Now based in Berlin, turntablist and producer quest?onmarq is known for her genre-defying versatility. She’s regularly called upon for speciality sets, effortlessly shifting from Black Metal to her wide-ranging tastes in Techno. With a deep love for music history and an unmatched ear for selection, quest?onmarq is a true wildcard in the DJ scene.

This mix captures quest?onmarq’s groove-driven side, reflecting the influence Berlin’s energy has had on her strictly Techno sets. Recorded in one session, she recalls leaving the studio to find people vibing in the hallway, listening through the door. The mix is a snapshot of her evolving sound, driven by both her love for digging and the inspiration she draws from the city.

Photo by Kieran Loftus.

@iamquestionmarc

BCCO Mix Series 445: quest?onmarq

Matthijs Hovestadt
DJ located in Leeuwarden

Cutting edge techno curated in Berlin.

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Rami Abi Rafi’s work captures the essence of his migratory experiences. Born in the UK and of Lebanese heritage, he nowadays bridges between two burdened and deeply absorbing cities: Berlin and Beirut. The journey from London to Beirut, and current presence in Berlin, breathes the life into his work and inspired him to harmonize these influences in the different facets of his oeuvre.

As a DJ, Sound Artist, and Photographer, Rami's practice reflects a life lived at the crossroads of cultures and places. Subtly confronting and surprising, his works aim to empower imagination as they retell stories through music. They are an invitation to explore themes of memory, time, migration and forced existential exile. 

His first live performance was in Madame Claude’s infamous EXPERIMONTAG nights, one of the strongholds of Berlin’s experimental music scene. From there he appeared at Tresor’s New Faces, Silent Green, OHM, and ELSE and established a presence in Berlin's night culture. Rami has also made a name as radio host through monthly residencies on Radio Alhara, Noods Radio, and Cashmere Radio. 

Insijam, his show on Cashmere Radio focuses on the essence of chances and encounters. In Arabic, Insijam means harmony, and in this show different sounds peacefully coexist and enhance each other. Musique Concrète naturally merges with traditional Lebanese music, spoken words, and improv jazz. In these performances, Rami forms an auditory journey that deeply resonates with feelings of displacement and the eternal quest for belonging. To deliberately bring about this sentiment, Rami is versatile in using media - tapes, recordings and vinyl collected in the fragmented places that influenced him, are puzzled and layered together. They build fluid structures that bring people together and make them belong- through the experience of listening. 

For “love is on my side” on Noods Radio, Rami showcases Cold Wave, Post Punk and Synth tunes with a focus to offer a space for reflection. 

"Layali Insijam" on Radio Alhara, is a continuation of the INSIJAM project by documenting Folk music from Lebanon by highlighting musical plays and instrumental pieces. Radio is an important vessel of self-expression for Rami, and in his words, working with Radio made him a better listener and DJ.  

Moreover, Rami’s sound projects extend to sound art by amplifying chairs and manipulating samples of traditional Lebanese instruments. The Oud, Nay, Qanun, and Tabla intertwine with electro-acoustic elements, field recordings from Beirut and Berlin, and spoken words to evoke a sense of contemplation. 

But his examination of places and spaces and their significance for one’s identity and sense of belonging doesn’t stop here. As a photographer Rami’s current focus is on taking urban pictures. He seeks to find a deeper understanding of boundaries. They either separate or unify public and/or private realms, giving birth to spaces, which Rami coins as a “diasporic field”. Within these newly human-defined spaces, the pictures serve as a mirror. They capture and reveal these for Rami so important themes of remembrance and displacement.

Rami’s pursuit of harmonizing a fusion of influences - may it be via sound or visual art - acts as a reminder to embrace the beauty of chance encounters and form deep contemplations about belonging and the fluidity of cultural identity.

Written by Theresa Baumel -