the latest
@pop.soil guest mix by Islam El-Ghazouly
@ghazoulian is now archived and can be streamed online at
@nts_radio and via the link in my bio ✨
as part of my radio residency, I’m sometimes inviting friends and members of my community to create their own mixes that explore ideas of transformation, catharsis, and healing in their many different personal and cultural forms. when Islam first shared this mix with me, I knew it would be a perfect fit for the show.
in Islam’s own words:
“This mixtape is a homage to my lineage that stretches across a long Sufi heritage from Morocco to Egypt. It is a tribute to my late grandfather and his commitment to Sufism.
I have named this set “taking off my shoes”. This is because when you enter a place of worship in many cultures – and certainly including mine – you remove your shoes. It is a small gesture, almost mundane. A gesture of setting an intention, of announcing an arrival, the simple act of crossing that door, is also a crossing from one realm to another. And here in this mixtape my intention is to transport the listener to this part of the world. So, I hope you take off your shoes, however metaphorically, and have a glimpse into the rich world of Sufism as you listen to this set.
The set itself digs deep into the underbelly of Sufi traditions in Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. While the focus remains on North Africa, I have also given a nod of respect to the Mevlevi order from Turkey, the order that offered Sufism a global platform.
Lastly, these traditions I try to showcase here, are often characterized as a purification of the soul, or an exorcism of the bad spirits. I simply call it a rave, a rave because it’s a gathering around a sound and the repetition of the beat, this relentless repetition is a core part of Sufi traditions, and it’s where one experiences the dissolving of self-consciousness. It’s an experience where hierarchy fades, where senses are heightened on a natural ecstasy, where unity is felt and a collective sense of belonging takes over.”
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thanks to Islam for this special sonic journey, and to NTS for the continued support.
![Hymnal is out nowthe first song is called Rewilda prayer, a release, a rememberinga new cycle begins I’m trying to find the right words — it’s extremely emotional for me to share my sophomore LP, ‘Hymnal’. I am so excited to finally get to share this music with you all! this project was conceived and written during a very formative time in my life, when my scars and physical pain became a portal to process my own grief and deep connection with this world, our womb, our home. I felt the scarred landscape as an analogue for my scarred body — and understood how I’m really not separate from nature, but an expression of its glorious diversity.this album is my own book of transformational worship songs: for the Earth, the cosmos, and all life-forms, living and dead. throughout the record, I’ve hoped to build a journey that inspires us to connect back to ourselves and back to nature, facilitating a broader, more holistic and cosmic sense of consciousness. driven by the role we must play to address and process the feelings that emerge as our home and human rights are taken from us, it calls us to remember music’s early, communal roots, and our own agency in the process of our individual and collective transformation.‘Rewild’, the first song from the album, is out now. It charts the beginning of a time-lapse journey across different landscapes, from sunset to sunrise, guided through the night by distant stars. Rewild is an invocation for the deep, embodied knowledge that lies in each of us already — if we will only have the courage to remember it again.I hope this music can offer a small space of grounding in our rapidly shifting world. something to breathe with. to dance with. to cry with. I know we all need it.love, Lyra special D2C vinyl edition available in pre-order [link in bio]-graphic design @jot_undesphotography by @scotti.leonardoa collaborative release on @7K_music and @pop.soil](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6751465040732922201664_0_93610faa4ccc517c6624794ba3c5b94e.jpg?o=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&h=cf20df53b3ccf85e8c4bd3ee843dd39b)
