Prior to the release of their collaborative Raï Dubs record for Boomarm Nation, Algeria-born producers El Mahdy Jr. (pictured above) and XJ have offered up the wonky “R4 Dub” tune. Deconstructing several classic examples of Algerian Raï music, the duo presents an aged archivalist sound in its new music, with haunted vocal samples and rough instrumentation filling out the bulk of the tracklist. On “R4 Dub,” polyrhythmic percussion fumbles around the offkilter downbeat, as hollow synthlines weave into the mix. El Mahdy Jr & XJ’s track feels a bit uneven at first, but slowly finds its footing with an expanding, reverb-soaked pad and a quasi-motorik drum pattern. The rest of Raï Dubs will be available tomorrow over on Bandcamp.

R4 Dub