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Techno Snobs x Walter Productions:Sama' Abdulhadi
+ Jo FX
+ Arsenal
Friday Dec. 27 / 9pm - 2am / 21+
Walter Where?House (702 N. 21st Ave, Phoenix AZ 85009)
Although Sama’ Abdulhadi is the first Palestinian DJ to gain international recognition, her career really began when she left home for Beirut’s burgeoning techno scene. Plunging into Lebanon’s nightlife, Abdulhadi gigged, practiced, and got inspired by the many local and international DJs gigging on the scene, while refining her trademark set: high-octane full-bodied techno with a distinct ark, a spectrum of moods, or as she says: “Berlin techno, but I perceive it in a Lebanese way.”
Abdulhadi’s story begins in Ramallah, Palestine’s de facto capital. Moving there from Jordan, her place of birth, she first connected with hip-hop and rap, the region’s foremost alternative genre. A penchant for music was evident at an early age, but it was the technical side that drew her in first, leading her to study in Beirut. She returned to Palestine with a new understanding of electronic music, and brought with her the techno genre, inspiring a local community of artists that continues to flourish in the face of the geo-political restrictions imposed upon it as documented in the Boiler Room 4:3 short, Palestine Underground.
Beirut was both her training and testing ground, but she was back on home turf in Ramallah when she played the 2018 Boiler Room debut that would make her a household name among international techno fans. Her 58-minute set has over ten million views to date, an achievement shared by a very small group of DJs, all the more impressive for a Palestinian DJ who was virtually unknown outside the region when it first broadcast.
Abdulhadi now stands as one of the world's most exciting DJs (and fearless cultural activists). She has played all over the world including Coachella, Glastonbury, Fusion, Circoloco, Lost Village, Primavera and Belfast’s AVA festival, Brazil’s Warung and Serbia’s Exit Festival legendary Dance Arena. Her close connection with Richie Hawtin has seen her tour extensively across South America and likewise her 2019 b2b with Lebanon’s Nicole Moudebar at IMS Dalt Vila In Ibiza holds huge significance. In London, January 2023 saw Abdulhadi sell out the first 4 Friday’s with her own residency at Phonox nightclub.
She has also done her first BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix, significant for Abdulhadi as the platform served as a source of huge inspiration for her whilst living in countries with no international guests. Additionally, she contributed to BBC Radio 4’s Documentary: 'Techno: A Social History’ and graced the cover of DJ Mag UK and Resident Advisor.
Barely four years into her international career, Sama’ Abdulhadi’s story is at the forefront of a powerful movement. Her goal has always been to put Palestine on the musical map and in doing so she continues to garner international solidarity and a new level of understanding of the Middle East as a whole.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
702 N 21st Ave, Phoenix, AZ, United States, Arizona 85009
Tickets
