Beats News

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Klaus returns from a 2 and a half year hiatus from himself with just 11 minutes of music - that's an average of less than a second of music per day, which is frankly ridiculous. You might recognise the A side if you were there when ben UFO opened up for jamie the xx at brixton academy, the only confirmed occasion this tune has been played in public. Few are brave enough to do so as it is pretty murky.

'youve gone full heart of darkness eh' (morris 'da boss' kudos)

'lenna woke up when I played it, she cried but then grinned' (manchu)

On the 2nd of October 2017 the independent Belgian platform celebrates its 5th anniversary by releasing its debut album. duploc, one of the leading references for dubstep worldwide, put together a 15-track compilation full of exclusive content from artists they regularly have been working with. Expect the typical residents such as ENiGMA Dubz, Bukez Finezt, Requake and SubFiltronik - though as usual they also included quite a few upcoming talents.

In general, the album is a proper reflection of both the sound as well as the artists has been pushing, since day one they have been known for featuring a rather unconventional and uncommon side of the genre.

Originally launched its brand in 2012 as a promotional outlet. Meanwhile they expanded to a currently 50.000-strong community with their own live events, a prestigious record label and a well-respected online magazine. By releasing this debut album, looks more determined and passionate than ever to show the listener a true and complete definition of dubstep.

a1. ENiGMA Dubz - Dirty South
The first artist on the album does not need any further introduction. He has been working together with Belgium's most authentic dubstep platform since its very beginning. Formerly signed to record label, ENiGMA Dubz' presence on the 5 Years of album' is quite logical nevertheless profoundly essential. In fact Dirty South' is his first dubstep track available on 12 inch.

a2. LOST - Turmoil
Signee LOST entrusts the 5 Years ofalbum' with a track in his typical murky style. Turmoil' is coming straight out of the studio and what is better than something hot of the press to celebrate the fifth birthday of with. The London born and bred HENCH-affiliated hasn't seen any of his tracks on hot wax since 2011. Until now.

a3. Bukez Finezt - Real 2 Real
Bukez Finezt is a versatile producer who likes to juggle with different styles within dubstep. That's exactly the reason why the DEEP MEDi signee fits so smoothly on record label. Via the 5 Years of album', the Belgian team proudly announces the official debut of the Finezt German in town on a 12" record.

b1. Requake - Fear
Hailing from the capital of Europe, dubstep producers Requake always have had a special connection with as they eventually were signed to the record label in 2015. Fast forward to the 2nd of October 2017, the track Fear' will be their first production ever to be released on vinyl.

b2. ARtroniks - Extinction
It would be unimaginable to leave out long-time resident ARtroniks of debut album. Since the Belgian producer was signed, he appeared on three(!) singles of the imprint thus far. Anno 2017 ARtroniks enthusiastically celebrates along by releasing his highly anticipated dubplate Extinction' on a vinyl record.

I won't say a lot about this one, just that it was a pleasure to finally work with Marcus having known each other and been friends for so many years. A personal favourite release and the music must go on. I'm sure Marcus wouldn't have wanted it any other way.....

Duncan (Spirit)

Huge support from Doc Scott, Fabio, Storm, DJ Marky, Randall, Digital, Om Unit, J:Kenzo, Jubei and many more

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* Concept and composition by Ryoji Ikeda
* Co-produced by Eklekto Geneva Percussion Center, Ryoji Ikeda Studio and La Bâtie Festival de Genève.
* Percussionists (Eklekto): Alexandre Babel, Stéphane Garin, Lucas Genas and Dorian Fretto
Ryoji Ikeda
Japan's leading electronic composer and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda focuses on the essential characteristics of sound itself and that of visuals as light by means of both mathematical precision and mathematical aesthetics. Ikeda has gained a reputation as one of the few international artists working convincingly across both visual and sonic media. He elaborately orchestrates sound, visuals, materials, physical phenomena and mathematical notions into immersive live performances and installations.
Eklekto
Eklekto is a contemporary percussion collective founded in 1974 in Geneva. Constantly seeking to reinvent percussion music, the group collaborates with living composers and contemporary artists through concerts, multimedia projects and artistic events that question the listener's expectations towards new musical forms. Eklekto has premiered over 100 new works and performed hundreds of internationally acclaimed shows.
TRACK LISTING

With a sum total of 2 12's released for Samurai Horo and Red Seal, Theme has a sparse but vital discography. Fusing Dub Techno, Ambient and Half Time Drum and Bass, the Theme style developed as a uniquely Berlin influenced take on 170 BPM's post autonomic developing progression.

