Scenenoise Podcast

Born and raised in Cairo, ZEYAD entered the electronic party scene in 2017 with an enthusiasm for minimal, house, and techno. A year later, he began working with boogie platform Desimana as a party promoter, which led him to promoting for Glasshouse, Outside, Jellyzone, Funkhaus, and even our own Noise Sessions. Somewhere in between then and now, ZEYAD began mixing, practicing through the Strictly Vinyl course with Ahmed Samy in 2019, as his love for minimal and house made way for the fast-paced bounciness of electro and breaks. His Select 139 mix features the likes of DJ Mell G, Jensen Interceptor, Hermeth, and 7uka.

Growing up in Saudi, the DJ also known as Myhand began his music journey listening to guitar-based genres like rock and metal, even playing the guitar for some time. Eventually, he formed his love for electronic music and the Egyptian underground scene, which led him to Strictly Vinyl, an Egyptian DJ school, where he took his first steps in the mixing world. His genres range from minimal to electro breaks and sometimes show a hint of drum and bass. In this mix, he opts for showing his minimal colours, with tracks from the likes of Acid Kids, Sean Guillermo, Eddy M, and Parsec.

While he juggles the pursuit of a Masters Degree in Berlin, Egyptian DJ and producer Deeb wants to make a scene in the techno capital. With a curation inspired by the likes of DJJ Lion, Truncate, Maya Jane Cole, and Bend Sims, Deeb presents his case. A set which goes for a lighter overall sound that incorporates raw hypnotic techno, it still hosts his instinctive inclination for hard-hitting sounds as well as love for percussion and sub-frequencies. Having been hitting the drums since the tender age of six before learning to mix at 12 years old, Deeb’s work has always been years in the making.

With a Palestinian ancestry, the US-born, London-and-Amman-raised, Brooklyn-based Felonious Funk is an embodiment of a ‘child of the world’. Inspired by the life and times of American jazz icon Thelonious Monk, Felonious Funk is a self-described musical soul who was never very good at colouring inside the lines. Alongside her curation for radio shows and funky getdowns, she’s also an international lawyer who does screenwriting on the side, telling #SceneNoise that she is “serious about not taking things too seriously.” Offering a blissful hour of disco, funk, soul, and jazz by the likes of Peter Brown, Purple Disco Machine, DJOKO, and a host more, we challenge you to remain still through Felonious Funk’s Select 136.

Lyss is one half of the Caucus Kollektiv, which she created with close friend C/EL. The latter had previously featured on SceneNoise’s Select Episode 130, during which ‘La Radio Kollektiv’ was launched to boost spirits of and showcase local Lebanese artists during the party scene pauses of the pandemic. Since her teenage years, Lyss has been diving deeper into the vast sea of electronic music subgenres while adding her own touches to it. To Lyss, mixing is about experimenting with genres and playing through emotion, as opposed to what is ‘supposed’ to be played or committing to one genre. Her library is often characterised by industrial techno, groovy-house, and soul. In this episode, though, she’s swinging between house, electro, and breakbeat to express a portrayal of love, anger, nostalgia, and most importantly hope. The mix features Octo Octa, Nexus 21, Solah from Material, and Sakanat’s Mehdi M.

Almost exactly one year on from their last appearance on SceneNoise’s long-running Select series, the Cairo-based duo of STZ and DOU are back to usher in the summer with a one-hour soundtrack to your seasonal beach shenanigans. Best enjoyed on a giant party yacht on the Red Sea (a beach, a garden or even a balcony with a nice view will do) the set features tracks from the likes Louie Vega , Simon Adams, Despa and The Martinez Brothers. Check it out:

A rebel at heart, Cairo-based DJ, Gobara, first fell in love with music through the likes of metal, rock and conscious rap - genres he says portray “the reality of life, uncut and unfiltered.” It still, to an extent, informs his current musical tastes - he enjoys, the gritty, the chaotic and the industrial, elements you’ll find readily in his exclusive one-hour mix for this week’s edition of Select. Featuring tracks from the likes of Ghost in the Machine, New Frames, Oleka, and Somniac One, this is a set that represents Gobara to the fullest.

