El Mahdy Jr. “Gasba Grime” (exclusive)

23 Jun 2014 — Henning Lahmann

Rarely ever more than one step away from getting lost in exoticist kitsch and a consequence of living in a veritable 21st century melting pot at best, or an impact of the colonialist mindset of the Empire at worst, appropriation of Middle and Far Eastern sonic elements has always been a popular tool among producers in the United Kingdom. Against this backdrop, the emergence of artists such as Istanbul's Gantz or Algerian-born and now likewise based in Turkey's largest metropolis El-Mahdi Rezoug is more than just refreshing – it's nothing less than an eye-opener. The latter's work as El Mahdy Jr. is hands down one of the most exciting discoveries of 2014, although we happily admit that we're rather late; coming across the producer for the first time in January when hearing the flipside of Gantz's Spry Sinister 12" for Deep Medi, the menacing dubstep collaboration "Rising", others had already acclaimed El Mahdy's stunning conflation of oriental tropes and western styles after Portland, Oregon imprint Boomarm Nation had dropped the terrific The Spirit of Fucked Up Places in the summer of last year, a collection of the artist's productions of the past three years (followed by RAÏ DUBS in January).

However, it is the recently released Gasba Grime EP that has brought El Mahdy Jr. to wider and well-deserved attention beyond insider circles. His most accomplished release yet, Gasba Grime gathers four new tracks – accompanied by a Killing Sound remix of "Lost Bridge" – that show compelling diversity and a wide range of influences. While all tunes are worthwhile, it's the title track that's probably most interesting, as El Mahdy's employment of samples could almost be considered a counter-appropriation of time-proven elements of western electronic music. Contemporaneously with a stuttering, likely Arabic vocal sample, a dominant dub siren pierces through the mix; a little later, English vocals, perhaps originating from a raggae or dub 7", set in, resulting in a perplexing melange of contradicting sounds, all set against an aptly fractured and discomforting beat. Listen to "Gasba Grime" exclusively below.

The Gasba Grime EP is out on Geneva's Danse Noire. Get it here or here before they're all gone. Highly recommended.