IRUN

Tunis-based producer and drummer Nuri has been making a name for himself on the experimental electronic circuit for some time now. His debut record Drup, released in 2017, explored the intersection between – and potentiality of – trance music of North African origin within dance-floor driven DJ practice.IRUN is again anchored in the sensory experiences of stambeli, the Tunisian variety of Gnawa music, but it looks even further outward, drawing from indigenous styles across the African continent as part of a multilayered compositional approach that never sits still. ‘A7mer’ begins with a sample of a South African children’s song before opening into a compelling percussive frame. Its mbira melody builds and bewitches, but midway through it cuts to an incessant driving kick pattern that sits somewhere between footwork and UK bass. The two-parter ‘A5dher’ feels sonically close to some of the high-tempo bass-led experimentations emanating from Kampala, but the ludic vocal recitations take some of the edge off: rendering joy rather than sonic jeopardy. Nuri cares about music’s power to move, both physically and mentally. On IRUN, polyrhythms, play and percussive purpose combine powerfully to foster a deeply immersive experience.