Artist Spotlight: DJ Haram

At a time when electronic artists are increasingly chasing mass appeal, DJ Haram moves in the opposite direction. She isn’t interested in being your hero, or even your favorite DJ. Over a decade into her career, the Brooklyn-based Syrian DJ, producer, and sound engineer has carved out a singular space in the global electronic scene, defined by an anti-format approach and a sound rooted in her provocative, Jersey-bred sensibility.

A classic DJ Haram set may jackknife from a heady, percussive club music into a swarm of noise-rap, hip-hop, or even ambient, however, all while retaining her signature experimental approach to sound design, imbued with Middle Eastern instrumentations, complete with choppy samples, and sometimes, spoken word poetry.

We caught up with the open-format artist at Le Guess Who? Festival 2025 in Utrecht, where she premiered a collaborative performance with Afro-Caribbean trumpeter Aquiles, to reflect on her early beginnings and unpack a creative process driven by an obsession with noise, improvisation, and instinct.

Watch the full interview below: