Selections: The Maghreban
In this series, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, The Maghreban spotlights dark, punchy techno, febrile drums and classic post-punk edits
As The Maghreban, Ayman Rostom crafts club-geared tracks that draw from multiple UK dance genres, while also tapping into astral jazz and the SWANA musical heritage of his Egyptian and Saudi parents. While previous records for Black Acre, Versatile and R&S have been exploratory, Rostom’s second album ‘Connection’, on his own Zoot label, feels like his most expansive statement so far. Second track ‘Got Your Number’ is a fine example of his alchemical melding of styles, with its tapping breakbeat rhythm, doomy post-punk bass, sweeping Arabian synth strings and the wicked raps of Nah Eeto.
On ‘Waiting’, featuring Omar, Rostom conjures the otherworldly nature of early Chicago house, while on the head-swimming majesty of ‘Black Seed Oil’, strummed acoustic guitar meets the evocative sax of Idris Rahman. It’s innovative and irresistible.
‘Connection’ is out now. Buy it here.
In his Selections, The Maghreban spotlights dark, punchy techno, febrile drums and classic post-punk edits. Dive in below.
“This is super heavy. I love how loose the drums are, it's got a real neck snap to it. And how the track builds. There’s a few nice tunes on this LP. I don’t know anything about this artist.”
“This was in my mate Tobie’s records that he lent me and I ripped. I ended up ripping a few of theirs because they did many good tunes.”
“Real nice sounds on this EP, precise and full. I’m interested to hear more from this artist. I’ve had a peruse and it sounds like there is a lot more I need to check.”
“I rate Brassfoot and his audio visual aesthetic. I find this one kind of mesmerising and there's a few more on this project that are really nice.”
“I went on a mission listening to this era of techno a couple of years ago and found this. A real dark one, one that makes me frown. This is a good thing.”
“I like the percussion and the rhythms on this one, and the twisted vocals. The jazz drums in the background, the layers.”
“I bought a really mashed copy of this EP a few years ago and couldn’t believe the musicality and the moods on it. I found Victor on soundcloud and asked him if he had digital of the tracks and he sent me some burned CDs with a little note. A real gent.”
“The bass line on this one is immense and it's nice to have something with drums like this that is dark. This one makes me frown too. Then there’s some lightness for balance too.”
“The sub on this one really gets me. Also I think it uses a funky drummer, and manages to make it sound fresh which I rate.”
“This is fun, this one. It’s a dub/edit of a Slits track. I seem to end up spinning it a lot, it's quite versatile.”
