Tootard + DJ Mamdouh

Tootard

Rami and Hasan Nakhleh grew up in the Golan Heights. Like many others in the territories occupied by Israel, the brothers did not own passports for a long time, using instead a document called ­‘Laissez passer’ to travel. ­Laissez ­Passer is also the name of an album they released in 2017, influenced by both desert blues and reggae. 

Since then the brothers have shifted their focus to the Lebanese and Egyptian electronic disco of the 80s. Hasan Nakhleh nostalgically recalled the PSR-62 he used to have in his childhood home, a simple ­keyboard with oriental scales. He tracked down an ­­instrument of the same type and that became the start of their latest album Migrant Birds, which was followed by a couple of equally dance oriented singles in 2023. 

It is seductive and melancholy, built on funky disco with microtonal synth melodies – sometimes the album feels like a Levantine ­mirror work to Daft Punk’s Random Access ­Memories. But Tootard’s most important ­influences derive from the Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, known for  introducing Western disco and funk to classical Arabic tonalities. 

As the title Migrant Birds suggests, freedom is a ­recurring theme: the dream of moving freely across physical borders and walls, but also across those invisible barriers that limit one’s way of being and loving.

Mamdouh

Since coming to Gothenburg from Beirut in 2017, Mamdouh Elmchad has established himself in his adopted hometown as a multimedia artist and DJ. In his artistic practice, he uses media such as photography, performance art, video, installations and objects, often as means to explore different ways of letting go of control from the point of view of different identity perspectives. As a DJ and club organizer, DJ Mamdouh has made his mark with the creation of Not Your Habibi, a queer safe space and stage for creative expression by queer artists from Southwest Asia and North Africa; and with Infra Artist Collective, a DIY-oriented creative space for contemporary art.

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Accessibility

The Cultural Center Oceanen is a Q-marked culturally historical building, which is challenging when it comes to accessibility. We do our best to have as many people as possible visit us. When visiting us with mobility aids the best-suited entrance is through the stage. This entrance is accessed via Gathenhielmska trädgården. The entrance is locked, please email us the day before your visit or the latest Friday at 16:00 if you are visiting us during the weekend. We have a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. Please note that flashing lights may occur during concerts and events. For questions regarding accessibility email Mia Herman at mia@oceanen.com.