Bleep

Deena Abdelwahed has added to her catalogue throughout 2019 with two remix EPs. However, new set Dhakar represents the first collection of original material that the Tunisian artist has issued since dropping her debut LP Khonnar to critical acclaim back in 2018. This is another record of torrid and hugely emotive productions from Abdelwahed. Khonnar was a brooding record - if not outright dark at times - and that feeling is carried over into the quartet of tunes that make up Dhakar.

The EP kicks off with ‘Lila Fi Tounes’, a darkside club track that is rooted in techno but also incorporates latent gqom, IDM and EBM influences. Following this we get ‘Ah’na Hakkeka’, a cut which almost touches on anarcho-dub in the way it rolls along at a slower speed while dubwise atmospherics and fizzing low-end have their wicked way. It’s not a million miles away from something that might have been released on The Bug’s Pressure Records imprint.

‘Insanityi’ ushers in Dhakar’s second half in similarly intense fashion. Loping forward on clattering drums and a time-warp bassline, this track takes us into the territory more commonly occupied by Forest Swords. Closer ‘Zardet Sigi Badra’ brings us back to the dancefloor, though its off-kilter percussion loops and incantatory choir vocals are far from your typical DJ tool - think Ziur and Fatima Al Qadiri on this one.

Deena Abdelwahed proves herself an electronic producer of rare gifts on her progressive, murky Dhakar EP.