SAMA‘ is one of the first DJs to emerge internationally from Palestine. Her sets, while rooted in punchy techno, have a distinguished and defined ark, encompassing a broad range of sounds in their beginning and end. It’s a style that can be traced back to her teachers in Beirut, Lebanon, who instilled in her the value of adaptation and track diversity. “The music is Berlin techno, but I perceive it in a Lebanese way,” Sama’ explains. 

SAMA’s story behind in Ramallah, Palestine’s de facto capital. Moving there from Jordan, her place of birth, she 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. 

SAMA’ went on to study Audio Engineering at SAE Institute London, and it wasn’t until much later that DJing became her focus, sparked by a run of gigs that has continued ever since. Her education in music continues to inform her work: not only has it had a big impact on how she hears sound, but she sprinkles real-life samples throughout her sets, recorded on her travels and shaped back in her studio.   

SAMA’s XLR8R podcast in a live recording from Kater Blau, Berlin, where she performed on Monday, March 8. It was her last performance before lockdown and one of her most memorable sets of her young career—one of those nights where everything felt right, and she had many of her friends in the audience, applauding each selection and each transition.

“I think it’s the best I’ve ever played and it happened on one of those nights where everything went seamlessly,” she tells XLR8R. She wanted to share it and so here it is—a little over two hours of high-octane techno from Palestine’s leading light.

What have you been up to recently?

I’ve been working on my productions and my DJ setup as I always change the programming and try to come up with new tricks. I’ve been also catching up on so many books I’ve been wanting to read, as well as sleep and food!

Where and when did you record this mix?

Kater Blau, Berlin, on International Women’s Day. It was my last gig before lockdown.

What do you like about this section you’ve recorded?

This is a really special set for me. I think it’s the best I’ve ever played and it happened on one of those nights where everything went seamlessly.

Let me take you back: it was a Saturday, I was due to play in Berlin, but I hadn’t booked a flight because we weren’t sure if I should go due to Covid-19. I’d had several other gigs cancelled and I was really hoping that this one would go ahead before we all had to isolate for the foreseeable future. I love the party scene in Berlin and Kater Blau was a dream venue to play at for me so I knew I had to get on that plane. I booked the last flight into Berlin and the first flight back to Paris the next morning. The moment I stepped off the plane in Berlin, the vibe was just on-point, from the hotel staff who greeted me with pizza and beers, to the group of friends who joined me for pre-party drinks. We left the hotel at 1 am and walked three minutes to find the famous queues of Berlin; we couldn’t even see the end of them. There was just a sea of people and a crazy energy in the air!

Once we got into the club, loads of people were coming up to say hello and there were so many familiar faces in the crowd. It was pretty busy already, but five minutes after I got on stage, the club was at full capacity. As a DJ, sometimes you’re not sure what energy you’re coming into or what mood you should set off with. But in this case, I knew exactly what to play as soon as I started, kicking it off hard and then switching to a more melodic vibe and ending hard again for the next DJ to continue the maddness.

I knew these guys had been partying for three days straight but they also still had two days to go, so I wanted to match their energy at every point in the night. I was getting passed tequila shots left, right, and centre and everyone was just on this incredible high. I could feel a palpable heat coming off the crowd. People were cheering at drops and that never happens in Berlin, and nobody stopped dancing from start to finish; it was just like everyone was oscillating on the same frequency and I felt so in-sync with everyone.

I ended the set with a Jon Hopkins track, which just felt like the perfect goodbye before we all went into isolation. At that moment, I turned to the organiser and said, “Next time book me for 12 hours, please!” I’m so looking forward to next time.

What new artists or labels are impressing you right now?

I buy everything from Carbon, Coyu, and Raxon. I am not great with naming many labels but Suara and Riot tend to be one of my most downloaded.

Where are your favorite places to dig for new music?

I’ve always used Beatport. I just open techno tracks and listen to everything.

What’s next on your horizon?

There were so many cool gigs coming up, but then Covid-19 happened so let’s hope the productions start coming out now! Also, lots of exciting opportunities in music education, film score composition, and lots of initiatives to support the growing movement of electronic music from the Middle East.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.