw many of his contemporaries fade away into the pages of rock ‘n’ roll’s history books, never to be seen or heard from again. But he never considered leaving music behind for a life as a nine to fiver, therefore he enrolled in a two-year program at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to learn the intricacies of studio production and engineering. From then on, he was also able to work behind the mixing boards. His long-standing fascination with electronic gadgetry was a big help in that.

Amir quickly earned a reputation for his forward-thinking production, mixing, and engineering skills and started working for the Grammy-nominated bands Spineshank, Danzig, and Coal Chamber. The latter even dedicated a song for him – “Amir of the Desert,” which appeared on the band’s self-titled 1997 debut album. That same year, Derakh teamed up with Jay Gordon and Ryan Shuck to form Orgy and to successfully revolutionize the music world. Ironically, in 2000, Amir received the Most Promising New Guitarist award – after having been in business for almost 20 years.

In 2003, he founded Julien-K, along with Ryan Shuck. Besides, he is the guitarist of the band Dead By Sunrise and worked or still works as a DJ in several projects, such as JK DJS or Circuit Freq – a hobby that he had already pursued for over 10 years and that gives him the opportunity to live out his ever-growing passion for electronic music.