The Tunisian producer and DJ Deena Abdelwahed arrived in France at the age of 26 after earning her stripes on the Tunis scene. Known for her fearless DJ sets and the production of intense and rebellious pieces of electronic dance music, Abdelwahed uses her music to reflect on issues regarding identity and geography, while never missing a beat when it comes to providing exciting and powerful dance music. Rewire was happy to host Deena's first-ever live performance back in 2018. With her new album Jbal Rrsas, which premiered at Rewire 2023, Abdelwahed pioneers new forms of electronic music shaped by musical traditions from across the Arab world. It's a big tip!

DJMag: “At The Hague’s Rewire festival, for instance, a Kuwaiti punter told her closing track ‘Pre Island’ was like khaliji — a sound specific to his country and neighbouring states like Bahrain. “He’s perplexed, and doesn’t know how to feel, can’t understand how the groove makes him dance like khaliji, which has organic percussion, but this isn’t sampled in the track,” she recalls.”

Photo: Deena Abdelwahed during Rewire 2023 by Jan Rijk