Baher Revives Cairo’s Underground Heyday on EP ‘Fragments’

Four years after its last output, Minneapolis-based Egyptian producer, DJ, and label founder Baher Eid brings his Rakete imprint out of hiatus with Fragments. The five-track EP serves as a sonic bridge between two vastly different dance music landscapes. Coming up through the heyday of Cairo’s underground electronic scene, Baher absorbed the raw energy of Egypt’s raves before relocating to the American Midwest. In Minneapolis, he fully immersed himself in the region's utilitarian warehouse culture and crate-digging traditions. Fragments reflects this dual identity, combining Cairo’s old-school club intensity with the stripped-back, hardware-driven minimalism of North American dancefloors.

Rather than chasing bloated arrangements or transient trends, Fragments relies on Roland 707 and 909 drum machines and vintage analog synthesisers like the Juno-106, crafting a set of versatile, club-oriented productions that drift fluidly through house, techno, and the grey areas in between.

The EP kicks off with ‘Afrika’, a peak-time roller built on heavy percussive polyrhythms and locked 909 sequencing. Stripped of artificial build-ups, the track relies on simple, hypnotic loops and shimmering background pads to drive the floor forward. ‘Basement Rose’ immediately pivots into darker territory, anchoring itself in dry analog rhythms, heavy reverb, and an atmospheric chill designed for low-lit, cavernous spaces.

Flipping to the B-side, “Time Machine” turns the focus toward fluid, futuristic techno, weaving morphing synth textures over a persistent, rolling low-end. ‘Sun Knights’ taps into classic mid-90s house sensibilities, calling back to late-morning sets at Panorama Bar through warm chord progressions and melancholic pads. Closing out the record, ‘Journey to Juno’ lets the distinct, saturated warmth of the Juno-106 take center stage, pairing nostalgic synth lines with steady drum programming to bring the EP to a reflective, hopeful end.