Ibtihalat

There’s a lot to unpack on Safa’s Ibtihalat. Even without knowing that it was partially made by using machine learning algorithms, and that it is tightly entwined with historical, political, and geographical topics and concerns, it’s obvious at the very first listen that this record has deep roots. On Ibtihalat Lebanese born, London based musician, architect, and researcher Safa imagines what would happen if electronic dance music had emerged from North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, rather than Chicago or Detroit. To do this he looks into the traditions and subcultures of Morocco, Bahrain, Algeria, and uses microsamples of gnawa, samiri, and raï to deconstruct and reconstruct complex rhythmic structures. Political and social situations also feed into the atmosphere of the album: histories of colonialism, conflict, and resource extraction are expressed through dark, often aggressive sounds. Thankfully though Safa’s isn’t just a theoretical, academic exercise. The music here is powerful, drawing you in from beginning to end.