Internal Exiles Unites Palestinian Artists on Compilation 'IX Vol.1'

Internal Exiles is an electronic music label and collective founded by Haifa-based DJ and producer ADHM, a key figure in the city’s techno movement. Conceived as a platform to amplify the sounds of the ’48 Palestinian electronic underground, the project positions club music as both archive and intervention.

The collective’s debut release, IX Vol. 1, arrives as a various artists compilation, bringing together seven Palestinian artists from across the 1948 territories and based across the region, to explore themes of displacement, identity, and resistance.

“The idea for Internal Exiles was formed during the recent escalated genocide in Gaza," ADHM says. "It came from a shared sense of helplessness. Music became a way to create, connect, and give voice.”

Spanning six tracks, the compilation sees each artist presenting their distinct interpretations of internal exile, shaped by personal histories and emotional geographies. Sonically, it moves fluidly between techno, bass-heavy club mutations, disco, and experimental electronics, resisting any singular aesthetic or narrative.

Among the highlights is ‘Nazeef’, a collaboration between Palestinian artist SAMI and Tunisian producer Yung Aljahiz, aka Tyrantdistrict. The track unfolds as a shadowy club cut, where experimental trap patterns bleed into industrial techno and left-field bass pressure. ‘Zaaqa’ takes a more hypnotic route, layering percussive bass with fragmented sharqi tabla and traditional tribal harmonies, a compelling mixture of ritual and futurism. Meanwhile, ‘Free Spirits’ leans into phonk-inspired territory, fusing distorted rap vocal chops, heavy bass, and warped vintage funk samples into a raw, restless groove.

By bringing together artists shaped by shared conditions yet distinct sonic paths, the XI Vol.1 compilation traces how electronic music can hold space for nuance, contradiction, and continuity, without forcing cohesion or closure.