Personally, I love the concept of Boiler Room, I think it creates more of a close connection with the audience, or maybe I could even say that the DJ and the people merge together in a big sweaty amalgam. Do you feel the same? The theorist Bakhtin said “Carnival is not a spectacle seen by the people; they live in it, and everyone participates because its very idea embraces all the people. While carnival lasts, there is no other life outside it.” I think somehow the concept of the carnivalesque can be applied to the Boiler Room. How was it for you when you played your set there?
That’s so on point. That’s the reason why I love festivals, and always wonder why we even leave that space. I feel the illusion that time and space ceases to exist and it’s as if nothing really is important outside the time and spatial boundaries. You essentially disconnect for a little bit and enjoy the moment, and the most important thing is that you share this moment with a lot of people. The Boiler Room event holds a special significance to me, it being the turning point that kick started my career. It wouldn’t have been the same if I wasn’t surrounded by friends, family and people who are dear to me. Without the crowd being right beside me, I cant imagine how it would have turned out and where I would be today.
What has been your favourite gig so far? And if you could choose any type of setting where to play, what would you choose?
That’s hard to say but honestly my favorite festival in life is Fusion Festival and playing that massive turmbuhne stage is just my highlight every year. From stage, to light to sound, crowd, founders, crew, ideology, implementation, they just perfected festivals. But as clubs and a city I gotta give it to Beirut from ballroom blitz to Recess Club that just opened. These two places are magical.
I have read that for you techno is a soundscape where to peacefully disassociate (paradoxically, as for some maybe it is a tool to bond with a community). Maybe for you we should rename your playlist release as “Sound-escape” rather than our usual “Soundscape”. Could you give us an insight into the selection you have put together for us?
Its some of my favorite tracks by some of my favorite producers. I know they all have something special to add, whether in their quality of production or the fact that they add a new sound to the music scene. I hope you enjoy it.
Techno music can be defined also as a tool for alienation, an escape when we feel that a world that’s supposed to get better as time goes on, instead it’s moving backwards. Therefore, your music scene could represent a counter-space that frees those who feel unfitting, creating anOther type of society. Referring to what happened in Maqam Nabi Musa in 2020, your set has subverted hierarchies and triggered a sense of moral chaos. Could you talk about the personal and emotional connection with your music that clashes with the established norms society has built?
Techno is just another tool or interest for people for across the globe to connect over. It is a genre of electronic music like blues, rock or hiphop, all of which share a similar harsh and slow integration into society. It is a new method of communicating with one another that a lot of people still do not understand, unless they are a part of it. So it is very normal that techno is associated to a particular class or bubble ‘alienated’ from society because there is a lack of understanding of the space or feeling created for the minority that do listen to it, at least in Palestine. Techno shouldn’t threaten social norms, because it’s an an-other additional space that doesn’t replace an already existing one. I don’t think the music scene is a counter-space that frees those who feel unfitting, techno is a genre of music that a minority listen to in Palestine and the impact of this minority on the general society cannot be blamed or confined to techno as a genre of electronic music. Time passes everything, and all we need to do is be patient and attempt to create a space for us in society, despite our interests whether musically, morally, or politically.
How was 2022 for you? Could you define it with 5 significant words?
It was extraordinary, full of love, surprises, work and flying. It’s my first real year.
What are the future gigs and dreams you are looking forward to?
I think hosting and getting as many of the cool artists I know to come show their music to the world it’s my main thing now.
In conclusion, is there a secret you can reveal us?
I worked for this interview more than I worked for anything in my life… this was tough heh. Happy New Year!