Sama’ Abdulhadi describes herself as a “born dancer, Palestinian, Muslim woman who just wants to play music”, and here in Ireland we always give her our world -famous céad mile fáilte.
This Friday (22 November), the trailblazing DJ and producer hits the decks at Index, Dublin, for the third time, having previously appeared in November 2021 and December 2022.
For Sama (whose name means ‘Sky’ in Arabic), her music career began as a child when she started a hip-hop battle group while playing football for the national team, before an injury cut her sporting career short.
I spoke to Sama after her sensational closing set of the infamous Arcadia Stage at All Together Now last summer, where she lamented the fact that she missed the chance to see the Palestinian Women’s Football Team play Bohemians’ Women Team in an recent charity match.
She was thrilled to learn of the incredible support in Dublin 7, where a sea of Palestinian flags were flown by over 4,300 people in Dalymount Park.
It was in Lebanon’s bourgeoning nightlife scene where Sama became ‘radicalised’ by high-octane electronica, attending a gig by Satoshi Tomiie in Beirut while studying music design. Abdulhadi returned to her homeland with a deeper understanding of the genre and the drive to pursue her ambitions.
Fast forward to 2024 where Sama’s diary is block-booked for club nights and festivals around the planet, and she is exactly one year on from her first Fabric compilation mix album. Sama is also credited with remixes for Pan Pot, wrote and co-produced On The Shore of Eternity with Tom Morello, and produced a single called Reverie for CircoLoco’s Monday Dreamin’ album, to name but a few.
Back in 2019 she was added to the illustrious Alternative Power 100 Music List. This internationally acclaimed DJ producer continues to go from strength to strength in the face of adversity, and like her grandmother Issam Abdulhadi, a leading women’s rights activist, Sama strives to shine a light in the geopolitical darkness, proving that music can – and should – be used to promote the power of peace.
Get your dancing shoes on for a serious dance-off this Friday at Index. Last time out, in the old 39/40 venue, three days before Christmas 2022, I left a party and floated down solo to see this force of nature in action. I bumped into a bunch of techno loving pals, and the five of us didn’t stop dancing together all night!
Support on the night comes from Dublin-based audio visual collective Nocturnal Animals and Venezuelan musical journey creator Mogo. Final tier tickets are still available from Eventbrite – click here.
Words by Emer O’Connor.
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