Following a 2 year gap since the last release, the Theme debut LP 'Passages' builds on this style by accentuating and extending the ambient 'passages' and experimenting with beat structures to create an intricately constructed and textured journey. There is nods to the form that has made the Theme style stand out (Passage 6, 8, 9), beautiful ambient tracks that soothe and guide (Passage 1, 4, 7, 10) but the glue that affirms Passages as an accomplished long player comes from percussive workouts that hover around various BPM's and genres (Passage 2, 3, 5).

Passages should really feel like the pinnacle of a journey for Theme, but instead it feels like the start of an all new chapter in musical form for a musical nomad who has found solace in leaving behind any constrictions and templates.

If you listen closely to Passage 11, you hear the sound of a new life beating from the womb of it's mother, a fitting metaphor for the birth of the new Theme.

The return of Chords was met by adulation from the drum & bass community. After spending over a year on his film-
making artistic endeavours, he saw 2017 as the perfect time to come back to music making. And most recent single
'Love Burning' has re-solidified his place within the twenty-five-year strong RAM Records camp, proving that despite
his hiatus he's still able to tap into the skill set which made him so notorious within its roster. For October, Chords is continuing his stream of releases with forthcoming record 'No One is Listening / Glacier', a two-track offering which calls upon his stellar song writing capabilities and dancefloor appeal. It gives a multi-dimensional snapshot into his engineering, demonstrating his penchant for both sunshine filled crescendos and dirtier bass riffs, a combination alluding to why he originally came under RAM's radar.
'No One is Listening' lays down the sultry vocals of Georgina Upton over the tell-tale bassline Chords has spent years
fastening. His thick, meticulous composition gives weight underneath its vocal pitches, creating a record which has
already been hosted in clubs across the UK and beyond. Its strung note arpeggios and soft pads help to elevate the
track, providing an emotive set piece for any DJ.

And on the flipside, you're launched into 'Glacier', with relays of synth and a melody which traces itself along the
track's bassline. Bit by bit you're pulled into Chords' effortless artistry, exploding layer after layer. Between every
beat loop, you're made acutely aware of just how far Chords has gone to intricately weave each hook, before they
cascade into the mix. The next single from Chords proves that he's continuing to expel his craft. And with a host of
tour dates on the horizon, including sets at RAM's seminal RAM25 city-wide shows, he's definitely here to stay.

Melbourne's Luis CL is back for his second outing on Superconscious Records with three trademark house cuts.

Underground tip SERIOUS TROUBLE presents the next instalment by NASTY KING KURL with three ghetto-trap-house driven pounders! Get nasty with the king for some serious trouble on the dance-floor!

* Walton drops his third instalment on Tectonic in fine style, calling upon Japanese influences to create a truly unique sonic across both tracks in the release. Asian instrumentation meets directly head to head with the cutting edge sounds of a UK grime-techno axis to great effect.

* 'Praying Mantis' captures all the charm of a fine Japanese watercolour painting by means of some spectacular midi-harp programming. Hi-hats and detailed percussion set a shuffling pace, building the mood up before a beautiful harp section unfolds and takes over, expertly programmed by Walton to sound as if a master harpist had stepped into the room! As drums and bass join the party we have all the makings of a low-slung grimey masterpiece, both soothing and energising in a perfect zen balance.

* Flip then for 'Koto Riddim' which again brings Japanese influences to the forefront of the track. Walton programs classic sounding Japanese percussion sounds along with grunting vocal cuts and a charming flute-based melody. As the track drops, it switches into a more familiar, grime-based palette of sounds, deftly arranged for most dangerous impact.

The 4th edition of hand-stamped releases and operating out of Belgium, a selecta who goes by the name of Zygos.

