Anmarz Launches Peachez in Crates with an All-Star Debut

Jeddah-based DJ, curator and longtime underground house advocate Anmarz has been putting in the work for decades, from his early days in Oregon’s Pacific Northwest through residencies in the 2000s and a career spent connecting the dots between hip-hop, Chicago house, jazz and the deeper corners of the dancefloor.

Now, he’s taking that same spirit of community and curation into a new chapter with Peachez in Crates, an emerging label born from the Peachez event series in Jeddah. The label launches on September 16 with Crate 001, an ambitious 11-track compilation bringing together a seriously heavyweight cast of underground producers, including Kyle Hall, Joss Moog, Jason Hodges, Hector Moralez, Chanson E, Bninjas and Anmarz himself.

More than simply a debut release, Crate 001 feels like a statement of intent: a bridge between Saudi Arabia’s rapidly developing underground scene and an international network of artists who share a common love for house music, groove and digging culture. With a full year of individual releases and remixes already planned, Peachez in Crates is clearly being built as something much bigger than a one-off compilation.

We caught up with Anmarz to talk about the origins of Peachez, the inspiration behind launching the label, the long road that led to Crate 001, assembling such an impressive lineup for a brand-new imprint, and where he plans to take Peachez next.

Q&A With Anmarz

Peachez started as an event series in Jeddah before becoming a label. Can you take us back to the beginning and tell us what originally inspired you to start Peachez, and what you felt was missing from the local scene at the time?

In 2007, I moved back to Jeddah from Oregon, rented a place with two friends, soundproofed the living room, set up my turntables, and word quickly got around

At a time when Saudi wasn’t nearly as open as it is today, our apartment became the After’s After 40+ regulars showing up every week for what we called Peachez, named after our street name Peach St. We Closed up shop around 2010, 14 years later I felt it was time to revive the name.

The underground scene in Saudi has been growing behind closed doors for years. I’m grateful to have been part of that story, and still am. Peachez is simply my way of sharing the house music I grew up with, with the new generation of music lovers.

You’ve been immersed in underground house music since the ’90s, from your early days in Oregon through your residencies and years of playing around the world. How has that journey shaped the musical identity and philosophy you’ve brought into Peachez?

Doing this for a while gave me the chance to grow alongside the scene as a whole and evolve with it.

Over time, I’ve honed in on what moves me and what I hope to share through my sets and Peachez. Raw, authentic, and rooted in Chicago and the Bay Area, with hip-hop running deep through it all.

There’s a strong sense of community and connection behind Peachez, particularly in the way you’ve brought international artists into Jeddah. What have you learned from building that community, and what does it mean to you to be helping connect Saudi Arabia’s underground scene with artists from around the world?

It’s been incredibly inspiring having the privilege to bring and work with all of them. Easily one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. Each artist has influenced me and my sound in their own way, and being able to share that with, and help educate the local scene was always the goal. 

Just spreading the love.

Crate 001 is a pretty incredible way for a new label to announce itself, with 11 artists including Kyle Hall, Joss Moog, Jason Hodges, Hector Moralez, Chanson E and Bninjas. How did the idea for the compilation come together, and when did you realize you could potentially bring this caliber of lineup onto the first release?

I never really had the intention of starting a label. It happened naturally. Kyle came to Jeddah, we did a studio session, and a couple hours later “Nike” was finished. He left, and I just sat there thinking, people need to hear this.

That sparked the idea of reaching out to the rest. Thankfully, everyone was excited to be involved, which I’m incredibly humbled and grateful for. 

A VA felt like the right introduction to Peachez in crates. One release that captures the philosophy, the range, and the energy of the label in one heavy dose.

Was there a particular philosophy behind the artists you selected for Crate 001? Looking across the record, there are influences ranging from Chicago house and acid to hip-hop, jazz, lo-fi and soulful sample-driven music — what ties all of those sounds together for you?

No big philosophy behind it, just admiration and respect. Their tracks have been in my crates for years, and they’ve had a huge influence on how I play, read rooms, and move dancefloors. I owe them a lot. They each have their own sound and approach, but they share something I deeply connect with; raw authenticity and a real understanding of house music.That’s the feeling I wanted Peachez to carry.

Your own track, “Luv Junk,” opens the compilation and has that head-nodding, hip-hop-influenced character that runs through so much of your sound. What can you tell us about the track, and why did it feel like the right introduction to the Peachez in Crates story?

Not gonna lie, being on the same VA with all these legends is pretty nerve-wracking.. “LuvJunk” was a last-minute leap of faith, and I just hope it’s worthy of being on there. It made the cut as my debut purely on feeling. No strategy, no plan, just gut. If anything, I think it captures my love for both hip-hop and house in the rawest, most unfiltered way. And yeah… a Dilla flip. What could go wrong lol.

For a brand-new label, landing so many established and respected producers on its debut compilation is a huge accomplishment. Was there a moment during the process where you stepped back and thought, “Wow, we’re actually making something pretty special here”?

Still trying to wrap my head around it. Two years ago, I would’ve laughed if you told me this was coming, but here we are. Couldn’t be happier, and couldn’t be more grateful.

The reaction to Peachez and Crate 001 so far must be particularly rewarding given how much work has gone into building the project. What kind of response have you been getting from artists, DJs and the wider underground community?

It’s hard to put into words.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and I’m incredibly grateful for all the love coming from artists, DJs, and the wider underground community. What’s especially meaningful is hearing from people whose work has influenced me for years. Knowing that Peachez and Crate 001 are resonating with them makes all the work behind it feel worthwhile. At the end of the day, I just wanted to put something honest out there. Seeing people connect with it is more than I could’ve asked for.

You’ve already announced that the compilation is just the beginning, with each artist receiving individual releases and some remixing one another across ten singles over the following year. What can you reveal about that next chapter, and how do you want the label to evolve beyond Crate 001?

I’m just going with the flow and seeing how the first one unfolds.

There are definitely more artists I’d love to bring into the label. For now, it’s about finding the right balance, not forcing anything, and letting Peachez grow naturally over the coming year.

Looking further ahead, what is the bigger vision for Peachez in Crates? Five years from now, what would make you look back and say, “We built exactly what we set out to build”?

I’m just taking it day by day, moving with the flow, and letting Peachez grow organically.

Five years from now feels like a lifetime away. I’m not too concerned with figuring it all out right now. As long as I’m  honest, stay focused on the music, and keep doing it for the right reasons, hopefully the rest takes care of itself. I just want to see where it goes and be proud of whatever it becomes.