SceneNoise

On today’s Select, we have SAUD, a veteran DJ hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, recognised for his multicoloured hypersonics, blending hardcore breakbeat patterns with contemporary gradients that gravitate towards a regenerated form of rhythmic psychedelia. He is also the co-founder of Belgradie-based famed rave platform SUTRA, which has brought a roster of acclaimed producers the likes of Gabber Modus Operandi, ZULI, Abadir, Aisha Devi, Mumdance, Batuu, Lee Gamble, Flore and more, to Serbia’s clubbing scene over the last 7 years.

Besides running SUTRA, SAUD was featured on Boiler Room x Belgrade. He has also played in various clubs and venues across the globe, from NYC, Berlin, and France, to Austria, Belgium, Norway, Poland, and Beirut, just to name a few. In 2023, he also launched his own club in New Belgrade called Živa.

For our 289th Select, SAUD shares the set he played at his club Živa’s season-opening party that took place earlier this year, featuring Kuwaiti producer Van Boom on the lineup. The set, a whirlwind of saturated bass sounds, razor-sharp electro, distorted drum patterns and vocal samples, features tunes by the likes of 3Phaz and Van Boom. “This one is dedicated to my lovely people in Beirut, whom I think of every passing hour,” SAUD tells SceneNoise.

This Saturday on Select, we have Badry, a Dubai-based Egyptian spinner who was raised between Cairo and Toronto, bringing a mix of minimal and deep house that leans more towards the groovy side of the spectrum with hints of acid licks. The set features eclectic tunes like ‘Where You To’ by Harrison BDP, ‘I Wanna Turn’ by Franck Roger, ‘Into the Clouds’ by Politics of Dancing and ‘Planet Express’ by James Andrew.

Badry is also the co-founder of Dubai’s party series Duck Soup, curating various parties and events across the city. He has previously showcased at the Groove On The Grass festival in Dubai.

On this episode of Select, we have Taqtuqa, formerly known as Maxi 45. The France-based label run by Egyptian-bred selectors Joseph and Dafadee3o delivers a disco edit and deep club cuts of retro Middle Eastern music and Egyptian cassettes, including tracks by Amr Diab and Simone, featuring multi-layers of pulse-bounding kicks, tabla arrangements, vocal samples and throbbing basslines.

Raised between Beirut and Alexandria, Joseph grew up listening to a lot of classical scores and French records. As an avid digger with a passion for vinyl, Joseph’s extensive record collection encompasses everything from classical and synth-pop to house, disco and punk. After relocating to France, he launched his own label, Taqtuqa with DJ Dafadee3o, which specializes in releasing remixes and edits of classic Middle Eastern music and Egyptian cassettes from the 60s up to the late 90s.

This Saturday’s Select comes courtesy of Cairo-born Abu Dhabi-based selector Gloria Roffael. The house mix opens with minimal sounds and a driving 4/4 beat intersected with crisp hi-hats, before transitioning into an upbeat house, featuring vocal samples, light breaks, firm kicks and tunes by the likes of Fantastic Man and Pocket Beagle, as well as an unreleased slow burner by Egyptian house maestro Misty.

Gloria has been keeping dancefloors on all their toes since 2018 with her unique blend of house and dreamy electronic beats. She has previously showcased at major regional festivals like Egypt’s Sandbox, at SceneNoise’s Selectbox, as well as Shorelines and Abu Dhabi’s Bred.

For Select 285, we have brought in Willillah, a Lebanese-born DJ, producer and co-founder of Beirut’s HighHats Community, recognised for her innovative productions and dynamic sets encompassing breakbeat, bass, hardcore and more. She has a series of releases on prominent global labels like HHC, Synthwave Records, Glanz + Elend, Aux Records, Ekstasis, and Disorder.

For her select set, Willillah shows off her breakbeat and jungle Dnb side, and affinity for distorted kicks and incorporating obscure sounds and unusual elements in her sets. The set opens with a drill track by ‘Naja’ by Palestinian artist El War3i, before transitioning into a cacophony of bouncy kicks, wacky vocals, occasional sultry amen breaks, and tunes by famous producers the likes of Muskila, Booty Bouncer and Clafrica.

This Saturday’s Select comes courtesy of Alexandria-born, Cairo-based DJ and producer Fady El-Tellawy, aka Fady T, whose repertoire of productions encompasses house, techno and trance beats. He has been performing at exclusive private parties and famous venues across Alexandria, Cairo and more since 2019, including Cairo Jazz Club and Lazuli.

His select set is a club-ready mix of colourful, groovy and ultra-bouncy tech-house and deep-tech, packed with driving 4/4 beat, punchy kicks, deep basslines and multi-layered claps, hats, and percussive textures, featuring some of his unreleased productions as well as eclectic cuts and tunes by the like of DJ Sneak and Louden.

For Select 283, we have Cairene selector, vinyl collector and multifaceted artist Khaled Youssry. His deep passion for vinyl records led him to travel across the globe collecting records, building an extensive record collection that has become central to his work. Khaled’s commitment to DJing transcends the booth; he is the co-founder of Laselky, a Cairo-bred platform and party series committed to celebrating the roots of Egypt’s underground culture whilst embracing new sounds, and fostering a space for artists to connect and collaborate.

He has done his rounds at famous local parties and venues, including Lazuli, Laselky, Cairo Jazz Club, Yellow Tape, Tap East and Cassette, and shared the decks with a slew of international artists like Velasco and Lamalice.

“It’s a raver’s journey packaged into less than two hours, capturing the stages I love about the experience of a raving,” Youssry tells SceneNoise of his set, which was mastered by Saharty. “Starting with those warm inviting beats as you enter the club, transitioning to darker electro vibes through the night, then kicking into some high-energy funky rhythms at sunrise, before signing off with a smooth joyful finish that encapsulates the walk back from a rave.”

The set features tracks by famous global artists such as Lorenzo Aribone, Gabriel Bel Abbas and Outflow.

Select 282 comes courtesy of Beirut’s rising DJ Andreo, delivering an interesting take on house, where he carefully weaves eclectic hi-hats with ear-tingling synths and luscious drum patterns, showcasing his wholly unique blend of melodic, deep and progressive house. The set features tunes by renowned producers like Ray Mono, The Ginger Cat and Sepp.

Andreo initially began his musical career by performing at private parties and has since been spinning in many prestigious venues and clubs across the globe, such as B018, GrubanandGroove, Orient and Express, establishing a name for himself in the regional electronic scene. His sets are known for being energetic, engaging and quite unpredictable. He has recently ventured into music production, working on various new projects to expand his creative reach and evolve his sound.

On this episode of our Select series, we have Cairo’s Adham Zahran, one of the breakthrough producers in Egypt’s underground music scene, recognized for his other alias Relic & Rarity. Having been releasing music on vinyl and digital with various international labels over the last decade, Zharan is one of those artists you should keep on your radar.

For his Select set, Adham Zahran crafts a deep house mix, peppered with warm grooves and various analogue sounds, featuring eclectic tunes by the likes of Green Sequence, Space Ghost and Steven Jullian & Kyle Hall.

For this Select, we invited Dubai-based DJ and producer Rose End, who is known for his provocative sound, which he describes as ‘stylish underground’. His sets are a hybrid of deep house, lo-fi electronic, neo trip-hop and techno, drawing inspiration from prominent global DJs like Thom Yorke, Blawan, Terrence Dixon and Ivan Dorn.

Rose End is also known for his electronic party series ‘Jack’ and his YouTube channel, ‘Flanger’, where he conducts interviews with seasoned and rising DJs and producers.

For his select set, Rose End cooked us a mix of deep house and neo trip-hop that showcase his wholly unique and distinctive style. The set features old samples with ambient melodies, lo-fi elements, potent drum patterns and hints of breaks that will take you on a trippy journey through the sounds of staple underground clubs, from Chicago and Berlin to London and Detroit.