Drowned By Locals Vinyl, CD & Tape 9 Items

In Kasimyn's own words, the phrase "bunyi Bunyi Tumbal" signifies a "Synthetic Feeling for Anonymous Sacrifice," encompassing the emotions born out of a deep dive into the Indonesian war archives. These archives include a trove of photographs documenting the era of Dutch rule, captured through the lens of the colonizers themselves. It is from this point of departure that the project Hulubalang was born.

Hulubalang's gaze is drawn to the peripheral figures populating these historical records. These secondary characters, devoid of individual significance, bear no names, receive no recognition, and serve as props in the broader narrative of history. Simultaneously, they become indispensable instruments in acquiring "lessons learned" from the perspectives of both the victors and the vanquished. Within this framework, the notion of Tumbal, the non-belligerent "sacrifice," assumes a weight surpassing its translation. Tumbal neither acts as a victim nor martyrs itself for its cause. It hauntingly reminds us of the systemic curse perpetually engendering disillusionment.

Bunyi Bunyi Tumbal is a personal act of catharsis stemming from a long lineage of anger. It stands as a tribute to a village whose ritualistic dance, one night, was disrupted by external forces, causing the tune to shatter and leaving the dance caught in a space between innocence and pain.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

Artist Bio

Aditya Surya Taruna (aka Kasimyn) is one half of the Indonesian electronic duo Gabbar Modus Operandi known for their acclaimed records Puxxximaxxx and Hoxxxya (out via Yes No Wave and Svbkvlt, respectively) and overwhelming, hyper-active and unprecedented live experiences which have made them a popular act on several festivals of experimental music. In 2022, Kasimyn contributed with beats on Björk's latest album, Fossora, featured on three tracks: "Atopos", "Trölla-Gabba", and "Fossora", joined Björk on stage in Tokyo, Japan in March 2023 as part of her live tour Cornucopia, and appears on two of her album's music videos Atopos and Fossara. After joining Björk on her Cornucopia tour in Japan, Kasimyn is announcing his solo album on Drowned by Locals under his new project Hulubalang.

Text for Album by Riar Rizaldi (translated from Indonesian)

Kusnah walked slowly on the edge of a sand dune, across the coastline. It's safer here, she thought. On the horizon she saw a mirage, a fata morgana. In her mind, thinking of fata morgana as a destination is a better objective than the fact that she has to stay and live in the village: her body is needed for offerings, perhaps for the gods who are thirsty for the anatomy of human body or for the cults of development that is built by blood and the construction of fractured human bones. Perhaps as a political sacrifice too. For her, in a landscape where politics is intertwined with zoē, that's where the world really is at work.

While gazing at the piles of oysters on the beach, in her head she heard a peculiar party music with dank beats and messy strings. An umwelt. This was a victory song that she often plays loud in her mind when she feels defeated—however, not losing, but giving in. In her life, she spent more time giving in. She looked at the pile of oysters. Why do humans see oysters as lowly creatures compared to more advanced species like them? Oh more precisely, she remembered Plato's comparison of a hedonist man with an oyster. Live only in the moment of the here and now.

But Kusnah felt she was a hedonist. She lives for the here and now. She lives not for progress. To hell with the progress and development. She lives to experience time. She lives for jouissance. So for her, Plato had a point. As she looked at the oyster again very carefully, the weird music in her head transmitted louder and louder. She asked herself: as hedonist animals who just stay quiet and experience the waves, do these oysters also have music that revolves around their bodies and makes them feel victorious amidst an ocean of defeats?

Kusnah's gaze grew intense. From behind, came the sound of human footsteps running in a crowd. One, two, three, four the familiar sound of boots stomping. Five, six, seven, the clapping of ugly flip-flops. The fata morgana on the sand dune was instantly broken up by a bloodthirsty mob. As time went on, she heard faint screams. "That's her!" sounds vague but firm. The steps became louder. The music in Kusnah's head played louder. It didn't take long for her to start dancing. Like a possessed ghost, many people say. She wasn't in a trance, she was just enjoying the music playing in her head. Tens of people started to look in high-definition when Kusnah opened her eyelids.

"We will offer you to the gods of progress!" shouted the men with machetes and cleavers in their hands. Kusnah dances like she is out-of-body possessed. "Come on! Take her!" the men rushed to Kusnah, carrying ropes to tie her up. Kusnah smiled widely, while unable to control her dancing body.

"Take my body, but I will never share the hulubalang that roars in my mind!"

Kusnah's head separated from her body, right after she shouted those words.

