Cheb Terro vs. DJ Die Soon

A 10 track electronic album (28m 48s) — released March 25th 2022 on Drowned By Locals

Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon features Cheb Terro's posthumous vocals on Die Soon's beats; a work that was finished one day before Terro's tragic passing. Starting somewhere in the last quarter of 2020, having approached Daisuke Imamura aka DJ Die Soon for a release, and just heard about Cheb Terro's work with his Toxic Club, Drowned By Locals made the hook up that would result in a match made in the Underplanet, as Terro would describe it.

Hailing from the city of Sousse in Tunisia, the site of the worst of several Jihadist attacks in recent years, Cheb Terro's writings and delivery embody the violence stemming from the frustration shared by Tunisia's new generation; and reflect sadness, rebellion and an obsession with death.

Rayen Hermassi, aka Cheb Terro, was a multifaceted artist; writer, rapper, video editor, designer and founder of Toxic Club, the first Tunisian movement to merge horrorcore, hip hop, hardcore punk, Memphis gangster rap, devil shyt, vaporware, tinged with occult elements taken from the country's mystic past.

Daisuke Imamura is a Berlin-based artist born in Japan. His releases include 'Kappa Slap' [Morphine Records], in which Die Soon collaborates with Ecko Bazz, Infinite Livez, MC Yallah, Lord Spikeheart from DUMA, and MA; and his latest production for Sekelembele split with Swordman Kitala [Hakuna Kulala].

In commemoration of the too-soon departed Rayen Hermassi, Cheb Terro vs DJ Die Soon is planned to release on March 25th, 2022, the day of Rayen's passing, on digital and vinyl - Mastered by Rashad Becker.

Rayen Hermassi's share of proceeds will go to his family.

released March 25, 2022

Music and cover art by Daisuke Imamura

Vocals and lyrics by Rayen Hermassi

Mastered by Rashad Becker

DBL10LP

all rights reserved

Terro’s vocal style and Die Soon’s beat craftwork are a choice enough fit to make you wish this could be the first of many such linkups. Mostly rapping in Arabic (which only serves to make his “FUCK THE POLICE” refrain on the Detroit electro-meets-trap “Kalb 3arbi Vs Carnal” more entertaining), Hermassi rasps and crackles at a generally unhurried tempo - “ABTAL AL DIGITAL” and “Nika7” showcase a slightly brisker flow, but he sounds in his element on a track like “Malék Al Mawt”, a ghost-story chunter over Imamura’s horror-dub basslines and swathes of distortion. At times his mixdown is blown-out to the point beats and bass seem to collapse into one another, but the result - aided by Rashad Becker on mastering, you’d imagine - sounds huge and imposing. --- This release is one such thing, though condemned to be a one-off of the most regrettable kind. - Noel Gardner THE WIRE

Imamura’s distorted, hyperactive juke and techno-tinged beats supply Terro with an ominous backdrop that dovetails perfectly with his abrasive bars, rapped primarily in Arabic and oriented around themes of death, terror, and rebellion. It’s a lasting reminder that, while Terro has physically passed on, the political punk spirit he bestowed upon Tunisian hip-hop—will never fade. - Zoe Camp Bandcamp Daily

In some tracks, like Demon Keeper, Terro’s voice seems to reverberate from the loudspeakers of an abandoned mosque, while Die Soon’s samples hail like rain from cumulonimbus copper clouds. —— In some aspects, the album feels like a hollow farewell, deriving its attitude from feelings of numbness and conditions of convulsion, chasing absurdity away in different directions. - Ammar Manla Hassen former executive editor at Ma3azef

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