Fatima Al Qadiri Disrupts Khaleeji Club Tropes on ‘7ilween’

Kuwaiti artist and producer Fatima Al Qadiri has long used electronic music to examine culture and identity in the Gulf, often utilizing the dark underbelly of club culture as her field of focus.

On her latest release ‘7ilween’, the lead single from her upcoming Hyperdub EP ‘3TWI’ (Kuwaiti slang for a "male alley cat" or dirty old man), she leans into regional folk dance traditions, reinterpreting them through her ongoing exploration of gender identity and performance.

Featuring contributions from collaborators Lama3an and Bobo Secret, the track is built around a central wind instrument that guides the melody throughout. Below it, Al Qadiri destabilizes traditional Khaleeji rhythms over a massive sub bass and spacious drum work, punctuated by chopped-up vocal samples of sleazy Arabic phrases that map out the mind of the EP’s pitiful main character.

The accompanying music video, directed by artist and long-term collaborator Sophia Al-Maria, complements the track's eerie, surreal tone. Shot in London and Baghdad, it references popular Iraqi pop videos and Gulf meme culture while featuring Al Qadiri’s evil nightlife persona, Shaneera. The visual captures the core concept of the EP: a sharp, stylized look at West Asian dance culture and the complicated lore that surrounds it.