SceneNoise

For our latest Select, we have Lebanese vinyl maverick, NeighborsByMusic. Her penchant for discovering new sounds has led her to build an extensive repertoire over the years, blending diverse music styles from different cultures. Her sets often incorporate influences from oriental, Brazilian funk, hip-hop and jazz.

NeighborsByMusic treats us to a special vinyl-only set–initially recorded at JIVE in Beirut–that meshes together threads of Brazilian bossa nova, funk, and Arabic oldies from Simone and Hamid El Shaeri with 90s hip-hop and a hint of jazzy house here and there. The colossal proportions of the set, fitting together a multitude of different sounds, are somewhat reflective of the organised chaos that Lebanon is known for.

Featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of feel-good tunes, such as Ezra Collective’s ‘Palm Wine’, Mtume’s ‘Juicy Fruit’, and Simone’s ‘Mabsouta’, the set ends abruptly, as if alluding to a typical electricity cut at midnight in Beirut.

Select 334 comes courtesy of Jean-Philippe Kaya, aka KAYA, a Los Angeles-based DJ and producer hailing from Bordeaux, France.

Dubbed a Future Talent of 2025 by the Pete Tong DJ Academy in Ibiza, KAYA is known for fusing various musical influences from his Cameroonian and Congolese roots, as well at classical piano compositions, with contemporary electronic music. His music has traversed dancefloors at some of the world’s biggest festivals, including Glastonbury, Coachella, and EDC Las Vegas.

His select set is a hypnotic mix of melodic and afro tech-house grooves, featuring some of his own productions, along with a selection of his favourite tunes, such as ‘Oumuamua’ by Sauaro, ‘Eyes on Me’ by TMPLE and ‘Back 2 Me’ by Malachiii.

This Saturday, we have Cairo-based DJ Azzouni with a special mix that’s a little bit of everything from outside the club, packed with touchdowns in various sonic territories from Jamaica, Nubia, and Capo Verde, just to name a few.

One of the most riotous DJs and producers in Cairo’s underground electronic scene, Azzouni is known for his signature genre-hyphenated experimental sets, mixing ambient, breakbeat, grime, jungle and deconstructed club sounds.

Instead of a traditional mix, Azzouni dug deep into his sonic library to bring us more of a three-hour, 33-minute and 33-second playlist, chasing joy outside the club vibes. The playlist is inspired by a recent trip Azzouni made to a pristine natural beach in Wadi El Gemal protectorate, called Ras Hankorab (which is currently facing a threat of being turned into a luxury resort.

The set is a patchwork of various sounds that skate across swaggering funk, dub reggae, blues, jazz, and everything in between, featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of eclectic tunes by the likes of Ali Farka Toure, Mad Professor and Sharaf Band. As Azzouni puts it, “Drop in at any timestamp, and stick around if you like the vibes.”

Joining us on this episode of our Select mix series is the one and only Cheb Runner. A musical hurricane rooted in Moroccan soil, Cheb Runner is a DJ, composer and producer who represents a new sound of in-betweenness, nurtured by a diverse array of musical influences that run back and forth in time. His sets often feature first-hand recordings from his expansive sample pack of traditional instrumentals.

In addition to being a fixture at some of the biggest clubs and festivals across Europe, Cheb Runner is a resident at Ghana’s Oroko Radio, a familiar face at Brussels' finest Kiosk Radio, and part of Rotterdam’s (A)WAKE collective. Most recently, he has also joined the Brussels-based Not Your Techno family.

For his select set, Cheb Runner delivers a playful analog mix, supported by a unique set of synthesisers, where traditional Maghrebi sounds and shaabi rhythms pulse through deep techno, disco and Dutch gabber.

Select 331: Mixed by Rubbishhh by SceneNoise

Joining us this week on Select is Peter Al-Khabout, aka PAK, an emerging selector who has been recently making noise in the electronic music scene across Syria and Lebanon with his genre-blurring sets, packed with bold track selection and unexpected twists.

For our Select the 330th, PAK takes us on a deep hypnotic journey of fresh grooves, heavy basslines, and dramatic, but also euphoric, buildups. His mix moves through lush house, relentless techno and atmospheric electronica. Think Dorisburg’s deep textures layered up with DJ Koze’s serpentine-like twists, and a dash of the driving energy of Ben Block. The set features a selection of eclectic tunes such as Shiffer’s ‘Magnum’, Aera’s ‘Running Hot’ and Luke Alessi’s ‘Walk On By’.

This week on Select, we have one of Cairo’s freshest young producers and selectors, Delrady, known for his innovative approach to tech-house, blending groovy house with classic funk, disco and blues, as well as hip-hop and rap.

Since his emergence in the region’s electronic scene, Delrady has already released five EPs, such as ‘Big Big Dreams’ EP on Gawdat’s DancIN’ label, along with numerous singles and remixes, which have gained widespread recognition from leading DJs and producers across the globe. One of his tracks, ‘Keeping Working’, was played at Burning Man earlier last year.

For his select set, he treats us to a taste of his infectious tech-house mixes, spinning in iconic rap tunes such as Central Cee’s ‘Doja’, and Drake & Lil Baby’s ‘Yes Indeed’, along with some of his original productions such as ‘Big Big Dreams’.

Back on our Select mix series for his annual takeover is the legendary Wookie warrior, Chewie. Known for digging up fresh, groove-heavy tracks, whether it’s sweat-soaked disco-house or heady minimal rhythms, Chewie is delivering an hour-long journey into the cosmos of house. This is a warped, high-energy set that would make Kessel Run look like a stroll in the park. Buckle up!

Select 327: Mixed by Fouad Darwish by SceneNoise

This week on SceneNoise’s Select series, we have the one and only DJ Habibeats. Born and raised in San Francisco’s Bay Area, DJ Habibeats is an internationally acclaimed artist who has been actively pushing Middle Eastern sounds in the global clubbing scene. He has built up a reputation for his culturally-charged electrifying sets, combining club sounds from the Middle East with afrobeats, amapiano, house, baile funk, and Brazilian and Latin influences.

For his Select set, DJ Habibeats cooked us a culturally-charged house mix, featuring a kaleidoscope of musical influences from the Middle East and North Africa, India, and Brazil all wrapped up in deep club cuts. Expect some fun detours, and tunes like ‘Walhala’ - DJ Rony, ‘Merzzy’, ‘Gqom Do Pam Pam’ - Bronka, ‘State Off’, as well as some original productions by Habibeats himself.