Zuli Bionic Ahmed EP

Lee Gamble’s UIQ label introduces the hypnotic, rugged and cerebral solo debut by Cairo multi-instrumentalist, producer and sound artist, Ahmed El Ghazoly a.k.a. ZULI, with the Bionic Ahmed EP.
Ghazoly is a co-founder of VENT, a music-space-turned-club-night in Cairo with a sister night and record label based in London, and he has also been a prominent figure in Egypt’s underground music scene for almost a decade now,
ZULI has conceived a unique sound straddling slow techno and jungle with squawking, alien electronics and smeared microtonal melody in a familiar spirit to his label boss’ psychoacoustic dancefloor projections.
At the top of the EP he offers a knuckle-cracking Robotic Handshake in 4D synching neck-snap sub knocks with shimmering gamelan tones and gremlin voices like a lost Dabrye bomb, before seducing us with the creamed microtonal timbre of Compactpact and resetting the levels to Beneath-style bleep & bass pressure with 131001G.
However, the biggest highlight appears on the B-side opener Robotic Jabs in 4D, where desiccated 2-step jungle patterns spark at the core of a lush, fluid synth swell like some nerve-pinched Nubian Mindz reverie, whereas the decelerated thump of Ahmed? trades in STL-style dub-house triplets, and Dr. Beckett convulses like a Gantz riddim undergoing an ayahuasca ceremony.
In all, a striking debut from a highly individual new voice on the scene - highly recommended if you’re into Lee Gamble, Coil, Urban Tribe or Beneath.