Keysound Recordings presents a weightless album from label boss Blackdown. 'Those Moments' is his first solo LP, features fellow 'Margins Music' contributors Trim, Dusk & Farrah and, like the imprint's Rollage sub series, is centered at 130 bpm. Each of the tracks is a distillation of a fleeting moment. The tracks and LP itself are short and constrained, relying on only voices, synths and sub bass. The album came about in a quick intense burst and many of the tracks represent snapshots of brief instances - a bitter-sweet moment of inflection, a moment of positivity, digital over stimulation, awe, loss, intensity, anger, nostalgia, regret, honesty, relief and joy. 'I'd had a tough 6 months...' explains Blackdown. 'I'd had to hold it together and not lose my nerve. Early on in the months I'd so nearly had a massive, positive life change but... it slipped out of my grasp. I was so focused on holding it together, I couldn't allow myself to really write music. Then, when things resolved themselves, and I'd figured out this new weightless way of working, 'Those Moments' just came flooding out. I'd heard other musicians talk about this - but that had never happened to me.' Recent releases from Rinse FM's Blackdown include a contribution to the #SaveFabric CD, three 4 track 12's of the new Rollage sub series ('WDYM!', 'Keysound Sessions Anthem' and the 'C-Troit' EP) and a remix of Jamakabi & Terror Danjah's 'Juicy Patty.'

Returning with his first album in 13 years, Errorsmith's 'Superlative Fatigue' long-awaited release on PAN arrives as his perhaps most optimistic record yet.
Placing a strong emphasis on spectral exploration, the tracks tell an inherent story and span a musical arc with his recognisable synthesised tones, computerised vocal effects and timbral changes in motion.
In comparison to his previous productions, Errorsmith (Erik Wiegand) sees the release as less abstract, harsh or aggressive: 'I would say it is rather accessible and cheerful; at times ridiculously cheerful but still very sincere and emotional.' He suggests. 'I find it touching when this little android raises its pitch at the end of 'Lightspeed' or the android catching its breath in 'My Party' for instance.'
The album title, 'Superlative Fatigue' reflects this tension between an over-the-top, hysterical emotion, against more deeply felt expressions or realness. Besides collaborating with the likes of Mark Fell, to Berghain resident Fiedel as MMM, and Soundstream as Smith N Hack, Wiegand has released a string of seminal dancefloor tracks. Building his own instruments using modular software synthesizers is a large part of his work. Where almost all the sounds in the LP were created with his synth, 'Razor', (a synthesizer plug-in he developed for Native instruments, released in 2011) or slightly modified versions of it.
Premiered at Unsound Festival last year, this new material he has developed since has finally taken form in this epic full-length.
The album is mastered by Rashad Becker, featuring artwork by James Hoff and layout by Bill Kouligas.

Durban's Rudeboyz (aka Masive Q and Andile T) return to Goon Club Allstars to follow up their self-titled 2015 debut EP with new record, 'Gqomwave'. Widely acknowledged as Gqom originators, alongside Goon Club label mate DJ Lag, Rudeboyz' raw, energetic compositions took the sounds of Durban's townships global back in 2015, opening doors for a whole new generation of South African artists in the pro-cess. They themselves hail from from Mount Moriah, just outside the KwaMashu township in North Durban. The duo's latest record, 'Gqomwave', is comprised of four tracks, each bursting with the intense, driving rhythms and boundless energy their productions have become renowned for. Gqom is again the core around which the whole EP functions, as blazing sirens and charging beats play out on opener 'Major Turn Up', but subtle, stylistic nuances point to a growing maturity in their work. The springy elasticity of 'Bounce Back' and the sharp, stripped back drums on relentless club burner 'No Mercy' each offer different, smouldering takes on the Gqom sound, while final track 'Asjableni' features the gritty, hypnotic vocals of long-time collaborator T_D Snaxx who tragically passed away earlier this year.

From the sounds of Dominowe in Newlands East in Durban, South Africa, we are now going to the opposite side of the hill in Newlands West with TLC Fam! For those who are not familiar to the crew, TLC Fam are a crew from the township of Newlands West formed by 23 members. All the members have different roles in the crew and showcase different talents such as DJ'ing, Producing, Dancing, MCing, Promoting and taxi businesses. TLC fam was established in 2011 as a dance group until 2014 where they met distribution boys " they helps us with gqom tracks production since we were dancing with their gqom music." Dj Magic and Resto tried to learn to make their own TLC gqom in 2014 until now as TLC gqom hosts. Their sounds represents a strong, powerful Zulu culture from the sounds, lyrics of the songs to the song titles as well. The main producers Resto and Dj Magic created a very unique and original style of gqom, the strength of TLC is being as a real family where everybody help each others. TLC fam gqom is loud and powerful it can break your speakers which is why they play this out to packed dance floors till the early morning. TLC fam are the originator/creator of the Taxi Kick' style of Gqom which has a very particular distorted multi layered hard kick made with some specific techniques on fruity loops. The kick is made specifically for taxis in the townships and quickly became viral with the new generation of gqom and core tribe producers in Durban. "Our Gqom is so different from others cause we got our personal style where we put more vocals in our tracks and we got our own kicks (Taxi kick) and our own type of gqom where we came with hard kicks which you can play them in taxis and big speakers ". "We were just making music just for fun and fan cause here in Durban they didn't take gqom music as real music but now we saw lot of changes in the local scene" " What we need now is too see gqom music pay world wide and we need to be well known in other countries as we are the one of the gqom kings in South Africa" As usual here at Gqom Oh! we're super proud to put out this psychedelic hardcore gqom LP called Isbethelo seGqom which in Zulu means 'The Gqom hit'. It will be released a in a very special limited edition 12' in collaboration with HB production with special 3D graphic designs on the cover which you can check out with the glasses we have provided in each vinyl.

