Din is Noise Records is a unique label based in Beirut, Lebanon which touches upon Dark 170, Experimental & Techno
”DIN (din is noise) is the start of a furtherance in the underground scene’s auditory evolution”
We had the pleasure of catching up with Nadine Assaf the label founder & manager who launched DIN back in 2014 and has been growing to be go-to imprint for all your experimental needs.
Hello Nadine, firstly thank you for taking the time to have a talk with us today. Could you tell us about your musical journey all the way up to discovering D&B and starting the Imprint?
Hello, thank YOU for the feature.
My musical journey! This might take an eternity to describe and I’d probably still won’t be able to put it into words. I had always been interested in music, I always felt that my ears are so keen that they can detect quality music from the very first beat. I don’t know if this has anything to do with both of my parents being musicians, but whatever, if it has, then I’m thankful :P
You’re gonna probably laugh at me now, but I tell you, when the DVD “Global” by PVD came out in 2003, I was 17 then, (i’m 32 today), it was love at first sight! it was what actually got me into wanting to delve more into the infinite world of electronic music.
To make a long story short, I had my generous share of electronic music in all its aspects and genres: house, minimal, trance, techno, drum n bass, IDM, alternative, and hip-hop…
But it wasn’t until the early 2000’s (2005, 2006, 2007 ) that I was introduced to drum n bass and hardcore music in general through a local movement under the name of “Kaotik System” that was the first to actually showcase, breakcore, drum and bass and hardcore music, back in 2003
Is there much of a bass music community in Beirut?
The bass scene in Beirut is currently not extinct but it’s not as large as what it used to be, however, the local crowd is always hungry for good music, but you can tell that the majority is geared towards more house and techno than drum n bass.
The case was a bit different back in early 2000, (2003) to be precise, it was when “Kaotik System” a local movement dedicated to promoting breakcore, hardcore, d&b music, started launching its series of secret parties, and they actually grew a fairly big crowd until they stopped in 2013.
Other promoters tried to take on the legacy, but things aren’t obviously the same anymore, especially that techno parties are way more accessible in Beirut nowadays than they used to be.
What would be the best way of describing Din Is Noise contribution and sound?
Din is noise was launched with many purposes;
– exposing the local scene to a new genre of electronic music, geared toward the experimental side
– showcasing different and left field music regardless of the genre focusing on its dark and experimental aspect, if you go back a bit with din’s back catalog, you’ll notice lots of experimental, dark minimal techno and some noise too. – offering the artists a free platform where they can expose their sound with no restrictions, and where they are offered free services as a sign of support from the label for their hard work
– Din focuses on the visual side by delivering solid visuals that contribute in bringing “sound” to life
So on the subject of music, I loved the Out of Fuel release it blew my socks off, could you give us a rundown of things coming up?
A joint compilation was actually released in collaboration with Onset Audio, right after Out of Fuel. Illuminate; a 13 track benefit compilation album, featuring some of the most exciting names in alternative bass and drum and bass music, where all proceeds go to families in Puerto Rico, it looks like a successful release so far and we’re quite happy about it.
2 forthcoming releases I can reveal now and I keep the rest on the down low.
A three track ep release with Tobe:n, a very promising artist, you’ll be surprised with what he has in store for you, including a remix from the boys who’ve been recently killing it “Out of Fuel”
And another release by “Lums”, really looking forward to this one, especially that it has both the jungle and autonomic aspects, very promising!
Who are your influences within this spectrum?
This is always a very hard question to answer for there are so many good artists out there, the deeper you dig, the higher the quality you find, I’m always influenced and inspired by so many artists on a daily basis but to be fair, I’m gonna say:
Squarepusher, Autechre, Aphex Twin, Amon Tobin, Gridlock, Kid Drama, Dissident, Instra:mental, Photek, Dillinja, Source Direct, Venetian Snares, Dom & Roland, Om Unit, Plug aka Luke Vibert aka Carrier District aka Wagon Christ…, Fanu, Felix K, Fis, Rockwell, Synth Sense, Consequence, Shackleton, Bop.. to name a few.
The female movement within the scene is becoming very strong and it’s really refreshing to see, what are your views on it?
To be very honest with you, I have never personally felt of any less important than men neither in the scene nor in life, instead, I’ve always felt responsible for making a change and taking part in the music industry in any and every way possible. Knowing that the scene being a male-dominated industry is a fact and seeing how so many ladies are stepping up, as djs, producers, promoters and label owners, it actually gladdens me to see us thrive, and would love to see more of that, for the scene needs this diversity, it actually makes it well-balanced and consistent.
Could you give us a quick top 5 producers for you at the moment?
So many good producers out there…
Pessimist
DAAT
Overlook
Entire
Dyl
Alg0rh1tm
Not to mention that all the artist are doing a great job with every release.
Any advice to those wanting to get into forging a label of their own?
Know your sound, have a goal, let your passion lead you, make sure you contribute to making a change in the scene, most importantly, build a name that will always be remembered.
Last thing, what do you want to see more of in D&B?
Quite happy with the amount of quality music that is currently being released. So keep it coming! Would probably like to see more of the artists that have been quite absent from the scene.
Thanks for your time and good luck with the rest of the year…any last words?
Thank YOU for the feature again :) Good luck with Ronin Ordinance and full support!
Din Is Noise Social:
https://www.facebook.com/dinisnoiserecords/
https://soundcloud.com/dinisnoiserecords
Support the latest offering from DIN & Onset Audio as mentioned above…
Illuminate, A 14 track Benefit Compilation LP featuring some of the most exciting names in alternative drum & bass, bass music, and ambient.
All proceeds will go to Puerto Rico disaster relief via the grassroots, community-based charity, “Friends Of Puerto Rico”.
Purchase the album here: goo.gl/KSsRGq
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