Hassan Abou Alam It Spills

After turning heads with this debut EP for our own naivety sublabel, Hassan Abou Alam is back and more than ready to cement his rep as Cairo’s foremost breakbeat master. This Egyptian lover of all things choppy and rave-y cooks up another epic sonic assault on the ears and subwoofers, designing a crafty and detailed 5-tracker that will not only rattle but stun.

A focused but playful energy runs throughout the entirety of the record, initiating things with the fat beats and the bleep-y bassline of “It Spills”, building towards the X-files atmosphere of ‘Unkindled’ and carrying the vibe on to the B-side for three more cuts of subby, tranced-out alien funk. B-side tracks “Breathe” and “Khamassen” bring on a deeper blend of complex funk patterns, elastic bass and mysterious samples while still moving the dance in the most superlative of ways. Finally, bringing things to sweet culmination, the more rugged and raw beats of final track “All Used Up” ride along expansive, wide-eyed melodies, resonant acid and a pinch of late 90s surfer-traveller optimism.