Riar Rizaldi
Written while listening to Hulubalang's first album

Original Text:

Kusnah berjalan lamban di tepi gumuk pasir, di sebrang pesisir pantai. Di sini lebih aman pikirnya. Di garis horizon dia melihat hamparan fata morgana. Di pikirannya fata morgana jauh lebih baik sebagai tujuan ketimbang dia harus diam dan menetap di desa: tubuhnya diperlukan untuk persembahan, mungkin buat para dewa-dewa yang haus akan anatomi dan spirit dari human being atau buat pembangunan yang dibangun oleh darah dan konstruksi tulang-tulang. Mungkin juga sebagai tumbal politik. Pikirnya, di tempat dimana politik berkelindan dengan nyawa, disitu dunia betul-betul sedang bekerja.

Sambil menatap nanar tumpukan tiram di pesisir pantai, di kepalanya terdengar musik-musik pesta dengan dentuman nakal dan dawai berantakan. Sebuah umwelt. Lagu-lagu kemenangan yang sering ia putar keras-keras dipikirannya ketika ia merasa kalah. Bukan kalah, tapi mengalah. Dalam hidupnya, terlalu banyak waktu dia bagi untuk mengalah. Dia melihat tumpukan tiram dengan miris. Dia berpikir keras mengapa manusia melihat tiram sebagai makhluk rendahan dibandingkan species lebih advance seperti manusia, oh lebih tepatnya, dia mengingat perkataan Plato bahwa manusia hedonist sama saja dengan seekor tiram. Hidup hanya dalam momen hari ini dan saat ini.

Tapi Kusnah merasa ia adalah manusia hedonist. Dia hidup untuk hari ini dan saat ini. Dia hidup bukan untuk progress. Persetan dengan progress dan pembangunan pikirnya. Dia hidup untuk menikmati waktu. Dia hidup untuk bersenang-senang. Jadi baginya, Plato ada benarnya. Sambil melihat lagi si tiram dengan sangat teliti, lagu-lagu di kepalanya terdengar semakin nyaring. Dia bertanya pada dirinya sendiri: sebagai hewan hedonist yang hanya diam dan menikmati deburan ombak, apakah para tiram ini juga memiliki musik yang berputar dalam tubuhnya dan membuat merasa menang diantara lautan kekalahan?

Tatapan Kusnah semakin intense. Dari belakang terdengar bunyi suara langkah manusia-manusia berlari bergerombolan. Satu, dua, tiga, empat bunyi familiar sepatu lars. Lima, enam, tujuh bunyi derap sendal jepit. Fata morgana di gumuk pasir buyar seketika diterobos gerombolan haus darah. Semakin lama semakin ia dengar samar-samar suara teriakan. "Itu dia orangnya!" terdengar sayup-sayup tapi mengeras. Langkah-langkah itu semakin kencang. Musik di kepala Kusnah pun semakin kencang terdengar. Tak butuh waktu lama hingga ia mulai menari. Seperti orang kesurupan kalau kata banyak orang. Tapi dia tidak kesurupan, dia hanya menikmati musik yang berputar dikepalanya. Berpuluh-puluh orang mulai terlihat secara high-definition ketika Kusnah membuka kelopak matanya.

"Akan kami persembahkan kamu kepada para dewa pembangunan!" teriak para lelaki dengan parang dan golok ditangannya. Kusnah menari seperti kerasukan. "Ayo! Tangkap dia" para lelaki itu bergegas mendatangi Kusnah, membawa tali tambang untuk mengikat dirinya. Kusnah tersenyum lebar, sambil tidak bisa berhenti menari.

"Ambil tubuhku, tapi aku tidak akan pernah membagikan hulubalang yang mengaum di dipikiranku!"

Kepala Kusnah terpisah dari badannya, persis setelah dia meneriakkan kalimat tersebut.

Riar Rizaldi

Ditulis ketika mendengarkan album pertama dari Hulubalang.

Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon features Cheb Terro's posthumous vocals on Die Soon's beats; a work that was finished one day before Terro's tragic passing. Starting somewhere in the last quarter of 2020, having approached Daisuke Imamura aka DJ Die Soon for a release, and just heard about Cheb Terro's work with his Toxic Club, Drowned By Locals made the hook up that would result in a match made in the Underplanet, as Terro would describe it.

Hailing from the city of Sousse in Tunisia, the site of the worst of several Jihadist attacks in recent years, Cheb Terro's writings and delivery embody the violence stemming from the frustration shared by Tunisia's new generation; and reflect sadness, rebellion and an obsession with death.

Rayen Hermassi, aka Cheb Terro, was a multifaceted artist; writer, rapper, video editor, designer and founder of Toxic Club, the first Tunisian movement to merge horrorcore, hip hop, hardcore punk, Memphis gangster rap, devil shyt, vaporware, tinged with occult elements taken from the country's mystic past.

