Deena Abdelwahed^TN/FR

© Yassine Medded Hamrouni

Based in Toulouse since 2015, Tunisian DJ and producer Deena Abdelwahed signed with Parisian label InFiné and released her first EP Klabb in 2017, followed by her first full-length album in 2018. Titled Khonnar, the work acts as a manifesto, declaring war against the violence and oppression imposed by borders, migratory constraints and repressive laws. Abdelwahed’s voice rings out like a siren amidst chaotic grooves, urging the listener to stand up and be counted. With her 2020 EP Dhakar, this queer experimentalist brings her message to the dancefloor with pieces that draw on the sonic influences of her birthplace, be it rhythmic structures, samples or other local roots; a highly versatile construct acting as yet another proof of the producer’s unique ability to merge the standards of Arab music with those of club music. Through live performances and DJ sets, Deena Abdelwahed appeared on stage at a number of world-renowned events such as Sonar Festival, Tunisia’s Dunes Electroniques, Berlin’s CTM Festival, Amsterdam’s Dekmantel, Belgium’s Dour Festival, Mexico’s and Montréal’s editions of MUTEK or Prague’s Lunchmeat Festival, as well as illustrious clubs such as Concrete in Paris, Berghain in Berlin and Mutabor in Moscow, among others.

Merging techno, Arab musical frameworks and hypnotic vocal harmonies, Deena Abdelwahed’s music doesn’t soothe; the sounds she crafts unambiguously reflect the frustrations and violence of the modern world, yet unleash a torrent of life-saving energy and rhythms intended to induce meaningful change.