As guitarist for The Voidz (formerly Julian Casablancas + The Voidz), Amir Yaghmai gets to experiment with genre. He plays with everything from electronic to psychedelic to metal. This last he has brought to a collaboration with the hit girl group Haim, “All That Ever Mattered.”
Previously, Yaghmai has brought his talents to a massive range of artists, from playing guitar for hip-hop producer The Gaslamp Killer, to violin backing for Scarlett Johansson & Pete Yorn.
Amir Yaghmai backs Julian Casablancas in The Voidz
One of Yaghmai’s first big collaborations was with hip-hop producer and DJ The Gaslamp Killer. Yaghmai first collaborated with him in 1997. Since then, he has appeared on several of The Gaslamp Killer’s albums and songs, including “Nissim”, an electronica adaptation of the 1972 Turkish rock hit “Gurbit.” Fans of GTA V may recognize it.
Yaghmai took part in countless other collaborations. Some of these include playing violin for Scarlett Johansson’s band, guitar for Italian progressive metal band Daedalus, and an appearance in the cult web-series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
Since 2014, Yaghmai has played guitar for the experimental rock band The Voidz. Headed by Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, The Voidz perfectly captures and makes use of Yaghmai’s genre-spanning range.
The guitarist has also made time for other projects, including Coastal Kites, a collaboration with producer and keyboardist Jeff Kite. They released their debut LP, Journey Into the Savalin Forest in 2019.
Art runs in the family
The Yaghmai family has art in their DNA. Amir Yaghmai’s father, an immigrant from Iran, worked as an architect. Meanwhile his sister Rosha Yaghmai is a renowned sculptor.
In fact, Yaghmai has collaborated with his sister on her art installations, too.
“There is a copper tube coming out of the wall,” Rosha Yaghmai explains of the unique art installation. “It’s a sound piece that consists of my brother Amir and me. It sounds very strange. We remade the Three’s Company jingle, and put it together with this Iranian song about a river.”
Amir Yaghmai shreds in Haim’s “All That Ever Mattered”
While still working on The Voidz (rumors have circulated of a new album in 2021), Yaghmai has also continued to make time for new collaborations. This time, he has ventured into the softer genre of indie pop.
When girl group Haim made their 2013 debut Days are Gone, they made their name as a pleasant pop girl group. But in their newest album, the three sisters have branched out. More unpolished and raw, the new album was well suited to the addition of Yaghmai’s guitar talents.
In addition to the on-key screams of Danielle Haim, “All That Ever Mattered” stands out on the album for its inclusion of Yaghmai’s distorted guitar backing and intense solos.
Listen to The Voidz’ latest album, Virtue, here.