Daisuke Imamura is a Berlin-based artist born in Japan. His releases include 'Kappa Slap' [Morphine Records], in which Die Soon collaborates with Ecko Bazz, Infinite Livez, MC Yallah, Lord Spikeheart from Duma, and MA; and his latest production for Sekelembele split with Swordman Kitala [Hakuna Kulala].

In commemoration of the too-soon departed Rayen Hermassi, Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon is planned to release on March 25th, 2022, the day of Rayen's passing, on digital and vinyl - Mastered by Rashad Becker.

Rayen Hermassi's share of proceeds will go to his family.

released March 25, 2022

Music and cover art by Daisuke Imamura
Vocals and lyrics by Rayen Hermassi
Mastered by Rashad Becker

Dbl10lp

Patrick Clarke | The Quietus | The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022
https://thequietus.com/articles/31727-the-quietus-best-albums-mid-2022
Matador Recommends | Playlist by Matador Records
https://spoti.fi/3yayJRC
Zoe Camp | Bandcamp Daily | Essential Releases
https://bit.ly/3FXDbGV
Emna Maaref | Ma3azef |شب تيرو ودي جاي داي سون(Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon) Review
https://bit.ly/3sKA7Za
Toxic Club | Nika7 Official Video Premiere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUHaC2KoDw
Noel Gardner | The Wire — Issue 458 | Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon Album Review
https://bit.ly/3loBBUO
Gonzo (circus) — Mind The Gap 154 | Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon - Pine Review
https://www.gonzocircus.com/mind-the-gap-154/
Clot Magazine | Underplanet Official Video Premiere
https://bit.ly/39xZGWK
Nyshka Chandran | Resident Advisor | Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon - Abtal AL Digital Single Review
https://ra.co/reviews/34696
Ransom Note | Posthumous record from Cheb Terro alongside DJ DIE Soon set for release
https://bit.ly/3yJDpjn
Tom Ravenscroft | BBC Radio 6 Music
https://bbc.in/3G4JpVl

ciccio bomba cannoniere (chunky monkey)
Is the sound weapon of the A-zienda rthz, illustrated by the render called M.E.R.I.C.O.O. (Erect, rechargeable intelligent machine with organic dog) This project of a definitive media A-ssailant presents all the necessary elements for the domination of social hierarchies:
trace of a human face for identification
a stalker server for omnipresence in digital field
a system of locomotion for moving in any field
a genetically modified dog for keeping counterfeiters away
comfy clothes and an M60 around the neck
The name derives from an A-ncestor rthz called Merico. Police officer who in the late 1800s left a tavern and rode on the back of his mule Cina with the objective of stopping a train so that he could light his cigar. And this happened. Merico was then tried and dishonourably discharged.
- rathauz, translated from Italian -
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"*warning In my research for this piece I downloaded an app I found buried in the press release, drove around an airfield as a wolfman with a rifle, then unlocked a wrestling concept album on Youtube by jumping towards the light, became a subscriber for 20 Euros a year to get access to exclusive content and almost bought 5 grams of dirt harvested from the area surrounding the Rathauz studio.*

ciccio bomba cannoniere is a gateway drug, a gateway into the cybernetic multimedia cvlt of Rathauz.
And while a physical release might run counter to the insanely futuristic drive of the Rathauz, it's probably the album of the year so buckle up.

For the uninitiated the A side might play out like merely the best goddam side of actually fun techno you've heard in 2020s. Rollicking acidic galompers. Tbh most techno can get in the bin these days but this swinging evil continuum championed by Acidic Male / Giant Swan / Missterspoon is more than right by us. Rathauz add internet dial up noises, reggaeton shuffle, distorted screams and frayed EBM arps into this heady heady mix, showing they're about twice as interesting as the top 10 techno on Bandcamp already. Seriously RA would be creaming themselves to hit the recommend button if they could grow a spine in the office between them.

But Then side B gets rolling with boom baps and distorted guitars in a kinda frat-trap circle pit. This is the sound online Rathauz disciples know and love; electro-punk-trap-pop twisted genius. Their scifi vision and demented humour reminds us most closely of our beloved Kinlaw & Franco Franco if Franco had spent more time living in Milanese squats. Policepunk=S.W.A.T. is classic anarcho scuzz hxc on speed and trap and.....maybe Show Me The Body albums and not enough sleep. Venetia-monitor rips off the riff to Smells Like Teen Spirit in glorious Midi chaos. TLC is the most fun you can have in 2 minutes.

After listening we have only one question: Where ARE THE Techno Punx Making Actual Fucking Punk EH? And why not do it on the same album?

