Select 344: Mixed by mishmish

This week’s Select mix arrives like a quiet letter left at your doorstep. Titled كوكتيل مليء بالإحساس لأرق الناس ('A Cocktail Full of Feeling for the Softest Souls'), the set is curated by Amman-based producer and singer mishmish, whose warm blend of lo-fi electronics, soft vocals, and regional sampling has made her a subtle yet steady voice across the region’s independent scene.

mishmish’s mix is a deeply personal selection of songs, unreleased beats, and demos, crafted less like a DJ set and more like an after-midnight confession. Hovering between nostalgia and experiment, her soundworld feels hand-stitched: stitched with slow-burning synths, voice notes, pop hooks filtered through reverb, and rhythms borrowed from Arab pop and internet-age melancholy.

The set opens with 'مشمش وتفاح - سارية السواس', a dreamlike rework built on the unmistakable voice of Syrian singer Saria Al Sawas, flipped and reframed by mishmish and producer Tuffah. From there, the mix drifts between classic Arab heartbreak (Nabil Shuail’s 'Sadini Fe Gharamah') and lo-fi UK rap (John Glacier’s 'Some Other Thing'), before landing in the distorted introspection of 'Toes Down' by Loukeman.

Much like her name - fruitful, small and soft - mishmish’s sound is intimate and full of feeling. Each track feels selected with care, with a quiet understanding that music can be both fragile and powerful.