Communities inside and outside Morocco are still reeling from the earthquake last month. Berlin-based art Artist Znzl, whose name literally means “earthquake,” has pulled together threads across international lines and genres, techno to industrial to ambient, for a gorgeous and moving charity compilation. It’s a musical message you won’t want to miss – plus, crucially, direct giving resources here for those who can. And we have a premiere by artist Maze DK from the compilation.
Amjad Shah aka Notion A first wrote CDM to share this one. (Listen to Amjad’s track “Lights,” too.)
First, for CDM we get to premiere the work of Maze DK. She’s a queer Polish-born DJ and producer based in Berlin, fed by EBM, industrial, and underground punk. I like the one-liner here with acid-sprinkled machinery:
PREMIERE – Maze DK – Disrupted Rush (Original Mix)
Maze DK.
Her powerful and relentless music lifts the industrial sounds of broken machinery with an acid sprinkle on top. In her sets, she takes her listeners through dark and energetic dance rituals plunging them into a raving state of consciousness. She is at the beginning of her journey as producer with Disrupted Rush being her first release but her first EP is already coming next year and her music will be featured on more compilations.
She’s also a resident at Golosa, crew at the new High party, worked with Gegen, Interzone, and poly|motion, and more. (Plus for more techno, she was in the FLASH_Lab marathon stream we covered recently.) I’ve heard some of her unreleased material – think cinematic industrial techno, and wonderfully heavy stuff; she’s got a similar approach to the DJ sets. Keep an eye out for this rising talent. For the track in this premiere, “Disrupted Rush,” sparkles and machine, cinematic and industrial all emerge from the shadows:
And it’s moving to hear techno tracks like this immediately followed by slow, mournful compositions – the range of emotions. The whole compilation crosses Arabic and Berlin musical language and a huge range of territory from a beautiful selection of artists. Give it a listen, and do support one way or another – those of us who can’t give treasure, hopefully can give time and attention:
Their words:
On September 8, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Morocco, causing significant human casualties, destroying homes, and inflicting severe damage.
In response to this event, a collective of artists joined forces to create a charity compilation aimed at raising awareness and providing essential support for the affected communities.
We express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed, shared, and offered their support. Every effort counts, and your involvement has been invaluable.All proceeds generated from this fundraising initiative will be directed towards supporting organizations actively involved in providing assistance on the ground. Your generosity will have a meaningful impact on helping the affected regions recover and rebuild their lives. Together, we can bring hope and relief to those facing the aftermath of this devastating earthquake.
Check Znzl (Demian Records) and his linktree, too, for more music and additional actions.
You can find Notion A Instagram / linktree, as well (SoulMatters Recordings).
With all the tragedy and negligence of the past year, I know compilations can seem inadequate. But then listen to the actual music – I think they’re a way of reflecting, processing, and hopefully giving ourselves the space to respond in other ways.
One of the stories repeated repeatedly in the aftermath of the earthquake is how Moroccan people volunteered and gave, even when government assistance (domestic and international) was lacking. It seems we can support those efforts, too. Direct support is also important beyond just charity compilations, for those of you who can give. Here are the supported charities from the compilation, to give them an added signal boost:
Banque Alimentaire:
https://banquealimentaire.ma/donation/
https://www.instagram.com/banquealimentaire/
El Baraka Angels
https://www.elbarakaangels.org/
https://www.instagram.com/elbarakaangels/
Enfance Espoir Maroc
Help for children (info for donations in highlights)
https://www.instagram.com/enfanceespoirmaroc/
SOS Villages d’Enfants Maroc
https://www.sos-maroc.org/jefaisundon/
Amal Women’s Training Center:
https://www.instagram.com/amalnonprofit/
Maze DK photo courtesy the artist. All photos from Morocco and the other artists courtesy Znzl and Notion A.
https://znzl.bandcamp.com/album/earthquake-charity-compilation-for-morocco