Cos you are never gonna get to crowdsurf at Tresor, kid. The bouncers will make you disappear and you Will miss your flight back to Kansas.

God bless Drowned By Locals.
Vinyl with printed sleeve (with the best art you've probably ever seen)."

- Miles Opland, Rwdfwd -
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A-Biography (translated from Italian)
RAT is the surname Hauz is the survival place, we make house music in the municipality of the web like the pharmaceutical industry.

Rathauz is the A-zienda or company that produces perceptible frequencies from its works in reinforced concrete located in a farming plot forever ploughed and fertilised, the whole area surrounded by barbed wire. You can visit the works through A-ndroid A-pplication A-zugo ( play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rthz.Azugo&gl=IT&fbclid=IwAR3VKIQzcLIoipGeeEBpGkE6vJg0NXC6MGe9_Ev6X5aRFi_W2gp8xN_n7iE ). Its workers have been embedded into the factory's walls and their names disappear absorbed in the structure. When they A-ppear they always wear their A-gro wear; wrestler shirts (emblems of expository hyperreality). In their productions they insert their singular individuality and relativistic abilities merging into a single quantum machine. They are the perfect emblem of the band: two brothers who share blood (a-), surname (Rat) and produce frequencies made at home (house music) but are almost always in conflict. Often during the A-ssembling of the frequencies they A-ttack each other as was reconstructed in WRESTLA-live, each product is then a derivation of a complex human skimming. Rathauz is focused A-utonomously on the primary sector, secondary, tertiary everything in the quaternary. They sow, grow, distil, peddle and often are the first consumers of the complexity of the material, creating their own A-utarchic world. They compete with other international labels but while those are associations made of many identities with different styles (the many Artists), Rathauz is the assembly of any frequential style recast by a single unique A-rtistic individualism, which has to overcome such role becoming the inhumane machine that produces and exports. The A-zienda only exists in relation to the A-utoproduction of the media, everything is developed only by the two laboratories. Both have productive activities in full with their identifiable subjective relativisms and these are not secondary but coexistent with the A-zienda A-ctivity. While the single A-'s (both laboratories with their own identities) work in a global context, Rathauz is simultaneously and exclusively dedicated to the cultural, media and technological development of the Italian state. This doesn't mean productions are inferior or superior but of a certain quality that differs from the products of individuals. The themes of both representatives in their individualistic projects are the visions of two Europeans squashed by imported capitalism and globalisation while Rathauz gathers the traditions and cultural movements of a particular region of Italy, Veneto, under the influence and the techniques of an imported capitalism and globalisation. Either when displaying their individual identities and when they act as the A-zienda, they confront a global context, but if they happen to emerge with their individualism of relative beings on the sea of international connection, the A-zienda is always the maker of a locally defined product, precise and calculated, which does not deny the inspiration but refines it to the limits of incomprehensible complexity. The A-zienda is a company that produces product (a metaphor for the identity of any artist under a label) but ultimately being the A-rtist as well, there are no thematic links or expressive limits, that is within the view of Italian cultural implantation in many demographic A-spects. The name Rathauz is the union of two concepts rat and hauz as A-forementioned, and yet the Anglosaxon A-nti-Italian sound that emerges recalls the great capitalist Corporations. Before launching the project Rathauz we had to clear the road as Rat-truppen. We fought club after club, we broke moulds with too-powerful basses, moshing where it was previously culturally inadmissible (only white shirts). With our dj-sets we imported the sound textures that later became the culture that "A-cquired value". Rathauz and many like it. As we moved from record to record many evenings a week we continued to produce a sound material yet to be emitted and which later contributed to lay the groundwork for the stable A-zienda. The first A-bsolute A-lbum we produced was in *2003 "Music Fear" (both laboratories had 8 and 12 years respectively) and this was the real starting point seeped in electronic textures, house and Drum'nBass and you can hear a first example of modern Base Trap, where we created a rap beat with a horror sample and used a distorted kick.
P.S.:
Usually as in the case of track 3030 (which deserves pages of in-depth A-nalysis), the sound is not only the basis but it is linked to the themes of production and later happened to become a sound standard as in the case of hdma where the distorted bass we came up with was an emulation of the stereo system at maximum volume of A- friend's car.