No-No 5 starts off with a deep clanking off-stepper pending from sub heavy bass rolling to spaceously round acid. B1 & B2 remixes by Norways techno old-schoolers Subtil: an ambient take first, then a tunneling & whirling techno remix. 4 track signature EP with versatile but very typical Club No-No sound!

On Kings Chambers sixth release Samo DJ brings his cheap Streetboxx sampler to Hidden Operators studio and they team up for some dancehall beat making and live mixing under the (obvious) name Streetboxxer.

Samo DJs releases on labels like L.I.E.S, The Trilogy Tapes, and of course his own Born Free label. But this ragga infused EP will not come as a surprise for those who have heard his excellent dancehall mix for Red Light Radio earlier this year.

INC. ROUTE 94 REMIX

Consistently unearthing a hotbed of new talent, Hot Creations next release is Back To The Music from DJ and producer Sooney. The release features two original tracks and a stellar remix from one of the biggest names in dance music, Route 94.
Title track Back To The Music is an exhilarating record shaped through melodic synths and keys alongside a sharp bassline. Route 94 strips back his remix to the bare groove. While the chugging beats of Afraid Of The Dark bring the release to an accomplished close.
London based Sooney fell in love with house, hardcore & jungle in the early 90's. In 2015 he set up his own label, Take Control Records, gaining support from the likes of Shadow Child, Jamie Jones and Gorgon City to name a few. Since being discovered by the Hot Creations family, Sooney's sights are firmly set on big things for 2017.
Fellow UK artist Route 94 shot into the limelight in 2012 with chart success and has since gone on to appear on labels including Virgin, Defected and Crosstown Rebels, and work with major names like Katy B and Jess Glynne.

AB2088 aka Andy Brown emerged from the shadows earlier this year with his critically acclaimed debut album 'Sagittarius' on Computer Club. TX0 follows up in the form of a mini LP and 7" single on CPU.

Brown has already shown his knack for crafting beautiful red planet-esque techno and this album galvanises his reputation. A number of different tempos and dystopian soundscapes can be found throughout, all held together with jacking TR style sequences.

After 2 EP's for Loxy's Cylon Recordings, Italian artist Last Life debuts on Samurai Music with 4 reduced reconstructions of contemporary Drum & Bass. The core of the Last Life sound revolves around spirited, stepping half time kick drums with shards of historic breakbeat treatments peppering the rhythm. An inherent bounce sets apart Last Life productions from many of his contemporaries. Those drawn to the sound of Clarity and Homemade Weapons will find the Nootka EP straddling a middle ground between their styles, but testament to this EP's shining identity is both these artists favouring tunes off the Nootka EP heavily in recent sets. Hammered by Homemade Weapons, Clarity, J:Kenzo, DJ Mantra, Presha and more.

Teklife's Taso, no stranger to Truth productions, features on the lead tune of the 3 track 12".

Negative Space is certainly essential: it's drum & bass at its purest, most potent form.' - Andrew Ryce / Resident Advisor 4.1 review

The debut Homemade Weapons LP 'Negative Space' is still fresh in peoples playlists after a unanimously acclaimed release, and has gone on to be used as a benchmark for D&B LP's that exist on the edges of the music's periphery. Combining function and form with equal emphasis, Negative Space is an LP full of tracks that DJ's play in clubs as opposed to being largely relegated to online mixes. To follow on from the LP, we selected 3 Samurai artists to rebuild their favourite tracks from Negative Space and have combined this with a Tidal Track VIP from Homemade Weapons made initially for his DJ sets. Ancestral Voices, The Untouchables, and Sam KDC all turn in unique interpretations.

