Unknown to western audiences until relatively recently, Muqata’a is an institution in his native Palestine. As one of the first Palestinian artists to play and promote hip hop, he was a founder member of the Ramallah Underground collective, and continues to promote the culture through parties and releases, celebrating creativity in the face of adversity. Muqata’a’s predilection is for twisted beats and unconventional rhythms, that transcend the shallow limits of genre. The music he features in his sets is at once danceable and abstract, focused and surprising, and always wary of falling into the trap of orientalization. As the first Palestinian artist to play Sónar in its 26 year history, we’re excited to see what he brings to SonarXS.

soundcloud.com/muqataa