Original text by rathauz:
ciccio bomba cannoniere
È l'arma sonora dell'A-zienda rthz, illustrata con il render di M.E.R.I.C.C.O. (Macchina, eretta, ricaricabile, intelligente con cane organico). Questo progetto di definitivo A-ssaltatore mediatico presenta tutti gli elementi necessari alla dominazione delle gerarchie sociali:

parvenza di viso umano per l'identificazione

Uno stalker server per l'onnipresenza su campo digitale

Un sitema di locomozione per muoversi su ogni campo

Un cane geneticamente modificato per non lasciare avvicinare alteratori

Abiti comodi e al collo un M60

Il nome deriva da un A-ntenato rthz chiamato Merico. Carabiniere che a fine '800 uscì dall'osteria e salì in groppa della sua cavalla Cina con l'obbiettivo di fermare un treno per farsi accendere un sigaro. E ciò avvenne. Merico fu poi processato e congedato con disonore.

A-biography
"Ing: RAT is the surname Hauz is the survival place, we make house music in the municipio della rete like the industrie farmaceutiche."
Rathauz è l'A-zienda che produce frequenze percepibili dal suo stabilimento in cemento armato situato in un campo agricolo perennemente arato e concimato, tutta l'area è circondata da filo
spinato. E' possibile visitare lo stabilimento tramite l'A-pplicazione per Android A-zugo (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rthz.Azugo&gl=IT&fbclid=IwAR3VKIQzcLIoipGeeEBpGkE6vJg0NXC6MGe9_Ev6X5aRFi_W2gp8xN_n7iE). I lavoratori sono stati inglobati
nelle pareti della fabbrica e i loro nomi singoli scompaiono assorbiti dalla struttura. QuandoA-ppaiono indossano sempre la loro divisaAziendale; maglie di wrestler (emblema dell'iperrealtà espositiva). Nelle produzioni inseriscono le loro singole individualità e le loro relativistiche abilità fondendosi in un unica macchina quantica. Sono l'emblema perfetto della band: due fratelli che condividono sangue (a-), cognome (Rat) e producono frequenze fatte in casa (house music) ma sono quasi sempre in contrasto. Spesso durante l'A-ssemblamento frequenziale fannoA-botte come è stato ricostruito in WRESTLA-live, ogni prodotto è quindi derivazione di una complessa scrematura umana. Rathauz si occupa in modoA-utonomo del settore primario, secondario, terziario tutto nel quaternario. Coltivano, lavorano, raffinano, smerciano e spesso ne sono i primi fruitori data la complessità del materiale, creando il loro mondoA-parte. Competono con le altre etichette internazionali ma mentre esse sono associazioni con all'interno più identità con diversi stili separati tra loro ( i vari Artisti), Rathauz è l'assemblamento di qualsiasi stile frequenziale rielaborato da un solo ed unico individualismoA-rtista, che deve superare tale ruolo diventando anche l'inumana macchina che produce ed esporta. L'A-zienda esiste solo in base all'A-utoproduzione dei media, tutto viene svolto solo dai due lavoratori. Essi hanno entrambi attività produttive in proprio con i i loro relativismi soggettivi identificabili e tali non sono secondarie ma coesistenti all'A-ttività A-ziendale. Mentre i singoliA-( i due lavoratori con le proprie identità) lavorano in contesto globale, rathauz è parallelamente e prettamente dedito allo sviluppo culturale, mediatico e tecnologico dello stato Italiano. Ciò non significa che le produzioni siano inferiori o superiori ma di un certo tipo di qualità che risulta differente dai prodotti dei singoli. Le tematiche dei due esponenti nei loro individualistici progetti sono la visione di due europei pressati da un capitalismo e un globalizzazione importata mentre Rathauz raccoglie le tradizioni i movimenti culturali di una determinata regione d'Italia, Veneto, sotto l'influsso e le tecniche di un capitalismo e una globalizzazione importata. Sia quando hanno le loro identità singole che quando sono l'A-zienda si confrontano con un contesto globale ma se in un caso emergono con il loro individualismo di essere relativo a galla nel mare della connessione internazionale, l'A-zienda è sempre fautrice di un prodotto localmente definito, preciso e calcolato che non nega l'ispirazione ma la raffina a limiti di incomprensibile complessità. L'Azienda è un'azienda che produce prodotti (metafora dell'identità di qualsiasi artista in una etichetta) ma essendo comunque direttamente anche l'A-rtista non vi sono vincoli di tematiche o limiti espressivi, sempre però nell'ottica dell'implentazione culturale italiana in variAspetti demografici. Il nome Rathauz é unione di due concetti rat e hauz come giàA-ffermato prima, tuttavia il suono AnglosassoneA-ntItaliano che emerge richiama le grandi Corporation capitalistiche. Prima di avviare il progetto Rathauz Abbiamo dovuto spianare la strada come Rattruppen. Abbiamo combattuto club per club, rotto impianti per via di bassi troppo potenti, pogato in luoghi dove prima era culturalmente inammissibile (solo camicie bianche). Con i nostri dj-set abbiamo importato le sonorità che poi sono divenute la cultura che ha potuto "Apprezzare" Rathauz e vari simili. Mentre ci muovevamo di disco in disco facendo varie serate ogni settimana continuavamo a produrre materiale sonoro tutt'ora non rilasciato che ha contribuito poi a fornire le fondamenta dallo stabileA-ziendale. Il primoA-lbum inA-ssoluto che abbiamo prodotto è stato nel *2003 "Music Fear" (i due lavoratori avevano rispettivamente 8 e 12 anni) ed è stato il primo vero punto di partenza in quanto in mezzo a sonorità elettroniche, house e Drum'nBass si può ascoltare un primo esempio di Base Trap moderna, dove abbiamo creato un beat rap con un campionamento horror e usato kick distorti.
P.S:
Spesso come nel caso della traccia 3030 (che meriterebbe pagine diApprofondimento), il suono non è solo base ma legato alle tematiche della produzione e poi casualmente diviene culturalmente uno standard sonoro come nel caso hdma dove il basso distorto che abbiamo ideato era un'emulazione delle stereo a volume estremo dell'auto di un nostroA-mico.

