At once dramatically chaotic and shadowed in mellow melody, Rita Mikhael’s esoteric brand of industrial techno is in a class of its own.

Photo: Courtesy by the artist

The Iraqi-born Canadian has been delivering bent and broken electronics since her 2015 cassette debut Devotion, showcasing an innate talent for weaving disparate elements into a cohesive whole. Hooded death gnosis wire-bent around the juddering frame of techno, shards of gabber sewn into wounds by surgeon’s hands, shredded snippets of breakcore infecting the ragged edges leaking chthonic pop juice. At times her work drags along the ear’s canal like a shattered dredged thing, inducing tympanic attacks; at others it simply rolls the entire dancefloor up into a blunt wrap before incineration.

Informed by a strong DIY ethos, Mikhael co-runs the label Summer Isle, home to releases by fellow sonic agitators like Ciarra Black, Nick Klein, and Death Kneel as well as her own material. When not on the Isles, you may find her work in such darkened territories as Hospital Productions, Northern Electronics, and Opal Tapes. Guaranteed gnarly.

  • Pr1nt by E-Saggila

  • Pr1nt by E-Saggila