ABADIR brings his Cairo-born, Berlin-based production to Planet Mu for The Primitivist, his first release for the label after three albums on SVBKVLT. The four tracks move away from the single maqsoum focus of Mutate, drawing instead on rhythmic ideas and instruments connected to Iraq, Kuwait, Syria and Palestine. The result is direct club music with plenty of movement, built from hard kicks, quick edits and sudden gaps that keep the floor slightly off balance.
“Habban” puts a steady four-to-the-floor pulse under darbuka, khishba and wavering synths, while the title track pushes high-speed drums against mijwiz pipes and chopped vocal samples. “Pass & Go” uses the back-and-forth motion of tsifteteli, turning stabbed phrases into a tense cycle of buildup and release. The closer, “This Is Not Another Maqsoum,” sends rapid darbuka and brass-like synths through dahiyya-inspired patterns. ABADIR, also known as Rami Abadir, has made something physical and sharp here. It should appeal to dancers who like footwork’s speed but want club rhythms with a stronger connection to Arab musical traditions.
