Kamil Rustam

Kamil Rustam released his debut album, Cosmopolitain, on October 20, 2017. The album contains instrumental compositions written in collaboration with keyboardist Arnaud Dunoyer, as well as an updated arrangement of Squeeze's 1981 hit song 'Tempted'. The album mostly maintains its sound, style and structures within a jazz fusion vein, yet Rustam exhibits his vast knowledge of various musical genres throughout. Contributors to the album include notable session musicians such as keyboardist Randy Kerber, acoustic bassists Mike Valerio, Laurent Vernerey and Tim Lefebvre, electric bassists Hadrien Feraud and Richard Bona, plus world renowned drummers Manu Katche, Vinnie Colaiuta and Peter Erskine. The album also includes guest appearances by soloists such as Bob Reynolds on sax, Mike Cottone on trumpet, Marc Berthoumieux on accordion and Philippe Saisse on vibraphone.

The lead track 'Sand Dunes' had been made available in video form prior to the official release and has accumulated over one hundred thousand views since April 2017.

Rustam had previously recorded with legendary saxophonist Michael Brecker back in 1997 and the track 'New Amsterdam' had been rerecorded around Brecker's inspired and melodic soloing, ten years after his untimely passing.

Rustam was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and moved at an early age to Paris, France where he worked extensively for most of the top pop French artists, earning the 1985 "Les Victoires de la Musique" for Producer of the Year with his fellow producing partners Manu Katché and Gabriel Yared. He was also nominated as Best Studio Musician at the 1986 and 1987 "Les Victoires de la Musique". He then moved to Los Angeles in 1996, where he has been busy working in the American entertainment industry.

From 1985 to 1988 Kamil Rustam was full-time member of the band Preface. The band included Manu Katché on drums and lead vocal.

Kamil Rustam started his producing career when schoolmate Patrick Bruel asked him in 1984 to produce his first single "Marre de cette nana la" which sold over a million copies. He then produced numerous albums for best-selling French artists like Florent Pagny, Patricia Kaas and Phil Barney, and eventually got awarded Best Producer at the 1985 "Les Victoires De La Musique" for Michel Jonasz's album Unis Vers L'Uni.

Kamil Rustam made himself famous for being able to play whatever style required and quickly became one of the most sought-after session guitarists in France in the 1980s and 1990s, earning him 2 nominations for Best Session Musician at the 1986 and 1987 "Les Victoires De La Musique".