Dekmantel Podcast

It has always been a struggle to sum up the sounds of Zuli. The Egyptian sound artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist is restlessly creative and unconventional in what he does. He can do everything from rap, IDM, footwork to hardcore jungle and experimental rhythms, and mainly on Lee Gamble’s UIQ label. He's also done a lot for his native Cairo scene as co-founder of both the Kairo is Koming (KIK) and AHOMA collectives, and former co-head of the city's alternate music venue VENT which later turned into a club night and festival. He's now firmly established in the wider European scene, not least in part thanks to his excellent radio show on NTS.

There is no messing around on this week's mix. It's a dystopian soundtrack that unites Arab music, Chicago club, European techno and UK bass. Every track fizzes with energy, prickly percussion or distorted drums. It's intricate yet heavy, dense yet atmospheric and the warped designs and contorted rhythms make an art form of physicality.

Don't let @solid_blake's diminutive stature fool you: she plays with a ferocity and precision that flips Europe's most tasteful dance floors inside out. Born in Glasgow but operating out of Copenhagen, she was a founding member of the Apeiron Crew DJ collective, has produced as Historical Repeater with Ctrls and often plays with Mama Snake as she did at our own festival a few years ago. Her Rinse FM radio show is always packed with new sounds that have you desperate to find out more, as is this week's mix.

It's built on bold, body-shaking rhythms that are elastic and acrobatic. They're loose and roomy to start before the kinetic energy builds through jungle cuts, thumping deep techno and unhinged club music. Though squarely aimed at the dance floor, these selections are detailed with freaky monologues or wild vocalisations that bring them to life outside the club. They're both deep but lively and run through with a subtle sense of party-starting fun.

@rhyw's take on electronic music is full throttle and high definition. The Welsh-Greek DJ and producer co-runs the Fever Am label with Mor Elian, where he releases alien club sounds with sci-fi details, industrial textures, cyborg vocals and syncopated beats. His densely detailed output has also come on the likes of Avian and Seilscheibenpfeiler where it goes from minimal to broken beat to electro, but always with plenty of sonic surprises. His "desire to sound different" has really come to the fore since his live Cassegrain project alongside Hüseyin Evirgen went on pause, and he proved that most recently with a new EP on Blawan and Pariah’s Voam label.

All of this play out over a kinetic 65-minute mix served up for us this week. It's a lithe and lively workout with sleek sound designs and a future feel from start to finish. Each track brims with exquisite detail while the contrast of heavy drums and light-emitting synths brings a real sense of space. The whole thing adds up to artful body music with natural emotional intelligence.

Nueen has been mad busy in the last two years. The Barcelona-based Mallorcan has put out three albums of beautifully quiet and unhurried ambient. Each one has unfolded with its own intimate sense of narrative and showcased deft craftsmanship with both synth and guitar. The tunes drawn on the atmosphere of Nueen's home island so fits in with what you might call Balearic, but very much on its own terms. They are warm and gentle but underpinned with a melancholy that makes them all the more engaging.

There is plenty of that on show across the opening of this week's podcast. Roomy arrangements are detailed with only the wispiest of pads but slowly a rhythm begins to emerge. It's dubby and dreamy and transports you out to sea on a sonic life raft that eventually sinks to the ocean floor. From there you roll along on supple drums, wispy pads drift by and shards of light pierce the surface. It is a perfect soundtrack to slowly awaken your soul on a lazy morning.

Recording of Darwin's set at Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of Robin Stewart's set during Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of Jossy Mitsu's set at Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of Sterac's set at Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of Cinnaman's set at Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of Deniro's set at Dekmantel Festival 2022.