Karim – Lila on Tikita

Karim returns to Tikita with “Lila”, a 9-track exploration of driving techno (raw / deep / hypnotic) pressure. Out now in lossless formats. Spanning 70–163 BPM across its 9 tracks, this release gives DJs flexible tempo options for different set moments.

Lila on Tikita

Lila – Official Music Video

Behind the Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) : Release Notes

On Lila, his debut LP, Moroccan artist Karim presents a series of undulating electronic rhythms laser-etched into tessellated form: drumless techno from the pre-Sahara, built for communal psychic expansion. Drumless, yes, but not percussionless. There are shakers, castanets, stabs, plonks, thuds. There are insistent basslines propelling forward, pulsing with energy, rippling in time. There are tones interlocking, rolling, fluttering, pattering. Dancing within, around, between each other. Considered in terms of sheer geometry, Lila is a techno record, unmistakably. But it sounds quite unlike any other techno record you’ve heard lately. To write the album, Karim borrowed from the music of the Gnawa, a religious-spiritual musical tradition descended from West African peoples brought to Morocco as slaves hundreds of years ago. Now integrated deeply into Moroccan culture, the centerpiece of Gnawa music is the lilaor “night,” in Arabican all-night-long ritual of rhythm designed to induce participants and musicians alike into a healing trance state. Which, if you’re a dedicated raver, may sound familiar, yes? Crafted entirely with modular synthesizers, Lila conjures a range of textures and moods. The show opens with “Bakh,” a blissful exercise in beatlessness, clear and crystalline. On “Philipoussis,” “Kiyex,” and “Sonic,” arpeggiated synths approximate Gnawa chants while interlaid percussion keeps time in multiple meters. “La” and “Kille” pulse in half-time, ideal for creative mixing. “Joul a levre” bristles with electricity, the sound of a charged lightning rod. “Pamil,” woozy and lurching, feels like being shipwrecked on a forgotten island. Last and absolutely certainly not least, on the final track, “Miloir,” Karim faces West and unleashes the album’s only kick drum for a ten-minute psychedelic techno masterpiece. The mind warps; the body moves. Lila is released on Tikita, Karim’s own record label, founded in 2014. Tikita’s discography, spare but tightly curated, features artists from across the globe pushing outwards into techno’s deepest reaches. Karim’s album pushes even farther. Listen for yourself.

Download ‘Lila’ in MP3, FLAC, and AIFF Formats

Tracks, BPM & Key

1. Karim – Bakh Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 130 BPM | C Major | 7:38

2. Karim – Philipoussis Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 93 BPM | Eb Major | 6:44

3. Karim – La Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 140 BPM | B Minor | 7:39

4. Karim – Kiyex Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 84 BPM | B Minor | 7:47

5. Karim – Kille Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 93 BPM | Eb Major | 5:31

6. Karim – Joul à lèvre Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 93 BPM | Ab Major | 5:31

7. Karim – Pamil Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 163 BPM | B Minor | 4:34

8. Karim – Sonic Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 140 BPM | D Minor | 6:57

9. Karim – Miloir Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 70 BPM | Ab Minor | 9:12