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Sarkawt Hamad
Bio
Sarkawt Hamad is a DJ whose sets strike a rare balance: they are melodic and rhythmic narratives that activate a dancefloor’s collective body, but also press the dancer to really listen, to hear a wild range of fresh textures, bliss, grit and bass. With a fully-rounded sound ranging from leftfield techno and dubby house, to bumping bass and breaks, the sum total is mesmerizing – depth and tension, blissful and alien. Threads of vocal samples are often woven in and out, and pivots from chugging bass to bright and weightless terrains animate the seamless progression. Sarkawt makes clear and icy sounds, merge with warm layers of noisy strokes. In the artist’s own words, each set is built as a layering of feelings and dynamics. More important than continuity of genre is the fluid transition from one energy to another, and Sarkawt plays the thin line of keeping these movements both consistent and unexpected. In drawing out a sonic space that allows for bliss to coexist with darkness and pensive depth, she tests how far she can push the tension without losing sight of the dance floor’s current state 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 Netherlands with a Kurdish-Iraqi family, Sarkawt was surrounded by a love for music. She moved to Amsterdam at 17 to study fashion design, and though she 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 Cruquiusgilde and De School, and visiting Berlin every now and then, Sarkawt’s sense of musicality as a DJ was expanded and cultivated. These raving years were 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, Garage Noord, RAUM and Lofi. She’s also received invitations to spin at Dekmantel and Draaimolen. Word travels saw Sarkawt playing in Berlin at notable functions such as Berlin Atonal and Multisex; she’s also performed at BLITZ club in Munich, Nitsa in Barcelona, Horst Club in Brussels, Lunchmeat's festival in Ankali in Prague, and Opium's Limited Edition festival in Vilnius. No doubt, you will soon get a chanceto 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 Animalia, Draaimolen, Dekmantel, and Fever AM, Origin Sounds, NACHTI, and Nous'klaer. Luckily, the blissful paintery techno still carries.
