Cairo’s irsh debuts new compilation format with the obscure & granular ambience of Kareem Lotfy’s ‘Molten Tactics’

, 18 September 2020
sound

Cairo-based platform irsh is releasing compilation did you mean: irish on September 25 with preview track ‘Kareem Lotfy – Molten Tactics’ premiering on AQNB today. Founded by ZULI and Rama before coronavirus, irsh was originally a video and event series for connecting networks of artists around Cairo. This release continues the momentum of its halted live format, offering a glimpse into the international talent of the city and beyond.

Kareem Lotfy’s ‘Molten Tactics’ offers a palpable departure from his usually lush and visceral ambiance, notably heard on Kelela’s AQUAPHORIA mixtape and PAN’s mono no aware compilation (the latter was sampled in Kanye West’s ‘I Thought About Killing You’). The track’s obscured granular synthesis creates a vacuum of feeling, leaving remnants of field recordings to guide the rest of the composition. It teases Lotfy’s classically soulful and foreboding style– but only for a second before trailing off into the abyss.**

irsh’s compilation did you mean: irish is released on September 25.