Warped and dragged through the murky underbelly of the Levantine underground comes 'Volume 1' the x-rated left-field debut from the pseudonymous DJ Gawad.
Via pitched up vocals dripping with delay, DJ Gawad takes us on a tour of the region's most urgent artists, his interjections oscillating between cocky boast and frustrated lament.
Through this new persona, DJ Gawad pulls back the curtain to reveal himself as the protagonist of the mixtape-like album, as replete with features as it is with expletives, an enigmatic ghoul in the back of the studio with an endless supply of broken sample flips, giving the album its old school feel while still speaking to contemporary hip hop aesthetics.
A Jordanian/Palestinian Memphis gangster rap parody par excellence, the album is infused with satirical commentary on the state of the contemporary music scene, yet DJ Gawad shows as much as he tells, expertly fashioning a sound that makes you wonder about the identity of the artist behind the braggadocious persona of the self-titled "best producer in the Middle East."
Drawing heavily from the Memphis rap mixtapes of the mid 1990s, DJ Gawad has clearly identified the same brooding atmosphere in his own surroundings. On Mat3'anish (feat. Bleng & Fara7) DJ Gawad makes his most explicit reference to the Memphis sound, twisting the hallmark cowbells that defined that movement to reflect the equally raw nature of his own setting.
Similarly, in Bandana (feat. Jurum), DJ Gawad finds the perfect tension between his romantic sampling tendencies and the brutal sensibilities of his featured artist. As if liberated by DJ Gawad's anonymity and irreverence, his menagerie of artists appear to have been emboldened, embracing the obscene free naturedness of the album, setting their lyrical prowess free to wander.
No expense was spared in the post production treatment of DJ Gawad's debut, with Iraqi-American artist Mark Gergis incorporating the Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck in the mastering process, as is evidenced by the crisp saturation of the album's sonics.
▄︻デ══━一 ........................... - 一 一 ................. - - 一 .......... 一
DJ Gawad, the self-proclaimed "best producer in the Middle East", is the pseudonymous persona of the Arab artist, pioneer, philosopher and lover. The anonymity grants him complete artistic freedom to pursue his creative endeavors in full. DJ Gawad embarked on a journey from the West to the East to collaborate with local left-field rap artists in the region to produce this masterful debut, released on Drowned By Locals.
DJ Gawad Presents: Volume 1 is his first feature album, and he will continue releasing more projects under this moniker. Stay tuned.
released August 1, 2024
Producer: DJ Gawad
Vocals and Lyrics: Tony Bleng, Fara7, rknddn, Julmud, Movenwomen, MrF13, Twinkie, Jurum
Master: Mark Gergis
Kingpin & Executive Producer: Sukk-Leil
Artwork: 3YN
Video: Hamada DVD & Dr. MP$
Text: Nihal El Aasar
Dbl27ct

Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon features Cheb Terro's posthumous vocals on Die Soon's beats; a work that was finished one day before Terro's tragic passing. Starting somewhere in the last quarter of 2020, having approached Daisuke Imamura aka DJ Die Soon for a release, and just heard about Cheb Terro's work with his Toxic Club, Drowned By Locals made the hook up that would result in a match made in the Underplanet, as Terro would describe it.

Hailing from the city of Sousse in Tunisia, the site of the worst of several Jihadist attacks in recent years, Cheb Terro's writings and delivery embody the violence stemming from the frustration shared by Tunisia's new generation; and reflect sadness, rebellion and an obsession with death.

