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CD
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DBL 046CD
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For the better part of a decade, Cairo-based producer Mostafa Onsy has been the architect of the cerebral. His work, defined by intricate, wired sound design and alien dub, demanded a specific, deep-head focus from its dedicated listeners. Baba Fen is something else entirely: a sharp turn from the complicated toward the direct and immediate. Call it pop-adjacent, if you squint -- but only because density has been traded for a different kind of clarity. Rooted in the minimal logic of trap, the record relies on heavy 808s, sparse arrangements, auto-tuned vocals, and a groove that hits without clutter. It nods to the lineage of Southside and Chasethemoney, yet reroutes that minimalism through a restless, cross-border sensibility. Remotely assembled between Cairo and Haifa with artists Fara7, Bleng, and Illfeel, the project was shaped by a loose, almost accidental workflow -- vocals recorded and returned within hours, fueled by basic tools, slow internet, and whatever energy was available in the moment. This first-take urgency becomes the defining character. From here, Baba Fen moves without a fixed map. While anchored in trap, the sound frequently drifts into Egyptian '90s pop, Mahraganat, and crystalline, chiptune-like melodies, refusing to settle into any one single mode of expression. Mastered by Rashad Becker, the final result maintains a striking balance between its spontaneous origins and a formidable sonic weight. It captures a producer venturing beyond established boundaries, trading complexity for contact and proving that a stripped-back approach can often hit the hardest.
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