“Born in Egypt, Heba grew up listening to early 90s indie shoegaze records whenever she could get her hands on them. After graduating from the American University in Cairo, she got her start in audio by composing jingles at the advertising agency J Walter Thompson in Cairo. After a 2 year stint in advertising, she moved to the US to study audio engineering at The Recording Workshop in Ohio. Heba moved to New York in 2007 and eventually partnered with Adrian Morgan at Timeless Mastering at the original studio location in Williamsburg. She has since worked with artists such as Future Islands, and Beach House. When Heba is not in the studio she is most likely combing the internet for Casio keyboards to circuit bend, spending way too much time obsessing about synth modulars, and hanging out with her dog, Eno.”
Jeans, BDG ; Top, Vintage
On her morning routine
I wake up at 8:30, move my car, work out for half an hour if I have time (& the will power), check some emails I have been putting off responding to, shower and then head to my studio. Not a breakfast person (I know...so bad!) but coffee is key!
on how she got into music
One of my earliest childhood memories is the day my dad showed up with a Casiotone 610 synth. I still have that synth and treasure it. Classical music was always on heavy rotation in my household and I took piano lessons for years. Then I became a teenager and obsessed with all things shoegaze and brit pop related.
on her favorite records
No Pussyfooting by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno is an important record to me. It was my first introduction to Brian Eno as a solo musician, not the famous U2 or David Bowie mega rockstar producer he is more widely known for. It was released in 1973 well before the term 'ambient' or 'drone' was coined. Basically Eno was kind of done being in a famous glam rock band and Fripp was hitting a creative wall in King Crimson. So these two insanely talented guys shunned their rock god cloaks and got together and recorded this kind of unusual album in 3 days using Brian Eno’s now infamous 2 tape deck delay system (based on Pauline Oliveros and Terry Riley’s idea). One tape deck recorded Fripp's guitar and a second tape deck played back the recording creating a playback delay that is determined by the distance of the two decks from each other which is then fed back to the first tape deck. Ultimately creating analog loop that mixes the delayed signal with the newly recorded signal. It wasn’t a really new idea as far as tape delay was concerned but what they came up with was extremely beautiful, heavily layered and kind of clunky at times. I just really love this record. It was the very beginning of Eno and his employment of all the things he learned in art school implemented towards his music. He made it ok to not be classically trained musician and still be a highly creative individual.
Heba wears vintage
“I find new music through word of mouth or record shopping at Record Grouch. I love their selection. I work with such a wide genre encompassing variety of artists that turn me onto records all the time. Very lucky in that sense. I am also a shameless shazam-er, especially when I listen to some of my favorite DJ’s spin at Achilles Heel in Greenpoint. Also Jimi Hey’s Dublab playlists or some of the guys that spin on The Lot Radio are amazing- I listen to those playlists all the time.”
On where she gets style inspiration
I am very inspired by my friend Stevie Van Horn who has a terrific Instagram that details how to live an almost waste-free lifestyle. I’m not as hardcore as she is but I have definitely cut down on the "buy buy buy” impulse and have become more selective about the things I purchase or trade that I would like to last a really long time. I prefer to trade at second hand vintage stores and being in a city like NYC there’s an abundance of excellent stores for that kind of thing. I really love MAHPS & Narnia as far as vintage. I also love clothing companies like Reformation that have a really strong sustainable ethos in their approach to making clothes. All their textiles and fabrics are sustainably sourced. I’ve also done away with single use plastics like coffee cups or plastic bags. If i don’t have my reusable Joco Cup or my totes then I cannot get a coffee or groceries. My aesthetic is pretty minimal but I do have a thing for breton stripes and 90’s floral dresses. I keep buying them!
on sourcing her beauty products as a vegan
What I look for in products is absolutely no animal testing. Frankly you have to put in the time in researching this thoroughly particularly because not all companies are really 100% honest about their practices, or they can be misleading. Some companies may claim not to test on animals but they may fall under a parent company that does, or they may not technically test on animals but if they do sell in mainland China (which mandates animal testing) they pay third parties to test their products in order to pass their laws. It’s really just so awful and lame. Even though NARS falls under the Shiseido umbrella (which does test), NARS the company itself doesn’t and they don’t sell in China either. So I can reconcile myself with that. Similarly BECCA was 100% cruelty free but was recently bought by Estee Lauder which was a bit disheartening because I absolutely love their stuff. If their products hit the shelves in China that's when they will definitely lose me as a customer.
Outfit, Vintage
“Lately, I barely do any shopping - browsing really overwhelms me- unless I have something very specific in mind. The sheer amount of clothes that end up in a landfill somewhere is just so hard to grasp and absolutely awful for the planet.”
Heba's dog, Eno
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Plague by Albert Camus, The Swedish Country House by Susanna Scherman and Brian Eno's Another Green World (33 1/3 series) by Geeta Dayal
on her skincare routine
I like to wash my face with a mild cleanser like Dr. Hauschka Skin Cleansing Cream, followed by Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerin, or lately Orange Blossom Water from any health store, followed by a day cream like Antipodes Vanilla Pod Day Cream or Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream. As far as make up, I don’t wear any foundation during day unless there’s an occasion. But if I do, definitely NARS products, specifically their All Day Luminous Weightless Liquid Foundation and audacious mascara. I also like BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Golden Opal Pearl.
on investing in good products
I used to buy the cheap off the shelf crap and when I started switching to better (albeit more expensive) products it made such a huge difference to my skin. Also stuff you can buy from any health store like Rose and Almond oil which I love using on my hair is so great. You can really make your own hair and face beauty products from the most basic ingredients.
on home decor
Furniture design and decor is very intimidating to me…I kind of wing it. I like looking at the app Krrb; sometimes you can get some really amazing deals on vintage furniture. I got my beautiful 1950’s bed frame for 100 bucks! I am also a fan of Adaptation in Greenpoint. It’s pricey but I get a lot of ideas from them. I picked up The Swedish Country House by Susanna Scherman from a really quaint home goods store in Hudson NY. I was really blown away by the country house aesthetic in 16th and 17th century Sweden. I’m not like a huge furniture person in any way but something about this book and that particular style appealed to me. My mom is way into antique French furniture so I grew up around a lot of dainty furniture in her salon that you couldn’t even really sit on, which I still liked but it wasn’t particularly comfortable or practical. The Swedish country house aesthetic combines Swedish noblemen's obsession with Parisian or French style but fusing it with their own through a beautiful palette of pale and muted colors. The book also displays their signature tile fireplaces which are just utterly gorgeous. Really the first time I’ve ever been remotely interested in anything furniture related.
Outfit, Vintage
Heba's favorite books
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Plague by Albert Camus, The Swedish Country House by Susanna Scherman and Brian Eno's Another Green World (33 1/3 series) by Geeta Dayal
heba's favorite records
McCartney II by Paul McCartney, I Care Because You Do by Aphex Twin, No Pussyfooting by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno and Histoire De Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg
Heba's favorite movies
Before Sunrise, Moon, Contes Des Quatres Saisons and Days of Heaven
Heba's favorite spots
Achilles Heel is my fave bar and DJ zone
Ops Pizza has the best vegan pizza I've ever had
Cafe Pedlar for incredible coffee
Champs is a vegan diner I go to for lunch
The chocolate sorbet at Roman's is the stuff of dreams and it's vegan!
For record stores, Record Grouch or Commend
Boots, Dr Martens ; Everything else, vintage or Thrifted