Keeping true to the yin/yang approach of his 12's, martianMan gives you a glimpse into his ever-expanding universe with the release of Vol. 3. The impenetrable pads of Ion Storm strike the dark and uplifting in equal amounts. Disembodied chants and deep bass tremors give way to a thunderous Amen break, while hallucinatory synths swirl throughout the madness, just beyond reach. An intergalactic barnstormer in signature style.Tracy's Grunt, meanwhile, is built around a simple jazz loop, dripping with melancholy, backed in stark contrast to a loose, clattering funk kit. In ital comfort quickly becomes a beautiful descent into madness, where steady rhythms decay into warped electronics and bad-trip samples. A vividly painted lucid dream

Fresh off his stunning Petrichor / Grainform single, Thelem returns to Artikal, delivering his most substantial release thus far. The
'Haunted Harmonics' EP splits itself between the grime-influenced 'Haunted Harmonics' and cyber-badman riddim of 'Shottaz' while
stepping up the tempo to 170bpm with 'Forces of Nature''s agenda of agitation and the clinically paranoid 'Obsessions'.
Haunted Harmonics unfolds like a demented Eski beat with squashed rudebwoy synths grafted to the rhythmic frame as a neon
melodic line gets refracted into various shapes and permutations. A hip-hop indebted bass line carries all the micro-level details, till it
all dissipates into a sound-collage of field recordings from various places, but most prominently a pre-recorded telephone message.
The Babylon crumbling war drums of Forces of Nature open with snippets of a Rastafari portent regarding the sinners of the world
before augmented with tastefully spliced amen breaks and dark-side swipes.Blooming from delicately creeping pads and punctuated by rudebwoy threats, Shottaz explodes into a bio-mechanical steppa geared with hyper-surreal sound design, creating a constantly shifting mechanism of soundsystem destruction. Trapist percussion keeps things clipped and serious.
Obsessions is a heads down roller possessing the shark-eyed mission to add a little bit of paranoia to the dance. Scuttling percussion flick and glimmer over reinforced moaning caustic synths and hard as nails swerving subs. Featured on Rinse FM playlist and DJ support from J:Kenzo, Youngsta, Icicle, Jubei, Amit, OM Unit & N-Type.

The Darkness At Dawn EP channels a dystopian wild west from the Astral Plane, a blurred out trip into subdued euphoria, pitched amens, darkcore stabs and psychedelic blues drenched dub.

Released on digital and heavyweight (180g) black vinyl, shrink wrapped and housed in a full art reverse board sleeve featuring an original illustration by artist and label owner Alex Eveson (Dead Man's Chest)

(DJ normal 4 ft 4 Boom Hombre Lobo MixX)

After a short break from their release schedule, MDNGHT return with a two- track offering from London based newcomer Kouslin with his debut release 'Suga's Drums'. Citing major influences from the Bristol bass music scene, the young beatsmith delivers a rhythmic-lead sound fashioned with a healthy dose of tribal sequencing. One for the club!

In the year 2053, two Japanese musical explorers by the names of Katsuyoshi and Yousuke,
travelled to the city of Breda in the Netherlands. Whilst drinking beers in a park near the train station, they stumbled upon an old, partially decayed USB stick, hidden behind a trashcan. With USB technology being long absolete by then, they had no way of checking what was on there until returning back home to Tokyo, where Yousuke still had a MacBook from around the turn of the century tucked away under his bed. After retreiving the data, the stick turned out to contain two 128kbps MP3s of unreleased Coco Bryce material. Utilizing an extensive and painstaking radiocarbon dating procedure, they managed to pinpoint the production date to the Spring of 2017.

The Tokyo natives then proceeded to reverse the MP3s back to their initial WAV format via state of the art 2053 audio technology, and emailed them to Richy at Binary Feedback, who subjected the files to a spot of mastering. Richy immediately recognised the tunes from a series of YouTube ID request videos that had been doing the rounds for the previous 36 years. Being the shrewd business man that he is, he decided to contact Rick Sanchez, who in turn teletransported the tracks back to 2017, dropping them off at an undisclosed Dutch pressing plant. Romanian visual artist Raw Parigi was contacted to sort out the labels, after which the records were pressed up and distributed to shops across the globe, hopefully making their way into the homes of hundreds of jungle and drumfunk enthusiasts worldwide. Amen.

