Kareem Lotfy has made quite the subtle impact as of late. The Cairo-born, Berlin-based musician has gone from releasing scant traces of recordings in-between focusing on his visual art to suddenly getting a surprise uncredited sample in Kanye West’s latest public outpouring. Of course, Kanye was wise to hear the power in Lotfy’s work, with the track in question that he nabbed being undeniably one of the most desolate, enveloping contributions to PAN’s excellent mono no aware compilation last year.
That happenstance feature was no mere accident, as Lotfy’s earthy, blissful new tape QTT10 proves that he’s an adept master of the ambient form. Throughout its seven tracks, gently pulsing synthesizers and humming digital effects slide atop one another in a calming, ancient cadence, their grainy textures betraying a lush sense of grandness. Every single sound that Lotfy extracts from his equipment seems to radiate with life, swelling into magnificent shapes and churning like some great beast tunneling deep beneath the sands. As one of the only real longform documents we’ve received from Lotfy so far, QTT10 feels both accomplished and ambitious, its timeless, meditative aura flickering with mystery.
QTT10 is out now on Quiet Time. Listen to it below while we patiently wait to see what Lotfy does next.
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