DAUWD

  • Labels Psssh Records, Ninja Tune, African Acid Is The Future, Ghostly
  • Based Berlin, Germany
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These days, to leave even the briefest of imprints on the ever-increasingly saturated orbit of dance music can be considered a feat in itself. To make a lasting mark, however, one that manages to cut through the onslaught of new music and artist profiles on spotlight each day, is another accomplishment entirely. Cue Dauwd, the US-born, Wales-raised artist who’s been releasing music for nearly 6 years on such noted labels as Ghostly International and Kompakt, and whose debut album Theory of Colours is released via Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour Records.

An integral member of the Berlin night and radio show African Acid Is The Future, Dauwd Al Hilali’s releases have been met with as much expectation as they have intrigue. Spending the last few years out of the limelight and in his Berlin studio, Dauwd’s music has continued to ripple through clubs as his singular, sometimes thrillingly uncertain process of experimentation has continued. Pulling inspiration from electronic music legends like Terry Riley, Raymond Scott, and the seminal Radiophonic Workshop period in the late 50’s and 60’s, Dauwd’s 2017 LP draws a unique line between influences as disparate as hazy Detroit house and early German Krautrock.

A skilled musical engineer, Dauwd’s ability to balance between such sprawling genres is, paradoxically, an exercise in restriction, finding creative freedom in limiting his own gear. It’s clear he’s no stranger to focus; sonically, Theory of Colours runs tightly wound, its loops intentional and layers meticulously built. Spanning a succinct forty minutes across seven tracks, Dauwd’s fondness for delays and love for vintage synthesizers characterize much of the album, which was recorded over the course of a year primarily in the Utrecht based Sonar Traffic studio that houses one of the largest collections of vintage synths and other modular equipment in all of Europe. The result is an intricate, scintillating journey that hovers between familiar and strange. For many artists, that enigmatic gap is one that’s anxiously avoided– the fear of misidentity as a musician more important than the music itself. Throughout Theory of Colours, it’s a space Dauwd comfortably renders as his own.

27 Aug Mutek, Montreal
26 Aug TBA, TBA (CAN)
19 Aug Opium, Vilnius
14 Aug VËRYL Festival, Flughafen Werneuchen
15 Jul African Acid Is the Future, Berlin
26 Jun ELSE, Berlin
11 Jun Gottwood Festival, Wales
14 May Zenner, Berlin
13 May AAITF at Loftus Hall, Berlin
23 Apr Prozak 2.0, Krakow
15 Apr The Carpet Shop, London
19 Mar Antisocial, Mumbai
13 Mar Koramangala Social, Bangalore
11 Mar Ring Road Social, Indore
04 Mar Antisocial, Pune
26 Feb Switch, Istanbul

2021
06 Nov Renate, Berlin
30 Oct Herrensauna at Funkhaus, Berlin
24 Sep Paloma, Berlin
12 Sep Aeden, Berlin
03 Jul Les Vivres de l’Art, Bordeaux

2020
06 Mar Fuchs2, Prague
29 Feb Daphnia, Osaka
28 Feb Cauliflower, Osaka
23 Feb Cafein, Tokyo
22 Feb Vent, Tokyo
21 Feb Oppa La, Kanagawa
15 Feb Cakeshop, Seoul
07 Feb Aqua, Bangalore
01 Feb antiSOCIAL, Mumbai
17 Jan About Blank, Berlin
01 Jan Bret, Amsterdam

2019
20 Dec Badaboum, Paris
14 Dec Le Salon Daomé, Montreal
13 Dec Untold Stories, Toronto
12 Dec Magick, NYC
07 Dec AAITF at Loftus Hall, Berlin
26 Oct AAITF Loftus Hall, Berlin
19 Oct Bret ADE, Amsterdam
12 Oct Printworks, London
02 Oct Griessmühle, Berlin
20 Sep Freetown at Five Miles, London
15 Sep AAITF at Volksbuhne, Berlin
23 Aug Nou Le Morne, Mauritius
27 Jul AAITF, Berlin
19 Jul Empty Brain Resort, Vilnius
06 Jul Ruigoord, Amsterdam
29 Jun Dizonord, Paris
27 Jun Rex Club, Paris
22 Jun SSFB Festival, Amsterdam
19 Jun Summer House Cafe, New Delhi
15 Jun Sanchez, Bangalore
14 Jun Leather Bar, Chennai
13 Jun Khar Social, Mumbai
30 May Distortion, Copenhagen
29 May Nuits Sonores, Lyon
18 May Bret, Amsterdam
27 Apr African Acid is the Future, Berlin
26 Apr LARM, Budapest
25 Apr Electric Brixton, London
13 Apr Astin/Nitsa, Barcelona
12 Apr Volt, Milan
15 Mar SoHo House, Berlin
17 Feb Wilden Renate, Berlin
02 Feb Bret, Amsterdam
19 Jan Sweat Lodge 12 x About Blank, Berlin

2018

15 Dec African Acid Is The Future at Luftus Hall, Berlin
24 Nov Cubo, Manchester
15 Nov Contact, Tokyo
11 Nov Far Out Left, Mumbai
09 Nov TBA, Bangalore
26 Oct African Acid Is The Future at Luftus Hall, Berlin
06 Oct Floyd, Miami
05 Oct 1720, Los Angeles
18 Aug Baka Gaijin Open Air at Zeche Zollverein, Dortmund
04 The Standard, Los Angeles
03 Aug Modular at Gray Area Theater, San Francisco
02 Aug Good Room, New York
07 Jul The Reeds, Liverpool
30 Jun African Acid Is The Future at Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin
17 Jun Lacquer, Pennsylvania
15 Jun Brooklyn Mirage, New York
29 Apr The Travel Almanac vs. African Acid Is The Future at ​OHM, Berlin
28 Apr African Acid Is The Future / Eclecticism on Vakulism at ​Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin
01 Apr Birgits Frühlingserwachen Tag 3 at ​Birgit, Berlin
24 Mar Andy Live, Castiglione Olona
17 Mar Idiom presents: Dauwd at ​Versions, Manchester
04 Jan Hot Concept at ​Paloma, Berlin

2017

22 Dec Sugarfactory, Amsterdam
02 Dec Blijdorp Festival, Rotterdam
28 Oct African Acid Is The Future at Strelka Bar, Moscow
07 Oct Rhythm Section Meets African Acid at ​Corsica Studios, London
30 Sep Garajistanbul, Istanbul
08 Sep FNY Festival, Munich
19 Aug Corsica Studios, London
21 Jul Faust, Seoul
15 Jul Kilo Lounge, Singapore
09 Jul The Tao Terraces, Bangalore
08 Jul blueFROG, Bangalore
07 Jul Summer House Cafe, Delhi
17 Jun Kajama Sunset Cruise, ​Toronto
16 Jun Newspeak, Montreal
06 Jun Studio Spaces E2, London
02 Jun African Acid Is The Future Live at ​Funkhaus, Berlin
13 May Good Room, New York
06 May Monarch, San Francisco
05 May Lights Down Low LA, Los Angeles
09 Mar Charlatan Club, Gent