Cairo-Based Producer Jana Releases Debut Trip-Hop EP ‘Masroof Oxygen’

If you are one who is plugged into Cairo’s underground electronic scene, chances are you’ve most probably caught Jana behind the decks at one or two of Jellyzone's phenomenal parties. However, in case you are not familiar, Jana is a non-confirmist DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist, and easily one of the city’s most exciting emerging talents. She has a knack for weaving Western and Arab sounds through drum’n’bass, breakbeat, and hip-hop, always with a left-field, experimental twist.

Her debut EP, ‘Masroof Oxygen’, spans four tracks that experiment with the limits of electronica and hip-hop, combining drum' n' bass influences and glitchy breakbeats with ambient textures and punchy rap chops from a slew of regional collaborators. The overall sound is a little dark, ominous, and tinged with a hint of psychedelic aesthetics.

The opening track, ‘Kalimet’, features Tunisian alternative rapper Saffwizz and is allegedly the EP’s most experimental track. Engulfing Saffwizz’s bars is harsh noise textures that feel like a manipulated looped radio static. She links up with Egyptian hip-hop producer 5mstashr on ‘Kroot’, which features rising Tunisian rapper Wingz. The production employs futuristic elements, making the final product sound as if it exists in a vortex, where the heavily filtered vocals swirl a foreboding looping beat, intersected with frequent electric zips.

Meanwhile, ‘3al Bayez’ takes it further with a DIY, minimal sound. North African trap artist El Nashmy comes through with dry, almost-whispered delivery. His vocals are rather distorted through a stuttered vocal transformer. The production is trap-infused, featuring prominent synth riffs and recurring off-kilter snaps that bring forward supercuts of sonic cues from Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’.