In the age of streaming it’s all too easy to just assume that the music on Spotify, Apple Music, or Anghami is all there is out there. While it’s true that these streaming services offer a veritable archive of international music, it’s far from a complete image of the music the world has to offer.


In this series LOST TAPES, we’re exploring releases from some of the more obscure corners of the internet, from degrading tape rips, to Bandcamp hidden gems, and dusty mp3s floating around on hidden internet forums. 


Snippet’s of the previously cassette-only release of Burqa Boyz debut mixtape Miami Arab Emirates have been floating around the internet since 2012, only having been available on youtube as a lo-fi tape rip, until finally the full release made it’s HD debut via U.S-based label ORMOLYCKA’s Bandcamp page. 



Over the brief 16-minute runtime are countless remixes, edits, and flips all blending together in one monolithic, blown-out concoction of high-tempo electro, footwork, juke, and trap. Classical Arabic samples are reworked alongside rap acapellas into a bombastic cacophony, set to a backdrop of blistering distorted beats. The mixtape journeys through so many different styles in such a short amount of time it’s honestly a challenge to describe in any kind of cohesive way.


Whether or not the Burqa Boyz are actually Middle-Eastern is pretty unclear, digging through social media reveals little to nothing about the enigmatic group, and even a deep dive into obscure music forums reveals very little about the project. That being said, the way the Burqa Boyz twist, warp, and deconstruct Middle-Eastern samples shows a high degree of understanding and appreciation for the source material, so the true nature of their identities could really be anyone’s guess, but when the beats are this fire does that even really matter anymore?


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