BRAINLESS 

Brainwave

Warped and dragged through the murky underbelly of the Levantine underground comes ‘Volume 1’ the x-rated left-field debut from the pseudonymous DJ GAWAD.

Via pitched up vocals dripping with delay, DJ GAWAD takes us on a tour of the region's most urgent artists, his interjections oscillating between cocky boast and frustrated lament.

Through this new persona, DJ GAWAD pulls back the curtain to reveal himself as the protagonist of the mixtape-like album, as replete with features as it is with expletives, an enigmatic ghoul in the back of the studio with an endless supply of broken sample flips, giving the album its old school feel while still speaking to contemporary hip hop aesthetics.

A Jordanian/Palestinian Memphis gangster rap parody par excellence, the album is infused with satirical commentary on the state of the contemporary music scene, yet DJ GAWAD shows as much as he tells, expertly fashioning a sound that makes you wonder about the identity of the artist behind the braggadocious persona of the self-titled “best producer in the Middle East.”

Drawing heavily from the Memphis rap mixtapes of the mid 1990s, DJ GAWAD has clearly identified the same brooding atmosphere in his own surroundings. On Mat3’anish (feat. Bleng & Fara7) DJ GAWAD makes his most explicit reference to the Memphis sound, twisting the hallmark cowbells that defined that movement to reflect the equally raw nature of his own setting.

Similarly, in Bandana (feat. Jurum), DJ GAWAD finds the perfect tension between his romantic sampling tendencies and the brutal sensibilities of his featured artist. As if liberated by DJ GAWAD's anonymity and irreverence, his menagerie of artists appear to have been emboldened, embracing the obscene free naturedness of the album, setting their lyrical prowess free to wander.

No expense was spared in the post production treatment of DJ GAWAD’s debut, with Iraqi-American artist Mark Gergis incorporating the Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck in the mastering process, as is evidenced by the crisp saturation of the album's sonics.


▄︻デ══━一 


DJ GAWAD, the self-proclaimed “best producer in the Middle East”, is the pseudonymous persona of the Arab artist, pioneer, philosopher and lover. The anonymity grants him complete artistic freedom to pursue his creative endeavors in full. DJ GAWAD embarked on a journey from the West to the East to collaborate with local left-field rap artists in the region to produce this masterful debut, released on Drowned By Locals.

DJ GAWAD Presents: Volume 1 is his first feature album, and he will continue releasing more projects under this moniker. Stay tuned. 


Producer: DJ GAWAD
Vocals and Lyrics: Tony Bleng, Fara7, @rknddn, Julmud, Movenwomen, MrF13 @RUUQ , Twinkie, Jurum
Master: Mark Gergis
Kingpin & Executive Producer: Sukk-Leil
Artwork: 3YN
Text: Nihal El Aasar

DBL27CT

DJ GAWAD Presents: Volume 1

DJ GAWAD - Lam3a (feat. Twinkie)

Bad Bad Boy

War crimes 7.wav

SiNNER WORLD

CAF? is really happy to welcome a new member in their family. Active in various projects since 1993(!), Héloïse is the latest solo project of Zurich-based singer and musician Sabina Leone. With her second EP "Rubbish Rubbish", she explores endless musical possibilities with healthy greed. Her music builds on multiple layers, combining loops to merge voices and drums into hypnotic rhythms. Genuine, generous, gritty, Rubbish Rubbish is an adventurous journey through different genres: expect weird dub, Casio pop anthem, droney laments, and drums extravaganzas.

All Songs written and arranged by Sabina Leone
Voice, Drums, Casio, Loops, Effects by Sabina Leone E
ngineered and Recorded by Daniel Hobi
Mixed by Daniel Hobi and Sabina Leone
Mixed and Recorded at Atelier für Ton und Musik, Zürich
Mastered by Daniel Hobi
Design by Katharina Reidy, Coboi
Video by Michelle Ettlin
Photography by Tom Huber

realized with financial support of Popkredit der Stadt Zürich, Kanton Zürich Fachstelle Kultur, C. und A. Kupper-Stiftung.

B2 - Héloïse - Piccola Mano

Making his debut on Correspondant, rising Dutch DJ and producer Di After delivers a striking first release with Come Here.
The EP features three percussive, floor-focused originals that balance groove, tension and euphoria. Di After crafts a sound that feels both instinctive and infectious,  groovy yet sophisticated,  marking a confident step forward for this promising producer. Closing the release, Tsepo reimagines Come Here with a deep twist, rounding off the EP with a perfect after-hours touch.

AD : Ricky Mocky
Mastering : Lopazz

COR142


BUY HETE

Di After - Come Here

Misfits

Boxes

NAM – Non-Aligned Music 
Issue 03 w/ Abu AMA

Abu AMA surely speaks to many truths without needing to say a single word or to reduce political complexities. His dissident dub echoes in solidarity with social struggles throughout the Middle East and carries the dub virus along routes of Western conquest and forced migration. Abu’s bass orientalism neither romanticizes “Eastern“ culture through mystical and exotic soundscapes nor is it servile to power by complying with consumer-friendly aesthetics. His music explores the rough and dreadful edges of the dub continuum and, for the careful listener, leaves traces pointing to underground societies in Libya or Kurdish resistance movements in Rojava. 

When Abu invokes Ishara, at first, it remains ambiguous whether he is making a deep historical reference to Mesopotamian civilization or condemning the hypocritical exploitation of Arabic culture for profit in an otherwise islamophobic environment, as exemplified in the Ishara swimming pool of his hometown, Bielefeld. Ishara, meaning „sign“ in Arabic, most definitely points the way into abyss. Abu’s basscore channels ghosts telling us stories of dread, war, and exploitation, but it also invites us into a hidden enclosure where sonic disciples can rehearse a world that fits many worlds. His sonic vision surely aims at drawing attention to the demons of Western modernity, but it also allows us to tune in to forms of cultural co-existence that hold pain as much as they hold joy and mutual appreciation. 

### Links 
- soundcloud.com/ama-54
- instagram.com/abuama54

### Collabs on Insta
- instagram.com/abuama54
- instagram.com/theorie.x
- instagram.com/fullbeansradio

### Graphics
- Graphics: Theo Ferreira Gomes
- Fonts: BBB Poppin TN & PicNic, licensed via Typothèque Bye Bye Binary
- Donate here: https://typotheque.genderfluid.space

Brainwave

SAYF