Music

Members : Yas Meen Selectress, MARTINA, Rajia, Maria Saba Genres : Bass music inclusive and open-minded An all-female project born out of the vibrant Cairo underground scene, Dhamma promotes a highly avant-garde club culture: “Our aesthetic oscillates between drum, UK garage, and Jersey,” say the members of the collective. “Our initiative is community-based and led by women, in a city where inclusive cultural venues are very rare.” The motto for the girls of Dhamma? “Amplify marginalized voices!” Rozzma, El Kontessa, Liliane Chlela, Hassan Abou Alam… Since its creation in April 2024, the team has managed to seamlessly link the turbulent local scene with demanding international acts. Deep in the sweaty clubs of Cairo, Dhamma imagines cross-border, open-minded nights dedicated to underrepresented artists. The collective has several areas of development: Club N’ Bass evenings—a collection of events dedicated to bass music; Les Bath Tagreeby, hybrid evenings where “live performances collide in a raw and open format”; and a third component to come, dedicated to training, with practical DJing and production workshops.

Founded in 2024 as a series of confidential, intimate raves, Ilé Ijó—literally, the “home of dance”—has become, in just two years, a platform that is reinventing a section of the electronic scene in Nigeria: “The Ilé Ijó experience really started small,” recalls Abiodun Oladokun, founder and artistic director of the collective. “Initially, we would bring together House fans every two months in Lagos. Soon, our desire to experiment took us into many other areas of electronic music.” After nearly a dozen events, the collective has become a reference point for Nigeria's junglettes and junglists, with the creation of the Drum N Bass NG community, a subsidiary entirely dedicated to the genre. On its first anniversary, Ilé Ijó also tried its hand at Tanzanian Singeli by inviting Jay Mitta, a well-known supporter of the Nyege Nyege collective. Focused on research and experimentation, the Lagos team is now building a real scene, capable of inviting other international movements for a night, while working closely with the local electronic culture through the prism of the Yoruba language, culture, and heritage. With a thousand enthusiasts gathering at each of its parties, Ilé Ijó is now one of the major players in Lagos' electronic nightlife.

Members : Dj Aziz, Big Sam, Pweza, Alyssa et Barak. Genres : Tech house, deep house, drum n bass, Afro-house and Afro-tech “Our goal? To build a safe and inclusive community where everyone can have fun and express themselves through music, without borders or discrimination!” A long-term program initiated two years ago by DJ Aziz, Big Sam, and Pweza, who, driven by their love of electronic music, set up the Midimu collective. The name was inherited from the Makonde people and means “masked dancers”: “This name honors the collective’s cultural heritage and symbolizes the transformative and community-building power of music.” The vibrant collective has organized numerous events in Tanzania and in 2023 launched the first edition of its festival, Midi Fest: “We had ten participants in 2023, compared to two hundred in 2024,” say the organizers. Here, the leitmotif is focused on a single goal: “to develop the Tanzanian music scene, promote and raise awareness of different electronic genres, in particular Afro-house and Afro-tech.” In a local scene that is still largely in its infancy, the Midimu collective is on a mission: “to engage the Tanzanian public in techno, house and beyond!”

Members : Ambi, Ashrar, Azzouni, Balla3058, Belahadaf, Karim Serry, Postdrone, Timo 1_2 Genres : Drone, dub, jungle, hip-hop and experimental escapades It is always good, for the sake of all forms of Pan-Africanism—whether musical, cultural, or social—to remind Cairo of its African identity. Once again, Nyege Nyege has shown its keen instinct by inviting a second Egyptian collective to join this vast musical map. Founded in 2021, Moshtrq follows a clear artistic thread. And radical: “We focus on everything that is non-commercial, strange, and related, directly or indirectly, to bass music,” say the members of the young collective in unison. In a post-mahraganat capital that, since the past experiences of a team like Kairo is Koming or a club like VENT, has sometimes struggled to find a second wind in electronic music, Moshtrq has spent many nights—from 2021 to 2024— “under the banner of dub, leftfield bass, grime, jungle, ambient and underground hip-hop… All aesthetics generally presented in their experimental forms, for headliners such as Zuli, Nazar and Dj Haram.” And while the scenes are developing on the dancefloors, they are also taking shape and flourishing in music production: Moshtrq has also mutated into a label, which since last year has been releasing formidable EPs. Check out the latest release from Jomania, as well as “Bab Hwita,” the three tracks from Tunisian purist Drum’n Bass artist Hmenou.