Sama' Abdulhadi

Sama' Abdulhadi grew up in Ramallah and began DJing there as a teenager, at a time when there was almost no electronic music scene in the West Bank. She went on to study sound engineering in Beirut, and her work behind the decks grew alongside a small network of Palestinian DJs and promoters that she helped build.

Her sets are dark and driving, long on hypnotic repetition and percussive tension. Since her Ramallah set brought her to an international audience, she has played clubs across Europe and beyond. In late 2020 she was detained for several days by Palestinian authorities after a filmed performance at the Nabi Musa shrine near Jericho, and was released after an international campaign on her behalf.