Far from the strained dichotomy espoused by the “fuck art, let’s dance” brigade, much of the greatest dance music is shot through with a wildly experimental instinct, from jungle to footwork to singeli’s galloping club deconstructions. Toumba, a producer and DJ from Amman, Jordan, knows this well. Petals, his debut EP for forward-thinking UK label Hessle Audio, is a record of dextrous rhythms, advanced sound design, and microtonal melody that is shot through with the joy of communal celebration.
Toumba has released a handful of records since his 2020 debut EP, and those familiar with his 2022 EP Rosefinch, for London’s Hypnic Jerks label, or his mix for Untitled #909 may recognize some of the traits on Petals. Both Rosefinch’s “Multipack of Limes” and Petals’ “Istibtan” reference the writhing keyboard melodies of traditional Jordanian wedding music, while Petals’ “Identity Crisis” and Rosefinch’s “Sa7rawi” share the two-stepping dembow rhythm of dancehall and reggaeton.
What is particularly impressive on Petals is how Toumba finds new ways to unite the sounds of Jordan with the percussive puzzles of modern club music. “Petals” moves with a lurching swing characteristic of southern Jordanian styles, while the drum-machine palette nods to trap. “Hazzeh” incorporates elements of dabke, a Levantine Arab folk music, over a vicious electronic bassline. And “Identity Crisis” uses the Arabic maqam modal system and a refined collection of electronic whirrs and clicks to suggest a Jordanian Kraftwerk, with all the German act’s classically graceful glide. This track demonstrates Toumba’s skill as a sound designer particularly well: The drums punch with clinical efficiency, and the synths are warm and perfectly rounded, with just enough space in the mix for each element to relax and resonate.
“Petals” is the EP’s standout. The rhythm is deliciously—perilously—entertaining. The drums sound perpetually on the verge of collapsing out of time, with each new element threatening to be the last straw. The odd melodic touch suggests the slightest hint of an underlying tune, but the rhythm alone is enough to carry the show. “Hazzeh” is similarly tangled and drum-heavy, combining rock-hard thump, screwface bassline, and the kind of whooshing, perma-climax electronic effect used to stoke tensions in darkened rooms.
Toumba framed “Sabah Fakhri” / “Tidallal” as an attempt to channel “the modern UK club sound” that he absorbed while living in the country, and similar influences commingle with Petals’ Levantine vibes. The title track may have a South Jordan swing, but it feels not unlike the teasing lurch of a classic J Dilla MPC beat; “Hazzeh” has the air of classic dubstep to its bass strut; and the eerie synth sweep of “Istibtan” brings to mind the hard-faced industrial emotion of Sheffield bleep.
Toumba is by no means the first producer to combine sounds from the Arab world with dance production from the U.S. and Europe; Natacha Atlas was doing it way back in the 1990s. But he may be the first artist to do it with such party-starting precision in the no-friction, free-for-all continuum of modern dance music, where reggaeton lives happily alongside UK funky, bassline, jungle, ballroom, and more in the blends of adventurous DJs. You could spend hours pondering the cultural fusions on Petals; you could also lift a dancefloor with its kinetic, vivacious spirit. This makes Petals a seamless addition to the Hessle Audio catalogue alongside records like Anz’s “Loos in Twos” and Shanti Celeste’s “Cutie,” and a reminder of the artfulness of the most vital dance music.
