Rita Mikhael’s latest album as E‐Saggila is the Iraqi-born sound artist’s first release on Dominick Fernow’s Hospital Productions, having appeared at the label’s legendary Hospital Fest event in New York last year. Each of the record’s 11 tracks explores a different facet of sound, moving through breakcore, ambient, and gabber.

Mikhael relocated to her home of Toronto, Canada with her family when she was four. She became enamoured with punk, dancehall, and particularly industrial while in school, and taught herself to make electronic music through YouTube tutorials, before releasing as RM, initially through her own Summer Isle label.

Launched in 2014 alongside Max Klebanoff, the limited edition cassette imprint became an anchor of the local noise and avant-garde scene. With over 60 releases across six years, its discography serves as an acute demonstration of Mikhael’s sound palette, rich in claustrophobic techno and otherwise brutal electronics.

It wasn’t until 2015 that Mikhael presented her own sounds as E‐Saggila, before dropping her debut album on Opal Tapes. She’s since moved quickly, releasing three more albums, most recently on Northern Electronics with My World My Way. Constructed out of her live works, it was her most thrilling record to date—as danceable as its predecessor, Dedicated To Sublimity, but more lucid and free-flowing. Against a backdrop of aggressive-sounding techno, Mikhael’s work can feel warm and personal, transcending the realms of pure dancefloor functionality.

Recorded last week in her Toronto bedroom, Mikhael’s XLR8R podcast is a one-hour ride of exhilarating electronics. She combines E‐Saggila edits and unreleased originals with music from artist friends. Instead of using the mix to exhibit a more cerebral side to her repertoire, Mikhael has gone full-tilt, delivering a wickedly ominous mix drenched in club flare.

01. What have you been up to recently?

Making more music and trying to stay busy.

02. How has the lockdown period been for you?

I’ve been getting used to it recently which I don’t like. I pretty much just chill out at home with my drinks and my PlayStation.

03. Which artists and labels have you been listening to?

A lot of Saint Abdullah, Gunna, Sarah Davachi, and Lussuria.

04. How are you feeling about the Corporate Cross album and its release?

I really like how it turned out. It’s different and incomparable in my eyes to other things I’ve done.

05. What can we expect with the record?

It’s the best country album you’ll hear this year.

06. Where and when did you record this mix?

At home on my laptop, a few days ago.

07. How did you go about finding the tracks that you’ve included

Most of them are friends and artists I admire. A few original and edited tracks of mine are in there as well.

08. How does it compare to what we’d hear you play in a club?

I rarely DJ in the club, but in general my live sets have the same energy.

09. What’s up next on your agenda?

Trying to be in another country soon if the world allows it.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to hear the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel to listen offline, or subscribe to XLR8R+ to download the file. 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.

Full XLR8R+ Members can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R+ member, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Alberich “No Reference To The Absence Of Allegory” (E-Saggila Edit) (Hospital Productions)
02. Nkisi “Phantasia” (ParkingStone)
03. Deena Abdelwahed “Abbrejiyeytar” (Houndstooth)
04. Nebuchadnezzar “Compact Disc—CD3” (Self-Released)
05. DJ Loser “Soul Mayhem” (Magdalena’s Apathy)
06. Crystal Geometry “I Am Death” (Infidel Bodies)
07. Shyboi “Whistle Hard” (Self-Released)
08. Special Forces “Sidewinder” (Infiltrata And Hochi Remix) (Photek Productions)
09. E-Saggila “For The Butterfly” (Hornet Edit) (Hospital Productions)
10. Scorn “The End” (PCM—Nightmare Mix) (Self-Released)
11. Vector Burn “Even Stars Die” (Internet Recordings)
12. E-Saggila “Anima Bulldozer” (Northern Electronics)
13. Emma DJ “Fuzmec” (L.I.E.S.)
14. E-Saggila “DTHCRSH” (Unreleased)
15. Evitceles “Hologram Sting” (Self-Released)
16. Tor5y & Lil Asaf “Andaf Naw3” (irsh)
17. E-Saggila “Slug Talk” (Magdalena’s Apathy)
18. Dj Ibon “Vådt Græs” (Morph)
19. MAERE “KNIVES” (Swarm Intelligence Remix) (DIVISION)
20. Van Boom & Oldyungmayn “20965” (ParkingStone)
21. Quinoline Yellow “Spion Kop” (Skam)
22. Photek “Ni Ten Ichi Ryu” (TeeBee Remix) (Photek Productions)
23. ABADIR “XLR@T” (irsh)
24. Noize Creator “Struggle” (Suburban Trash Industries)
25. The DJ Producer “Positive Outlook” (Recalibrated) (Heresy)
26. Aidonia “Banga” (Spectator Mix) (Unreleased)