The latest release from Bjarki Runar's bbbbbb label sees Bjarki delving back into his vast archives and shines a light on a bizarre detour during the early days of the label that involved
a peculiar commission from the Icelandic state. Bjarki introduces the story; 'It was back in 2015 and we were only just putting together the original plans towards making bbbbbb a label. While this was happening, I got a call from a friend who was
working for a local tech start-up and marketing company. They'd been contacted by the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture who came to them with a weird proposition.
They were looking at the idea of marketing Icelandic lamb as this user-exclusive commodity for high end restaurants, the same way they do with Kobe beef in Japan. His marketing company was going all in with this idea of creating an elite herd of sheep that would get the 5-star treatment - fresh food and beer, shampoo and geothermal baths for their fleece, and entertainment such as TV and music for when they were in the hills. That's where I came in'. The initial meeting between Bjarki and the marketeers however didn't go as smoothly as they hoped; 'When I met my friend and his team, they were going to have music pumped through a series of remote speakers across the hillside' Bjarki explains. 'But when they showed me what they were going to play to them, I almost fell of my chair laughing! It was all this
cheesy, easy listening, orchestral Icelandic bullshit. I said to them 'This is nonsense! Why are you bringing me into this project if that's all you're going to be playing' In the end, I told
them I would completely redo all the sounds and music they were going to be using. I was going to drag the Icelandic sheep into the 21st Century'. Bjarki was as good as his word. Over the summer of 2015, he spent several weeks at farm
locations near Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Reykholtsdalur, walking the hills and playing a variety of sounds and beats to various flocks of sheep to see what the best approach was. It
was tough going at first; 'At the beginning, I was working totally blind', Bjarki explains. 'Imean how can you possibly know what sort of modern music and sounds Icelandic sheep
would go for' But Bjarki persevered and he found certain sounds and tones made the sheep more active and engaged.
From this point, he began to make tracks that would encapsulate what the lambs were drawn to the most. 'A track like Soda 'Sugarlicious' for example, came about when I started
playing Candy Crush on the hillside. As I kept playing, the sheep began to gather around me showing interest in the bright chintzy sounds coming from my laptop and that deep voice that
would keep speaking to you. I simply put together a track that was all shiny colours and heavy on the chimes. The sheep fucking loved it!' A track like 'Drab' meanwhile was suited
for less sunny moments. 'I got caught in a nasty rainstorm, so I started playing these synth lines I had made, along with an improvised kick drum. The mix of the softness of the tones
along with the hit of the bass cased the sheep to follow me all the way back to the farm I was staying at. The farmer wasn't too impressed with that, but the flock was completely
hypnotized'. In the end Bjarki, amassed several tracks ranging from soft ambient to gnarly hardcore bangers to present to the Ministry. But in the end, they decided not to go with the whole
proposal. 'These people were fools', Bjarki says. 'They just couldn't get their heads around doing something completely different, that was a bit of fun yes, but was completely done in a
serious manner. We all spent weeks doing this stuff so yeah, it was a bit gutting'. In the end though, there is a silver lining to this story as these efforts were not wasted for we can now hear the best of Bjarki's efforts from this admittedly weird project on a limited 12'release that marks a storming 2017 for the bbbbbb label.

Shaneera is the English mispronunciation of the Arabic word shanee'a, literally meaning "outrageous, nefarious, hideous, major and foul.' In one iteration of the word, as queer slang used in Kuwait and some Arab countries, a positive and desirable light is shed on these attributes. Shaneera refers to a gender-defying persona, of being an evil queen. You know a Shaneera when you behold one. Over five energetic club tracks, Al Qadiri explores this dark-sided character with friends Bobo Secret (the leading vocalist on the record), Lama3an, Chaltham, and Naygow, in their debut recorded appearance. The lyrics are suggestive, imploring, shady and loving, some original and some re-recorded material from Grindr chats, online drag and femme comedy skits. The language is a mixture of Kuwaiti and Egyptian Arabic, and one Iraqi proverb, Sonically, the record combines Khaleeji (Arab Gulf), Western drum kits and Arabesque melodies. On the cover, Al Qadiri appears as Shaneera, her evil extreme femme alter ego, the design inspired by stale pop diva record cover imagery from the Arab world. Conceptually, the EP follows Al Qadiri's long term exploration of gender identity and performance in the Gulf. Her natural look, at odds with the conventional presentation and performance of femininity in the region, is transformed on the cover into a maximum femme look inspired by a mid 2000s Kuwaiti trend of extreme makeup. What would pass at a cursory glance as femme drag was actually the norm at a specific time in Kuwaiti women's fashion. 'Shaneera' the record lands somewhere in an undisclosed setting and is a love letter to evil and benevolent queens around the world.