AZEEMA FM Global Sounds Presents: Mahnoor
AZEEMA FM Global Sounds
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AZEEMA FM Global Sounds -
Words & Programming by Jameela Elfaki
Continuing our Global Sounds series, we welcome Mahnoor to the AZEEMA FM Channel! Providing us with a special mix that is a homage to the influences that have shaped her, from South Asian/eastern melodies and grime beats that she grew up with in London, to the more electronic bass heavy sounds she started getting into during in her late teens.
Mahnoor is a DJ, marketer and the founder of Refugee supper club SUP? Supper Club, born and raised in London and of Pakistani heritage. She takes us back to how she began DJing and how her heritage, faith and childhood memories are intertwined in her sound:
“Music’s always been a part of my life. My dad’s big on his soul/funk/disco grooves which I used to think was so uncool as a kid because all my other friends’ parents would be blasting garage at birthday parties but I came to appreciate the early education fairly quick. Also growing up, drums and the dhol were intrinsic to wedding celebrations - One of my earliest memories is hearing the rhythmic beat of the ‘dholak/drum’ at my uncle’s ‘dholki’, a pre-wedding celebration where women in the family get together to sing popular wedding songs over a ‘dholak’. And then there’s all the usual musical influences you get as a young Londoner. I’m realising more clearly that this early exposure to these sounds is really what informed the kind of stuff I’m drawn to. It’s definitely where I get my love for dub music and when I first got into DJing, it was mostly because I was curious to see how they blended with other sounds that I liked as they carry a similar energy. That’s why I was mind blown when I heard Manara’s Night Slug mix on Rinse for the first time. I still remember where I was when I heard it and I’ve never had the occasion to say this but I owe her presence a lot in helping me feel comfortable in pursuing this without feeling like it would compromise my identity, just knowing that there were other brown Muslim girls in the dance pushing our sounds. Now there are so many of us which makes my heart so full but at the time there was probably only a handful of brown women let alone those who own their faith in this space. Honestly it makes all the difference, she’s a pioneer and undisputed queen for the girlies.
I started playing around on the decks in my final year of university. I loved hearing my friends mix unsuspecting tracks together. I liked the idea of curating sounds and controlling the room. My first time playing out was at an open decks night in France during my year abroad – the decks literally looked like a spaceship operator so I just played it safe on the cross fader the whole night but the selection went in. Whether it’s music that gets you dancing or deep and heavy bass sounds that hit so deeply in your chest you don’t know where your self separates and the music begins, it’s fun taking the crowd on a journey.
It's only this past couple years that I’ve become more consistent with it though. I still cringe inwardly calling myself a DJ but I’m seeing the merits in taking risks, putting myself out there, being more consistent and most importantly not taking myself too seriously!”
Above: “That’s a qawwali night from my cousin’s wedding last year. My family love a bit of qawwali. Full disclosure - I really thought I was doing a great job taking these but being on 2 hours sleep after a fabric night the day before, the manual stability just wasn’t there, still a great memory though.”
“The second picture is my mum, sister and two aunts. I come from a family of women who are truly exemplary figures of grace and resilience and true, girl bosses before the term was even coined. To me, this image signifies the hard work and efforts they’ve made in raising us so that my generation of women in the family can have an easier ride in life and do things like this for pleasure.”
The mix title literally means ‘go on, have some fun’, I feel like it’s the Urdu equivalent to ‘let’s f***in av it!’ referencing the fun natured spirit of the tracks I’ve put together. It pays homage to a lot of influences that have shaped my music tastes so far, from South Asian/eastern melodies and grime beats that I’ve grown up with in London, to artists I enjoyed listening to whilst I was living in France and the more electronic bass heavy sounds I started getting into during my late teens. It’s playful but also heavy at the same time – I like to think so anyway.
You can listen to Mahnoor’s full mix below: