SceneNoise

On our 279th Select, we have Beirut-based DJ and producer Nicolas Merheb, who built up quite a reputation in the region’s underground electronic scene with his dynamic melodic house sets. His innate ability to read the crowd has seen him fire up some most prestigious clubs and venues across the globe, from Beirut, Doha and Amman to Dubai and Barcelona, sharing decks with a slew of prominent global artists like Mathame, Rampa, &Me, Marco Carola, Monolink and Adriatique.

His select set is a heady melodic house ride decorated with driving four-on-the-floor rhythms and high-voltage pop anthems. The set features intricate arpeggios, throbbing basslines and anthemic synth hooks with hints of tribal house, as well as eclectic tunes like ‘Good Times’ by Tripolism and ‘Born in Blu’ by Chambord.

This Saturday's Select comes courtesy of Uruguay-born vinyl spinner Maximiliano Perez, aka Mape.

Mape began his musical career in hip-hop before moving to electronic music, and since then he has been mixing vinyl and doing the rounds in prestigious venues and clubs across Uruguay such as Emile, Living, El Ciclo, Montevideo Micro and Formato Montevideo. He also launched his own record label, AroAro.uy, which puts the spotlight on diverse sounds from various emerging local and international artists. His unwavering passion for vinyls propelled him to open his own record shop 22:22, which is currently located in Montevideo, where he’s based.

His sets are colourful and evocative, born from his own feelings and interpretations of various subgenres, crafting stories and generating conversations on every stage he takes over. He is all about chasing new sounds, recognized for delving deep into a little bit of everything from Goa and Bleep to techno and progressive house.

“I never focus on one genre in my sets, I really like the sub-genres within electronic music,” Mape tells SceneNoise. “And, I particularly like to tell a story in various stages, trying to communicate what runs inside me with tracks. There are sets that I make with a more linear approach, generating harmony and groove. Other times, I like to link different pieces from different producers that I find have an interesting sound, interweaving their works into something that’s very entertaining.”

His select set opens with a brooding ominous melody and a male voice speaking in Dutch as if caught in a vortex, before transitioning into a mixture of swerving synths, drone-like basslines and rhythmic acid, featuring famous talents like Paolo Macri, Lara Martinez, and Barik.

Cairo-born selector Essam has become recognized in the underground electronic scene over the past few years for his refined blend of deep and progressive house, smoothly transitioning between atmospheric and ambient to full-on elaborate grooves.

In this edition of our select series, Essam delivers a dynamic set that leans more on the lighter side of things, incorporating progressive tracks with tribal drums and subtle trippy rhythms that are uptempo but still pretty mellow. Featuring tunes from the likes of David Alvarado, Ben La Desh and Soulforce, the set is peppered with warm grooves and layers of organic and synthesized sounds that evoke the feeling of floating in outer space.

This Saturday’s Select comes courtesy of Baltimore-based selector Hollowpoints Radio, aka DJ Luh, a quiet purveyor of hip-hop who gained quite the reputation globally for her bi-monthly show on UK’s NTS radio. She has also showcased at Boiler Room’s System Mix.

Hollowpoints brings a special rap mix of the best and brightest the underground hip-hop scene has to offer to our Select series, featuring an hour of uncompromising regional sounds from the darkest corners of the American scene.

On this week’s Select, we have seasoned Ibiza-based DJ, electronic music producer and self-entitled ‘happiness provider’ YazzMin, delivering a juicy danceable house mix that blends elements from minimal and melodic house with afrobeats. YazzMin’s four-on-the-floor groovy sets have been played on prestigious dance floors across the globe, from Amsterdam and Italy to Lebanon, Dubai and more.

Her select set is a treat for house lovers, filled with as many joyful grooves and driving percussion as ambient melodies and soulful rhythmic vocals, evoking that euphoric bliss that comes with magical ruby sunsets. The set features eclectic tunes from the likes of Fiona Kraft, Tal Fussman and more.

Seasoned Egyptian DJ Omar Zahran has established a name for himself in the local underground electronic scene for his funky house mixes. He has done the rounds at famed venues and clubs across Cairo, performing at The Tape, Cairo Jazz Club and more.

For our 274th select set, Zahran cooks up a groovy mix of the ‘90s and ‘00s dance anthems and obscure disco gems from Europe and the US, featuring tracks from the likes of Disco Tamarro and Boys/Girls.

This week on our Select series, we have Beirut’s seasoned melodic techno DJ duo and long-time rave buddies Jom & Terry. A driving force in the Lebanese clubbing scene, the pair went from co-hosting intimate house parties almost five years ago to sharing decks at a slew of prestigious venues across Lebanon and the globe.

Their select set pulses with the hypnotic energy of those early techno rave days, featuring rapid frequency thumps, syncopated snares and hints of breaks. It opens with relentless rolling basslines which then fade away smoothly, and have your guts frizzling with anticipation as powerful drops hit. Right amidst that cacophony, around minute 43, the duo mix in their self-produced track ‘Calm But Scared’, amping things up even further.

For the second year SceneNoise and Sandbox Festival came together to bring a handful of the region’s freshest upcoming selectors to #SelectBox - an intimate showcase space amidst the El Gouna Red Sea festival’s beach-side shenanigans. Arms were raised and marks were thoroughly made.

www.scenenoise.com

www.sandboxfestival.com

Additional audio engineering by @theazzouni

For the second year SceneNoise and Sandbox Festival came together to bring a handful of the region’s freshest upcoming selectors to #SelectBox - an intimate showcase space amidst the El Gouna Red Sea festival’s beach-side shenanigans. Arms were raised and marks were thoroughly made.

www.scenenoise.com

www.sandboxfestival.com

Additional audio engineering by @theazzouni

For the second year SceneNoise and Sandbox Festival came together to bring a handful of the region’s freshest upcoming selectors to #SelectBox - an intimate showcase space amidst the El Gouna Red Sea festival’s beach-side shenanigans. Arms were raised and marks were thoroughly made.

www.scenenoise.com

www.sandboxfestival.com

Additional audio engineering by @theazzouni