Connection

The Maghreban, aka Ayman Rostom, is a Guildford native with Egyptian and Saudi roots. This is the second album from the musician and producer under his Maghreban moniker (he also makes hip-hop beats as Doctor Zygote) following on from 2018’s 01DEAS. Like his debut, this latest release, Connection, sees Rostom drawing on his North African heritage as well as sounds from other parts of the continent and the Middle East, pairing them with sinister synths and cluttered percussion to create a modern fusion of Eastern tones and modern dance floor music.

Opener ‘Moving’ blends Middle Eastern jazz patterns and low-tempo techno into an elegant and energetic fusion. ‘Got Your Number’ matches murky electronics with broken beats and the talents of Kenyan rapper Nah Eeto, who switches between English and Swahili lyrics. Elsewhere, Egyptian singer and composer Abdullah Miniawy pitches up to lay down elegiac chants over a driving bassline on ‘Anzilli’, while multi-instrumentalist Idris Rahman brings swirling gusts of Eastern jazz to ‘Celebratory Relapse’ and ‘Black Seed Oil’. An infinitely varied and energising listen for anyone who enjoys an intelligent club sound that playfully dances with tradition.