Jbal Rras

This Tunisian DJ and producer has long been hailed as one of the most exciting names in experimental dance music. Coming up as part of the Arabstazy collective in Tunis before relocating to France, she gained acclaim for her blends of bass, techno and traditional Arabic motifs, as demonstrated on her 2018 debut Khonnar. For follow-up Jbal Rrsas, Abdelwahed has enlisted the help of producer and instrumentalist Khalil Hentati (aka Khalil Epi), composer and musicologist Khyam Allami and mastering engineer Heba Kadry, for a record that builds further bonds between North African traditions and cutting-edge club sounds.

On Jbal Rrsas (a reference to the Djebel Ressas mountain range in Tunis), Abdelwahed explores all things shaabi, mixing popular Arabic styles with stark, sparky techno and her own intense vocals. ‘Each Day’ hears her uttering layered sung and spoken lyrics over ominous synths and slivers of maqam melodies; ‘Complain’ is a striking slice of coldwave cutting through Abdelwahed's rich, rippling voice work; and on ‘Violence for Free’ she cuts, splices and reconstructs traditional rhythms into heavy, twitching footwork. An unrelenting and innovative recontextualising of traditional music for the dancefloor, Jbal Rrsas is a feat of joy and abundance, one that should cement Abdelwahed's place among the greats.