jahanam

In Islam, jahanam refers to a place of resort for the inordinate; where evildoers and unbelievers live, and this Iranian-Swedish artist resides over it. Where others see friction and fissure, jahanam sees a chance for creation. Where others see contraction, jahanam sees an opportunity for digital alchemy. This Tehran-born and Stockholm-based artist has been reshaping – and removing – seemingly fixed concepts of what and how a woman of colour can play in electronic music. With her core group of musical collaborators also driving the Stockholm underground scene, she’s paving the way for an exhilarating post-migrant sound that’ll keep ringing for years to come. But more than just experimentation, jahanam is a do-it-all kind of girl. Whether it’s her hydra-headed sets where footwork meets jungle and we fall right back into funk, or her whip-smart and piercing lyrics on dance-heavy productions, she manages to bring a well-needed unpretentious and playful element to a generation a bit absent of it. And play she does.