Ways you’ve taken a stance is taking part in boycotts. In joining the KKR protest movement, you took time to make demands such as dropping sponsors which were met, then still ended up pulling out.
Techno is a place of freedom and safe spaces. So how come the biggest investor in it is a weapon manufacturer? It isn’t an excuse to go play a festival for the history of it, because the history was just bought. It’s not about the name of the festival, it is about the line-ups. Most of the festivals that ended up being partners with KKR are against KKR in a way. When workers don’t like the working situation they’re in, they can strike. When KKR starts losing money, then they will give up this endeavour, because all they care about is money. We could buy it back. We need to figure out a way just like Sziget just did.
I know that the prices range in a big way, and there are ones that really cost a lot to get back, but we are a collective of so many people, and we can do things if we just put our hands together just how techno did when this all started. It’s going to be hard, but we are built tough, we do all nighters for weekends. If we’re able to dance foe four days in a row, we are able to take our spaces back.
There’s lots of energy to be redirected there. Since there’s so much money in techno now, are there any good causes or organisations you’d like it to see funds directed to?
In every country there are NGOs that are active and working, and we need to check that they’re active and working before giving to them. In Palestine, there’s the PCRF and there’s Taawon Foundation. We now have close to 20,000 kids that have zero relatives in the world. They’re alone in this world, so they’re taking care of these kids. There’s Choose Love that works with refugees around the world. There’s definitely ones in Sudan, Ukraine, Egypt, Venezuela, Cuba. We just need to find them. Not just follow any link, make sure that they’re active. Do our research, do our due diligence as human beings.
Right now, sadly, there are human beings, but barely any humanity. We need to give more to rebuild for all of us to feel safe. Nobody feels safe anywhere now, because the war is right there, and it can spread anytime. Everywhere is under the threat of a crazy person coming to power, people are under that from their own government. We need to take our power back, because we are so many and the ones in power are so little. We can. I really think we can. We just need to remember how to be human again, and not lost.
It is really inspiring to see the new generation not taking shit. It really gives me hope. The marches that are happening in the US right now, the standing together that is happening in Palestine. We just need to reconnect with our soul and do the right thing so that we can sleep with a good conscience at night, and actually feel grateful for our existence in this world, because otherwise we’re all just a waste of oxygen.
We’ve discussed boycotts. On the other side you’ve lost work against your will, there’s been campaigns targeting you. How does that feel to be on the end of that persecution?
I do worry a bit, sometimes, about completely losing my job. I’m a bit shocked that I still have a job. But getting canceled from a gig is nothing in comparison to what my people back home are going through. It’s the price to pay for being outspoken. I love working with people that want to do something and be active, and that’s where I find the people where we speak the same language. We’re yelling about the same thing, so it feels like a group hug instead of a fight on stage.
You have your own platform Resilience, what are you looking for in the artists you involve?
With Resilience, it has been a bit slow. I have been too lost with the genocide, so I wasn’t really getting the energy or time, I was constantly in a downer. But now we’re kind of recharging the energy. The whole point of it is working with artists from resilient places, giving them a platform, showing up for them, bringing them out to the world. I’m constantly looking for young artists from different places that don’t have a stage, and try to amplify their voice.
I really want to start doing more workshops. I think the only reason why anybody has knowledge is to give it away, and pass it on. I try to help as much as I can, because obviously a lot of people helped me to reach where I am.
We’ve spoken about the wider techno community, but how have your interactions with the Palestinian artist community been during the time since October 7, 2023? Is there support for each other, does your connection with home keep you energised?
They do keep me energised, honestly. They keep me wanting to do what I’m doing and not giving up. Because there are so many times I told myself, okay, no, I just don’t want to do this. It’s not worth it. It’s not making a difference. But helping some artists from Palestine, or even just being connected with them, is something that keeps me going. Because I got the privilege and the luck to actually leave and represent them in the scene, I have to keep doing that for the sake of the people, even if I’m dead tired, if I’m burnt out, even if I barely can walk, even if I’m depressed, I have to do that journey because, you know, I just got lucky, went viral, and boom, all of a sudden I’m the one that has to do it. If Palestinian artists are supported, if we become a lot, then I could maybe take a break! It would stop being shocking for people that there’s a Palestinian DJ. They have a lot to say, when you play their music, you actually feel it.
We just did the Mastery event in London, and it was me and my two really good friends that we started the UNION Collective together [DJ Dar and DARBAK]. They played amazing. One lives now in Berlin, he was having crazy travel problems because he has a Palestinian passport, he got the visa like two days before and jumped in. The other one has an American passport, but he’s living in Jenin, which is hell right now. To get out of Jenin to Jordan, to UK, took him forever. The fact that they made it was such a legendary move. So when they played, they played from their hearts. They were yelling at the world, “I can’t believe I did this! I can’t believe I’m here!”. I couldnt believe they made it either, and honestly they played such amazing sets.
That role of being the visible Palestinian in dance music must be a heavy one. You don’t have the luxury of just being a DJ. I’m conscious I’m questioning you about your life outside of music, it’s become this position you’ve taken up. How do you manage and keep going?
I don’t really manage. I kind of crawl in a way. The sets make me feel better. Most of the time I’m dead, but the second I’m on stage I get re-energised by the music, by the crowd. This weekend, I played in Paris for six hours, at some point I could barely stand up. But, I don’t know how, the people at that moment would scream and it would pick me up and make me be able to do more.
What keeps you hopeful?
Seeing the unity of people, that’s where I reconnect with humanity and with energy. People chanting, waving flags. Growing up in Palestine or living abroad and watching the news, Israel is constantly trying to make us give up and surrender, daily, every minute, stepping on our heads. We have to keep standing up, otherwise we won’t exist. So: thinking of back home, thinking of the people still enduring this, that pushes me to tell myself”: “Nope, stand up, we have to keep it going.” When we’re free, I’ll go to sleep. For a week maybe.
Be the first human to go into hibernation, it will be earned.
We will all become sloths.
Listen to The Mix 100: Sama’ Abdulhadi below
Patrick Hinton is Mixmag’s Editor & Digital Director