Listen to The Synergy, an international collaboration from Dumhi

Complex and gritty production sets the tone on the newest release from local hip hop producer Dumhi, who has teamed up with Jordanian rapper Satti on The Synergy.  Satti’s smooth lyrics, delivered in Arabic, float effortlessly atop jazz, soul, and eastern music samples, giving the record an escapist feel for those of us here in Philly.

The album’s title, therefore, works on multiple levels: it’s the synergy between a rapper and a producer and a synergy between two geographically distant cultures. Haj’s cinematic, soundtrack-esque beats reinterpret traditional Eastern sounds in a way that pushes intercultural communication to a new level. The confluence of East meets West is most apparent on “I’m Not an Actor Instrumental,” an arrangement reminiscent of 60s James Bond themes.

Listen to The Synergy below, and revisit Haj’s work with Dumhi here.