Rayen Hermassi, aka Cheb Terro, was a multifaceted artist; writer, rapper, video editor, designer and founder of Toxic Club, the first Tunisian movement to merge horrorcore, hip hop, hardcore punk, Memphis gangster rap, devil shyt, vaporware, tinged with occult elements taken from the country's mystic past.

Daisuke Imamura is a Berlin-based artist born in Japan. His releases include 'Kappa Slap' [Morphine Records], in which Die Soon collaborates with Ecko Bazz, Infinite Livez, MC Yallah, Lord Spikeheart from Duma, and MA; and his latest production for Sekelembele split with Swordman Kitala [Hakuna Kulala].

In commemoration of the too-soon departed Rayen Hermassi, Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon is planned to release on March 25th, 2022, the day of Rayen's passing, on digital and vinyl - Mastered by Rashad Becker.

Rayen Hermassi's share of proceeds will go to his family.

released March 25, 2022

Music and cover art by Daisuke Imamura
Vocals and lyrics by Rayen Hermassi
Mastered by Rashad Becker

Dbl10lp

Patrick Clarke | The Quietus | The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022
https://thequietus.com/articles/31727-the-quietus-best-albums-mid-2022
Matador Recommends | Playlist by Matador Records
https://spoti.fi/3yayJRC
Zoe Camp | Bandcamp Daily | Essential Releases
https://bit.ly/3FXDbGV
Emna Maaref | Ma3azef |شب تيرو ودي جاي داي سون(Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon) Review
https://bit.ly/3sKA7Za
Toxic Club | Nika7 Official Video Premiere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUHaC2KoDw
Noel Gardner | The Wire — Issue 458 | Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon Album Review
https://bit.ly/3loBBUO
Gonzo (circus) — Mind The Gap 154 | Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon - Pine Review
https://www.gonzocircus.com/mind-the-gap-154/
Clot Magazine | Underplanet Official Video Premiere
https://bit.ly/39xZGWK
Nyshka Chandran | Resident Advisor | Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon - Abtal AL Digital Single Review
https://ra.co/reviews/34696
Ransom Note | Posthumous record from Cheb Terro alongside DJ DIE Soon set for release
https://bit.ly/3yJDpjn
Tom Ravenscroft | BBC Radio 6 Music
https://bbc.in/3G4JpVl

parabrutality was composed over the course of three days, featuring vocals from Æthereal Arthropod and production from bod [包家巷].

parabrutality is defined exactly as the word's construction delineates.

the work should be considered a mantic instrument for knowledgeable and careful usage.

the artwork is derived from a photo of a tattoo given by Æthereal Arthropod to bod [包家巷] and a stone carving made in prehistory.

all track titles are encoded to a key that will only be disclosed (in addition to the source of the stone carving) in exchange for a private transfer of one thousand euros or more to paypal.me/baojiaxiang

Diemajin is the duo of Berlin-based producer DJ DIE Soon (Daisuke Imamura) and Tokyo-based vocalist MA. Their self-titled debut is equal parts scrambled hip-hop, simmering noise and spectral Tokusatsu soundtrack. A set of cursed beats and possessed raps inspired by Japanese sci-fi and supernatural-horror films from the 1960s.
The pair, both originally from Japan, first collaborated live at an event in Berlin organised by Morphine Records in 2019. But the eleven tracks on their self-titled debut were made by swapping beats, sounds and acapellas across the internet. Editing, arranging and degrading them into the collection presented here.
Diemajin's theme is Japanese movies from the sixties. Especially influential is Daimajin (which the duo's name references alongside being a loose portmanteau of their solo monikers). A 1960 film about a giant warrior god, Daimajin falls under the Tokusatsu umbrella - live action movies which use practical, 'handmade' special effects, whether monster suits, miniature model cities, or everyday objects hi-jacked into props.
"I'm interested in how they made those movies. I think how my music is made is very similar," explains MA. "I use the sound of my life when I make music. Hitting the table, the wind blowing. I think it's like how the flying saucer in the movie was made by an ashtray. Some of the sounds in "uyamuya"[track six on Diemajin]were actually made using an ashtray."
Embedded in Tokyo's hip-hop scene, MA's distinct rapping has also drawn comparison with ancient Japanese vocal methods. His previous releases and collaborations showcase a triumphant combination of extended technique and liquid flow. "I do that without thinking," MA explains. "It's like Michael Jackson's "POW!" or heavy metal's shout. I don't know why I do that. Burst out. Energy flow."
Those instinctive vocal gymnastics are still present with Diemajin, most notably in the gurgling start to "uyamuya", but they're reeled into far more ominous, apparitional ends. MA rants and cackles over DJ DIE Soon's coarse electronic tones and incessant minimal patterns. The producer's mutated synths and warped samples embrace a more textural, less explicitly rhythmic terrain than his recent productions. Beats do come in, such as on "gyafooon" or "moshi Moshi", but they serve to amplify rather than release the scuffed and eerie gait seeping through the album.
Daisuke mentions two more movies, Jigoku and Kwaidan, which ventured into folk-horror terrain but used similar production techniques to Tokusatsu, as also being influential on Diemajin. While Diemajin don't sample from these films, they emulate their ambiences. It can be heard in the heavy compression through the album and the cracked yet vivid space the voice and sounds erect. "These films have a special texture, they're beautiful despite the old-fashioned technologies and processes they used to make them," Daisuke continues. "But also, when you see these movies now, they've really degraded with age. When someone screams, the sound distorts."

