![]() It was only last year that Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Tapes label introduced the world to the hyperspeed sound of Tanzanian singeli, a regional genre so fast it makes Chicago footwork seem positively pokey in comparison. Nyege Nyege Tapes Jay Mitta: Tatizo Pesa / Duke: Uingizaji Hewa / Sisso: Mateso Jersey club’s signature bed-squeak sample commingles with blaring flute rhythms in closer “No Idol (Remix),” and gunshots punctuate a tinny drum pattern in “Body Count.” With Grace, Haram makes something new out of her rich musical history. Drums splatter against Middle Eastern rhythms on opener “No Idol,” and throughout Haram’s patchwork compositions you’ll hear the distinct sounds of her New Jersey youth, where she grew up listening to ’80s and ’90s Arabic pop music and her uncle, who played the accordion and darbuka drums. It sounds almost like an audio translation of the album’s cover art, an illustration by artist Samantha Garritano that depicts a six-armed woman in red heels wielding multiple swords, gilded bongs, and mythical creatures like mermaids and hooved monsters. Her proper solo debut, released on Hyperdub this summer, is an even finer introduction to Haram’s world. ![]() You might already have a sense for DJ Haram’s razor-sharp sonic world if you’ve heard the experimental music that she makes with Moor Mother as 700 Bliss. Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade | Apple Music | Tidal Sometimes synthesizer bloops and bleeps show up too, but with a percussionist this talented, they’re nearly unnecessary. To varying degrees, on all three tracks, the frame drum is the engine, as toms and snares fight for time in the mix. On this EP, Anunaku goes a step further, dripping drum over drum until rhythms that at first feel competitive begin to interweave. While far from a household name, Velez has made the frame drum the focal point of his compositions, where its elastic rhythms are completely enchanting. That their sound plays such an outsize role in Anunaku’s “Bronze Age” is a pleasant surprise it gives the music, nominally techno, a unique edge that brings it in line with the very special and very underrated records by onetime Steve Reich Ensemble member Glenn Velez. They are often found in Middle Eastern recordings, and they were popular in somewhat glossy ’90s world music. Varying in size, they are deep and wide, and easily portable and playable by hand, making them great for teaching kids. Torsing lives and works in Amsterdam.If you’ve encountered a frame drum recently, it was likely in a classroom. Her gift for full-length composition is showcased through her albums on Nous’klaer Audio (Wild Chamber, 2019) and Dekmantel (Zoom, 2020). Since 2017 Torsing has released a string of singles and EPs on labels Nous’klaer Audio, AD93 and Die Orakel. As a multidisciplinary artist she researches these interactions through sound, photography and video, explorations which simultaneously influence her music production process. Having studied Image and Media Technology at the Utrecht University of the Arts, Thessa Torsing (real name) is intrigued by the rhythms and vibrational qualities of her surroundings – shaping a singular aesthetic that blurs the synthetic – natural divide. As a DJ she consolidated a firm position in the contemporary left-field music world, which includes a residency at NTS Radio and Amsterdam club Garage Noord and invitations to festivals such as Unsound and Rewire. ![]() The music she plays takes cues from trippy electronics, the more experimental side of DnB and oddball techno, but tries to avoid clear genres. Guided by an adventurous and narrative approach, this vividness is present in her DJ sets as well. Often working together with visual artist Sjoerd Martens during their live show, the two create kaleidoscopic terrains built from micro textures and field recordings, fluidly mixing between inner and outer environments. ![]() With a keen ear for crystalline melody and intricate rhythm, her music sculpts a certain perpetuity and spatiality, sliding across tempo scales, while retaining an organic touch as a gentle hum of nature digitized. As electricity blossoms and leafs glisten, upsammy creates interpretative space, cleverly paradoxical in its concurrent comfort and desolation.
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