Kamal de Iruretagoyena Humphrey prefers to work outside his comfort zone, applying a Zappa-esque worldview to his eclectic interests and extensive musical history. An audio engineer, producer and rapper, Kamal’s credits span the breadth of major pop production, film and tv work, and underground stardom. Through his own Flying Carpet Studios, Kamal has produced and engineered records for Zap Mama, K’naan, Shabazz Palaces, Jaden Smith’s MSFTSrep crew and Ariel Pink.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kamal cut his teeth in the early '90s hip-hop scene at Good Life Café -- an open mic jam that gave rise to The Pharcyde and Freestyle Fellowship. In 1993 Kamal joined the underground hip-hop crew The Log Cabin, performing and producing as Radioinactive. He later formed the legendary collective The Shape Shifters, releasing four albums and a handful of singles while working on his own solo projects. Kamal toured the world, releasing three EPs and four albums as Radioinactive – including solo records Pyramidi and Soundtrack To a Book -- anchored by a unique cadence and ear for eclectic beats. Radioinactive released a collaborative album with rapper Busdriver and Daedelus as The Weather, and worked with Nigerian reggae legend Majek Fashek and jazz pianist Les McCann.
In a parallel universe, Kamal led sound production for television shows including Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Malcolm in the Middle and Swordfish. He’s produced audio for a variety of documentaries, including Running.
The Sahara, and adventured into location recording – capturing the pioneering sounds of popular musicians such as Uganda’s Seewa Seewa. Kamal has been the audio supervisor of American Idol for the past 13 years, working with legends such as Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and Prince.
Kamal has amassed an arsenal of vintage analogue and modern, state-of-the-art equipment to masterfully produce the deep, rich sounds he's known for. In 2010 Kamal established Flying Carpet Studios, bridging his worlds of broadcast sound production and studio work. Flying Carpet now operates at the site of Total Access Recordings -- a legendary Redondo Beach, CA studio where Black Flag, The Descendants, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Sublime and No Doubt passed through – and has seen work from Qwest Records. Kamal was driven to start Flying Carpet Records as a means of creating a pan-genre label with musical and production exploration at the forefront.
