#14 in our mix series is brought to you by none other than Sadat! He's 1/4 of the celebrated Afrodesia crew and an absolute joy to be around. Straight up infectious vibes on this mix from start to finish, so give it a listen if smiling is something you enjoy doing! Read on for the interview + tracklist.
- Firstly, this mix is truly and unapologetically representative of who you are! How are you feeling these days and how'd you go about approaching this mix?
"Thank you so much for having me and thank you for your kind words.
Well to be honest, I was trying to share music that I love dearly. As you may know, I have a fond interest in music from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. As to my approach, I always to try discover hidden gems when I’m looking for tracks for my set. It may come as a surprise to some that every now and then, an album art just gets to me and I end up judging a book (a record in this case) by its cover." - Sadat
- A couple of head turners in the track list here, from that prodigy cover to the Odyssey version of Back to My Roots (the best version IMO!) and THAT KRIBO COVER. What drew you to these tunes when you were making your selections?
"Haha yeah that was totally the idea of what I was trying to do! ‘Turn heads' hahahaha. Here is a funny story of how I got introduced to breathe by Hoodna Orchestra. My brother Sameh aka Houg who was in melbourne back in 2019 went to Northside Records so I told him to find me some Ethiopian records. So my brother went to Chris and he recommended Hoodna Orchestra l, a band from Tel Aviv playing Ethiopian music that so happened to cover Breathe from the Prodigy! That just ticked all of the boxes for me man. And I told my brother to grab It!
And yes, Going Back to my Roots Odyssey version is my favorite too. It hits the spot once you hear the first bass line come in. I'm like “yooooooo this is mad!!!!” And knowing Hugh Masekela had part of producing it got me all gooey inside man. Haha. Shout out to Rashid (Rushmo4reel) who shared with me his Live Sound Engineering stories with Hugh Masekela. 🙏 RIP Hugh.
And now Kribo! I am a massive fanboy of Kribo Records. They are amazing! Shout out to Haqim and Carmel! Thank you everything! Love what is coming out of Kribo Records man. And the beauty is that its coming out of our own backyard and that's totally mental man! ❤️😊" - Sadat
- You run the Afrodesia nights with two very dear friends of the vault, Jasmyn and Rushmo and have very quickly become a go-to event for punters here. How do you feel about how it's been going so far (minus the lockdown) and how's everyone doing, any plans on the horizon?
"Ahhhh Afrodisia! Jasmyn and Rashid are family to me! And we do have a new addition to the Afrodisia family Al:x! I am so happy to be part of this collective. The time we spent together is lovely and amazing. I am glad that they are all healthy and safe and I miss them so very much. I really hope to come out of this lockdown stronger with more time spent with them and, of course, on the decks. I miss our pepo!!! I miss parties at the projector sooo soo much! Can't wait to come back stronger! And hope to dance with you all on the dancefloor real soon! ❤️" - Sadat
- Where can people check you guys out online?
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/afrodisia.sg/
https://www.instagram.com/djsadatwah/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/afrodisia.sg/
Mixcloud:
@Sadat_Wah
Tracklist:
Ahmed Ben Ali – Subhana
The Rah Band – Sam the Samba Man
El Khat – Ya Raiyat
Ya Banat Al Yaman – S H I R A N
Umm Kulthum – Habibi (Jarreau Vandal Remix)
Omar Souleyman feat. Four Tet – Bahdeni Nami
Nordine Staifi – Aye Leli Lelou
Elektro Hafiz – John Dere
Guy One – Everything You Do, You Do for Yourself
Hoodna Orchestra – Breathe (Prodigy Cover)
Odyssey – Going Back to My Roots
Hugh Masekela & Letta Mbulu – Mahlalela
Dele Sosimi – E Go Betta
Patricia Majalisa – Dumelang
Issa Bagayogo – Kalan Nege
Doc Shebeleza – Yashaya
Brenda Fassie – Jiva
Zahira Khaleel – Al Bashar (Kribo Records)
About Sadat:
Born in Singapore with an Egyptian Father & Yemeni Mother, Sadat is a video editor by day and experimental self taught DJ by night. Influenced and inspired by his ethnic roots, he dedicated his time discovering Arabic & African music. In a nutshell, this accumulation is simply an exceptionally close to home curation of tunes we like and not the slightest bit ponders what has been well known in a general sense. Seeing DJing as a mix of all genre’s and new aesthetics without conformity. His sets traverse the globe and delve in futurism on many levels. His sets has expanded his listening audience and placed him outside of any playlist or genre-defined role.