Fact Mix: SICARIA

SICARIA dives into her personal crates and playlists to move through some of the influences behind her new sound.

Lou Nour has been flying the flag for the everlasting legacy of dubstep for the last few years. Alongside Sancha Ndeko, as one half of Sicaria Sound, she injected fresh vitality into the UK scene, playing as the first residents of Deep Medi Musik, setting up their own label, Cutcross Recordings and shelling every club and festival they touched. Now, the artists are forging their own paths: Ndeko as Mia Koden and Nour as SICARIA, which she describes as “like Sicaria Sound, but on steroids.” Embracing a more muscular, abrasive sound, SICARIA’s selections see her tapping into high energy and loose crowds, a hardcore spirit evidenced by her recent Keep Hush set and the worlds-colliding madness of her Kindred Radio session, alongside Peekaboo, Flowdan, M1onTheBeat, Sarz and Skrillex.

However this only sheds light on one aspect of SICARIA, as she continues the Sicaria Sound legacy of amplifying the rich musical traditions of SWANA regions through the low-end throb of the UK’s own bass music culture. Sicaria Sounds’s 2021 track ‘Fifth Gear’ is built around high-velocity North African drum patterns, while SICARIA’s new tune, ‘Still Swingin,’ departs from dubstep to draw from the trance-inducing rhythms of gnawa music, Moroccan religious songs composed from repeated phrases to be performed as part of complex spiritual ceremonies. It’s the first taste of her new EP, Blood, Sweat and Self, which she will release on a new label, Club Confi:DANCE, and which her Fact mix is designed to accompany.

“I set out to craft a sonic journey that complements my forthcoming debut EP,” Nour says. “I’m predominantly known for playing high energy dubstep skankers or fun booty shakers in my DJ sets. This mix is about more than just what’s on my USB – it’s a dive into my personal crates and playlists. In particular it’s allowed me to delve into the influences behind each track: whether through the genre or the artists who inspire my creative process. I envision this mix as a journey mirroring the layout of Blood, Sweat and Self: kicking off with percussive bass, delving into familiar dubstep territories, transitioning into 4×4 dance cuts, and ending in sweet melodic sounds -interspersed with vocal percies – all teetering around 140 BPM.”

You can find SICARIA on Instagram. ‘Still Swingin’ is out now, with Blood, Sweat and Self arriving via Club Confi:DANCE on November 17th.

Tracklist:

Toma Kami – ‘Quad’

SICARIA – ‘Still Swingin’

Stacktrace – ‘Joga Bonito’

Tony Quattro & Siete Catorce – ‘Qesem Cave’

Sicaria Sound – ‘5th Gear’

Bate1 Prod – ‘Mau’

Oddkut – ‘Afrowave’

TroyBoi & Jon Casey – ‘Zurna’

Leon P – ‘Baile Grime’

Lazuli – ‘Toketa’

Ayesha – ‘Lurk’

Silica – ‘Ascend’

ID – ‘ID’

Marah – ‘Loner’

Coki – ‘Tortured’

Conzi – ‘Bom’

LSN – ‘Perry Power’

LYNY – ‘Hitz’

Cimm – ‘Bury Them’ [Feat. Logan]

Kelvin Krash – ‘GET A GRIP’ [Feat. A$AP Rocky]

Headland – ‘Untitled’

Josi Devil – ‘D’Ball (Cunty)’

Ace Tee – ‘Kick It Like Beckham’

Samba – ‘BB’

Burna – ‘Floresta’

Skeptical – ‘Atomic’

Clouds – ‘Protecting Hands Pt. 1’

OAKK – ‘Green Tea’

Listen next: Fact Mix – upsammy & Jonathan Castro