Douniah

Douniah is a singer/writer and visual artist with Moroccan & German heritage. Originally from Hamburg, The 24 year old Artist is now based in Berlin – Creating new spaces, bringing sounds together and growing within Berlin’s Soul-Jazz, alternative scene.

Gaddafi Gals

Whoever googles Gaddafi Gals might be stumped in the first moment. One can find tracesand hints here and there, but what exactly is this? German avantgarde-cloud-rap? Neomeme-RnB? And what about the name? Despite this information shortfall the trio is one of the insider’s tips of the scene, many believing the band can make it internationally. They give interviews only once a while, and the communication via social media appears cryptic for 2019. On live concerts there’s not much difference. The stage disappears in thick haze and wobbling echos. But when the smoke clears after a few minutes, a soundscape made out of deep basses, confident raps and harsh strobe lights arises. The band – even though they’d prefer to call it a „project“ – was founded in 2016 by blaqtea, slimgirl fat and walter p99 arke$tra. They all we’re working solo at that time: blaqtea as Ebow, slimgirl fat as part of Nalan381 and walter p99 arke$tra as a producer. The EP The Death of Papi, recorded within only five days, was released in the following year. The first single fila already attracted quite a resonance; even the New York Times reported (though the headline „Drake’s latest obsession“ was probably not referring to the GG-Gang). The draft of this first sign of life was unusual. The instrumentals were oscillating between rumbling soundcloud-freebies, similar to those you can find on the websites of those 16 year old, belorussian memphis-rap-disciples that appeared on the scene lately, and shiny, pop-orientated high-gloss-productions, which didn’t quite fit to the european scene. Blaqtea and slimgirl fat rapped and sang associative lyrics about the death of a certain papi, or, like in fila, the obsession with brands and the life in the temples of consumption, or, like in gaze, about the male gaze. „Your Gaze hurts me.“ The year after the success of their EP the trio spend working on their first „real“ album TEMPLE, an „esoteric futuristisc rumbling“ sound concept which will change the game permanently – at least according to the three of them. The papi, they say, is about to receive the kiss of death, giving the gals (plus boy, but that is, of course, the matter) the opportunity to take his place as a spearhead of a diverse, queer, migrant, antipatriarchal, soft, hybrid, interetaffine and global generation of european musicians. In every temple is an altar, and after the mourning there will be a celebration. The group kept their courage to experiment and to amalgamate various genres and influences. Japanese 70ies-c-movie-samples and animal sounds, anyone? In comparison with their first release, the vocals seem to stack even higher, until you almost sound religious worship and mantras out. This here, this is deeper than thin 3 tone melodies, this goes directly into your forebrain an kidney and into the innermost point of the body. Or, as slimgirl fat would state it: „I want the listener to sink into a ocean of tears.“ Tears of pure chrome, running down car seats made from italian leather and accumulating in the custom made running board, one could add. Even though they aren’t passing off as a political band in the first moment, they are one. Macho-Macho? Instead of the ‚Raris there are only Mitsubishis driving in the GG-world. „We wanted to do an album which has a certain effect. Wether it’s aestethic, musical or political.“, as blaqtea says. To reach those effects, the trio are also working in other sectors of the art world. In Munich their exhibition „GG-World“ opended it’s doors in 2018. They played in the play Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again in the Berliner Esemble, showed an exclusive commissioned work on the Hyperreality Festival in Vienna, we’re part of the german delegition at this year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas, etc. It’s no wonder that they have a finger in every pie of their artistic output. „We’re control freaks“, they stated in one of their few interviews. Anyhow, the signs stand on success. They we’re working hard. When the smoke clears.