Soundway Records

Bahrain’s Dar Disku first hit the scene as a DJ duo in 2018, but Mazen Almaskati and Vish M’s musical collaboration stretches back to their childhood. Growing up in the same neighbourhood, the pair have been fascinated by uncovering, sharing, and celebrating connections between traditional SWANA* music and electronic sounds since adolescence. United by a like-minded creative spark as teenagers, digging for rarities and burning mix CDs for friends and strangers became a way to distribute their discoveries. Around the same time, they began making music and playing together in bands, drawing inspiration from Western projects.

Arthur Russell, ESG, The Strokes, and Talking Heads shaped Dar Disku’s formative years, alongside the Arabic records their parents played on dusty turntables. Following a move to the UK for university, their obsession with electronic music grew, which led them to delve into music from Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, Benga, Larry Heard, and Daft Punk. Feelings of nostalgia also became prominent during this period. A heartfelt longing for home inspired a newfound passion for music from the SWANA diaspora. Having traded Bahrain for London, and looking back across the water, the culture that surrounded Dar Disku throughout their entire lives became hypnotically fascinating.

The album is a transportive portal into Dar Disku’s growing world outside of the dance floor – one that encapsulates the cosmic emotions of cinema. Channelling sounds from Egyptian folk, Turkish psych, Algerian rai, Sudanese funk, Ethiopian jazz, Nigerian disco, and beyond, Dar Disku's meticulous analogue approach to live recordings ensures that the album remains true to its roots.

*South-West Asia and North Africa