It is this quality: a scream from the past becoming distorted through the medium of its transmission, perhaps, that Diemajin most concretely channel in their music. A sense of some cursed broadcast leaking broken and mangled into the present. There's a long thread connecting hip-hop to cinema. From Wu-Tang Clan's kung-fu movie samples through to the Horrorcore of Geto Boys and Gravediggaz. Diemajin plug into this history but bring in their own reference points. In doing so, they fixate on the disturbing mechanics of foreboding itself. Slow-building disquiet rather than shock and gore, they leave a mark far more pervasive than a momentary jump-scare.

Credits:
Vocals, Lyrics and Samples: MA
Synths, Drums and Samples: DJ DIE Soon
Master: Rashad Becker
Cover Art: DJ DIE Soon
Text: Daryl Worthington

Catalog no.: Dbl32ct

Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon features Cheb Terro's posthumous vocals on Die Soon's beats; a work that was finished one day before Terro's tragic passing. Starting somewhere in the last quarter of 2020, having approached Daisuke Imamura aka DJ Die Soon for a release, and just heard about Cheb Terro's work with his Toxic Club, Drowned By Locals made the hook up that would result in a match made in the Underplanet, as Terro would describe it.

Hailing from the city of Sousse in Tunisia, the site of the worst of several Jihadist attacks in recent years, Cheb Terro's writings and delivery embody the violence stemming from the frustration shared by Tunisia's new generation; and reflect sadness, rebellion and an obsession with death.

Rayen Hermassi, aka Cheb Terro, was a multifaceted artist; writer, rapper, video editor, designer and founder of Toxic Club, the first Tunisian movement to merge horrorcore, hip hop, hardcore punk, Memphis gangster rap, devil shyt, vaporware, tinged with occult elements taken from the country's mystic past.

Daisuke Imamura is a Berlin-based artist born in Japan. His releases include 'Kappa Slap' [Morphine Records], in which Die Soon collaborates with Ecko Bazz, Infinite Livez, MC Yallah, Lord Spikeheart from Duma, and MA; and his latest production for Sekelembele split with Swordman Kitala [Hakuna Kulala].

In commemoration of the too-soon departed Rayen Hermassi, Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon is planned to release on March 25th, 2022, the day of Rayen's passing, on digital and vinyl - Mastered by Rashad Becker.

Rayen Hermassi's share of proceeds will go to his family.

released March 25, 2022

Music and cover art by Daisuke Imamura
Vocals and lyrics by Rayen Hermassi
Mastered by Rashad Becker

Dbl10lp

Patrick Clarke | The Quietus | The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022
https://thequietus.com/articles/31727-the-quietus-best-albums-mid-2022
Matador Recommends | Playlist by Matador Records
https://spoti.fi/3yayJRC
Zoe Camp | Bandcamp Daily | Essential Releases
https://bit.ly/3FXDbGV
Emna Maaref | Ma3azef |شب تيرو ودي جاي داي سون(Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon) Review
https://bit.ly/3sKA7Za
Toxic Club | Nika7 Official Video Premiere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUHaC2KoDw
Noel Gardner | The Wire — Issue 458 | Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon Album Review
https://bit.ly/3loBBUO
Gonzo (circus) — Mind The Gap 154 | Cheb Terro Vs DJ Die Soon - Pine Review
https://www.gonzocircus.com/mind-the-gap-154/
Clot Magazine | Underplanet Official Video Premiere
https://bit.ly/39xZGWK
Nyshka Chandran | Resident Advisor | Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon - Abtal AL Digital Single Review
https://ra.co/reviews/34696
Ransom Note | Posthumous record from Cheb Terro alongside DJ DIE Soon set for release
https://bit.ly/3yJDpjn
Tom Ravenscroft | BBC Radio 6 Music
https://bbc.in/3G4JpVl