Panstarrs Batee2

A solo project from Cairo underground fixture Youssef Abouzeid (aka Captain Solo and Yzeid), PanSTARRS is described as a "sensitive synthwave" project and comes across like a fluffed-up Suicide or an Arabic-language answer to Cold Cave.

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, effects pedal designer and the founder of Cairo's avant garde artspace and label Hizz, Youssef Abouzeid mutates into a new form on "Batee2", feeling his way thru a coarse set of reverb-drenched darkwave/no wave jams that nod to Suicide, Das Ding, and more modern proponents like Cold Cave and Lust For Youth. Singing in Arabic, Abouzeid avoids traditional song forms in favor of more punkish expressions, squealing forcefully over rolling analog synthesizers and blown-out drum machines.

PanSTARRS has been a prolific project for Abouzeid in Cairo, and his workshopping of these tracks has helped make the album feel completely coherent and unified. There's a distinct, hyper-saturated sound to each song that removes Abouzeid a step or so from his influences, giving him a space to work in that feels fertile and kinetic. It's a pleasure to absorb.