Recorded live on the final day of Sónar by Day, SonarMix 048 by Jehia is a reminder of just how many ways there are to warm up a crowd. After coaxing us to the front with the snake-charmer riddim of Muslimgauze’s ‘Cairopraktar’, the young Egyptian artist - now based in Barcelona - delivered a moody set of distorted bass, blown-out beats and wild bursts of percussion.

“I prepared something pretty dark and heavy, considering the time I was performing,” he reflects. “I gave it a lot of thought, but at the end of the day, that's what I enjoy playing, and that's the essence of Sónar, so I embraced it.”

It’s a treat for all lovers of adventurous and unconventional club music, an exploration of the margins of electronic music. Radical, borderless and liberative, it also traces the Jehia's musical and personal geography. There’s a joyously violent blend of the Lee Gamble remix of Egyptian producer ZULI’s anthemic ‘Trigger Finger’ with Slikback’s ‘ARMOR’; a shout-out to his friends at Jokkoo Collective with an unreleased bassbin destroyer from B4MBA; and chaotic Cairo noise by 3Phaz. But the most striking moment comes from another Egyptian artist, just over halfway through. The dancefloor was stunned into stationary silence as Rozzma’s plaintive, mournful autotuned vocals cut through the noise and distortion.

It’s moments like that which make Jehia such a special DJ. His ability to pace a mix with such wild shifts in tempo and texture, and create an emotional, personal narrative using such punishing material is rare, especially for such a young artist. If you didn’t get to see him at Sónar this year, one listen to SonarMix 048 should put him firmly on your watchlist.  

Tracklist:

Muslimgauze - Cairopraktar


Tunnidge - Eyes Of Fear


Tazo Meipariani - I Have To Remember My Dreams

Tadleeh - Ruba Meta


HVAD - Attention Seeker (Final Exit)


Hyph11E - Barnacles


TAR - ASHRAR RMX

MUN SING - Eye


Osheyack - Not Me (KABLAM Remix)


3Phaz - Babababababawar

Hyph11E - Encrust

Dj Raph - Chant Of The Umuhara

Rozzma - Seeb Nafsak

Maral - joonie’s jam

B4MBA - ARM4G3DON (unreleased)

Hyph11e - Tinnitus

Overlook & Karim Maas - Heart Of Darkness

ZULI - Trigger Finger (Lee Gamble Remix)

Slikback - ARMOR

Evitceles - Entwined

Ssaliva - Slender