IRTH-TRONIC

Imbued with Sarayrah's Bedouin heritage, IRTH-TRONIC is at once grounded in production yet evocative and soaring in atmosphere.

But, indeed, to claim that you can (authentically) infuse Bedouin traditions into the club grooves of techno - that is, perhaps, a bold declaration.

The representation of such tradition (from various cultures) has often been a source of intrigue in electronic music. Much of the genre stems from the West, and, as such, is typically reflective of Western attitudes; of course, I have generalized, perhaps overtly so, and this discussion is far more nuanced - Japanese engineering, for instance, contributed greatly to the fundamental shaping of the scene - but to avoid such a tangent: techno, specifically, is particularly urban, having emerged from Detroit and incubated in Europe (with Germany at its heart). It is, then, a fascinating decision (at least on the surface) that Yazan Sarayrah would select melodic techno as the framework by which to explore Arabic/Bedouin culture.

Importantly, it is an exploration done without romanticisation, without oversimplification, without referential triviality. In fact, you can drop that last one entirely - IRTH-TRONIC does not flourish Sarayrah's heritage like a stylistic bell-or-whistle, but rather the entire composition is built around it. The techno, which is often so brusquely urban in nature, is instead moulded to fit like a glove around the Arabic maqam systems and Nabataean poetry - its thumping rhythms are stripped back and reinvigorated with a fashion of spaciousness that was not previously afforded to them; melodic techno can often find itself rigid, but IRTH-TRONIC is far from that.

Sarayrah's use of microtones also helps this expansiveness. It is a microtonality that maqam systems lend themselves to, allowing the melodies an extra dimension of expression. Importantly, though, this depth of expression is not caused by the microtones - much like the stoic techno kicks, they are part of the technical wrapping of IRTH-TRONIC rather than lying at its core.

In this, there is a constant sense of dynamic movement throughout the album. At times it sports the thud of a deep kick; at others its synth lines become shivering and brittle; at others still the rhythm is entirely aired out in exchange for a roomy vocal-based movement, or, like in "Theeb", for instrumentation like the electric guitar solo. Generally, Sarayrah's use of progression matches this beat for beat - for instance, the songwriting on "Ghosn Al-Gana" seems to know instinctively which paths to take, juggling the organic with the vocal with the synthesised in an adept fashion without rushing itself. This can be said for the majority of IRTH-TRONIC - the record is in no hurry, with every track (aside from the opener) breaching the five-minute mark, and a hefty proportion of those unafraid to go over a minute further.

Previously I stated that to "infuse Bedouin traditions into the club grooves of techno" was a bold declaration. There is something subtle in how Sarayrah subverts this - there is no "infusion" to be had. This is a coming-together, of electronic music being adapted into Sarayrah's own heritage. It can be perceived in the vocal presence throughout the album, one of the elements by which it anchors itself, but otherwise IRTH-TRONIC merely finds itself balanced well between organic and synthetic, maintaining good proportions of both. They bounce off each other all the way through, with the organic elements unafraid to lead the compositions, whilst the synth elements serve to widen the spectrum of movement and rhythm and pacing, a spectrum that is unique to the electronic genres. On the melodic techno side, there are tropes that surface in IRTH-TRONIC that do, at times, feel a little derivative - tropes that have notoriously plagued the genre in recent times - but some amount of it (though, admittedly, not all) must be excused to stay true to the genre conventions. If IRTH-TRONIC was to be a "coming-together" of sorts, then conventions must be acknowledged.

In entirely avoiding portraying his Bedouin heritage as exotic or gimmicky, Sarayrah takes a massive step in the right direction. It may be true that, as a technical product, IRTH-TRONIC does not have the flashiest mixdowns or the most impressive sound design. Still, the depth of songwriting, to include deeply personal cultural expression in such progressive soundscapes, must be commended.

Listen on Spotify here.