Data analyst by day, DJ by night, 27 year-old Cairene, Kareem Tarek, is a travelled man. Having started spinning as a member of two-man band, YK Jelly, Tarek went on to secure residencies at several Cairo spots, initially playing groove and UK garage. He really came into his own, however, when he started experimenting and his exclusive Select set for SceneNoise offers plenty of proof of that. “The set is about exploring space,” Tarek told SceneNoise of a mix that brings together acid, breakbeat, Iceelnadic techno, destroy tech and many more weird and wonderful sounds. “It’s about communication with extraterrestrials with music - like having a dialogue.” We were going to sit back and enjoy the set - but this is a voyage into a twisted abyss of music, one featuring tracks from the likes of Hearthug, Briki, Aloka, Hermeth and more. Sitting back and relaxing isn’t the thing to do.

For the 131st Episode of Select, Cairo-based Badreya Electroneya has served up a one-hour mix that features everything from hyper-pop and breakbeat, to techno and IDM, with tracks from the likes of AG Cook, Shy Girl, and Osheyack. “Category is: escapism,” Badreya told SceneNoise of the set. “A blend of post-industrial, bass-heavy club music, advanced sound design and hyperpop, allowing the listener to enter my meditation-induced hyper-reality.” Citing Sophie and Arca as huge inspirations, Badreya’s love for music started at a young age, when they would spend hours on end perfecting playlists for friends. They also point to peculiar sounds like rubber or bubbles, which they often add through a synthesiser over tracks. Yes this is going to be every bit the “wild ethereal ride” Badreyah has promised.

It was by an off-the-cuff suggestion that Celine Abboud, aka C/EL, first started mixing, spurred on by her close friend and fellow founder of Caucus Kollektiv, Lyss. She took to it like a duck to water, but during the pandemic she launched La Radio, a platform for artists to be themselves, play whatever they want, and just enjoy their mixes,  mainly focusing on local Lebanese DJs, and recently expanding to the Middle East. For the 130th episode of Select, Celine showcases immaculate selection in an hour of pure dancing bliss. Throughout the hour, Celine goes back and forth between the vast sub-genres of house music, incorporating breaks and breakbeats in her mix, featuring tracks from the likes of Mr. G, Laurent Garnier, and 1998.

Hailing from Alexandria, 25 year-old DJ/producer, Fady El-Tellawy, is in the Select hot-seat this time round and brings with him a rave-ready selection of techno and acid, as well as old-school nineties ’s trance, featuring tracks from the likes of Joey Beltram, DK7, Galaxian and Vladimir Dubyshkin. “It gets a bit intense sometimes," Fady told #SceneNoise of his set. "I know that it won't resonate with everyone, but part of me likes to think that it's coming from a spiritual place. That, for me, is what dance music is all about - keeping things ravey and dancey."

Buckle up kids, Dublin-based Saudi DJ Moving Still has hit us up with an epic rollercoaster of Arabic inspired techno, house, rave, electro and disco for our 128th Select. www.SceneNoise.com

SELECT 127: Mixed By Fardin Ameri & Massud Matin by SceneNoise

SELECT 126 - Mixed by Khaled Youssry by SceneNoise

Mixed by DJ George Comodino Tracklist: Elias Rahbani & Ziad Rahbani - Hello Elias Rahbani - Dance of Maria Elias Rahbani & His Orchestra - From The Moon Elias Rahbani - I Love You Lina Elias Rahbani & Ziad Rahbani - I Think Of You Elias Rahbani - Beat! Beat! Beat! (Nightclub Scene) Elias Rahbani - Liza... Liza Elias Rahbani - Paris Paris Elias Rahbani - Oudi Ya Layali Elias Rahbani - The Escape Zerrin Zeren - Sensiz Duramam [composed by Elias Rahbani] Ajda Pekkan - Sana Neler Edeceğim [composed by Elias Rahbani] Олеандр - Валерий Ободзинский [composed by Elias Rahbani] Elias Rahbani - Summer Love Elias Rahbani - The First Meeting Elias Rahbani - Sweet Eyes Sabah - Wadi Shamseen [written & composed by Elias Rahbani] Elias Rahbani & Ziad Rahbani - Don't Blame Me Elias Rahbani & Ziad Rahbani - The Beautiful One Elias Rahbani - Don't Forget Me

Select 125: Mixed by Talaia by SceneNoise

NOISE MIXES: Genre Neutral [Ambient Set] - Mixed By Youssef Yasser by SceneNoise

Mixed by DJ George Comodino Image credit: Times of Zambia Tracklist: Born Free - Mad Man Dr. Footswitch - Otenta Fire Balls - Umwana Wakusanga Mung’Anda WITCH - Introduction Peace - Black Power WITCH - Strange Dream Paul Ngozi & Ngozi Family Band - Heavy Metal

Select 124 - Shareef by SceneNoise

Select 123: Tourkey & Selim by SceneNoise