Sarkawt Hamad | RRFM | 11-10-23

Sarkawt Hamad is a DJ whose sets strike a rare balance: they are melodic and
grooving narratives that activate a dancefloor’s collective body, but also press the
dancer to really listen, to hear a wild range of textures, timbres, bliss and grit. With
a fully-rounded sound ranging from leftfield- and dub-techno to sparkling house to
breakbeat-derived bumpers, the sum total is a kind of sublime - both eerie and
blissful, alien and loving. In drawing out sonic spaces that allow bliss to coexist
with darkness and pensive depth, she tests the limits of how far she can drive the
emotional current of a dancefloor; patiently pushing towards sensory overloading
intensity’s has become a signature. Threads of warm vocal samples woven in and
out come back repeatedly, and pivots from chugging bass to bright and weightless
terrains animate the seamless progression. In the artist’s own words, each set is
built as a layering of moods and rhythms. Disrupted by switching dynamics
directing towards other side paths, she remains reminding of, and building from, the
solid foundation of her sonic base. Thus more important than continuity of genre is
the fluid transition from one musical side-corner to another, and Sarkawt plays the
thin line of keeping these movements both consistent yet unexpected. What one
hears and dances to, and what makes her work thrilling, is the real-time
experimentation of a DJ with markedly wide and deep taste.
Growing up in the eastern part of the Netherlands, Sarkawt was surrounded by a
love for culture in the broadest sense of the word. She moved to Amsterdam at 17
to study fashion design, and though she already knew music was a truer path, the
education shaped her approach to DJing inasmuch as it gave her a language of
aesthetic analysis, design and storytelling. Discovering the scene through clubs
such as Trouw, Cruiquisgilde and De School, Sarkawt’s sense of musicality as a DJ
was expanded and cultivated. She describes the recently-closed De School as “a
club of her age” and pivotal for exposing her to a fierce commitment to sonic,
sartorial and cultural playfulness.
In the last few years, Sarkawt has played out at Amsterdam venues such as De
School and Garage Noord. She’s also received invitations to spin at Dekmantel and
Boiler Room Amsterdam, taking place in Spielraum. Word travels, so 2023 saw
Sarkawt playing in Berlin at notable functions such as Berlin Atonal and Body
Language; she’s also performed at Lunchmeat Festival x Ankali in Prague, and
upcoming gigs are planned for Nitsa Barcelona, Horst Club Brussels and Opium’s
Limited Edition Festival in Vilnius. No doubt, you will soon get a chance to hear the
alchemy that charges Sarkawt’s sets, but until then, you can tune in to her recorded
shows and mixes for outlets such as Dekmantel, Tentacular, Origin Sounds,
Nous’klaer, Future Intel and EOS Radio. Luckily, the sublime still carries.