Biography of Sama' Abdulhadi
From the pulse of Ramallah to high-voltage techno
Few trajectories have connected the energy of large-format techno and Palestinian cultural reality with such force. Raised in Ramallah after being born in Amman in 1990, Sama' Abdulhadi first found a means of expression in hip hop and rap, and began mixing music at local parties in the mid-2000s. Her interest in sound technique led her to train in Beirut and later in audio engineering and music production at the SAE Institute in London.
Beirut was her decisive laboratory. There, she developed a conception of techno based on intensity, adaptation to the audience, and narrative construction. During her early years, she used the alias Skywalker, under which she released two works, before performing under her own name. In Cairo, she worked as an engineer and sound designer for film, expanded her activity as a producer, and participated in the creation of Awyav, a publishing initiative for independent artists from the Arab world.
Fifty-eight minutes that changed the scale
The turning point came in 2018 with her Boiler Room session in Ramallah. That recording, just under an hour long, far exceeded ten million views and turned a Palestinian track into an international reference for club culture. Her sound relies on dry, forceful, and musical techno, with high-impact percussion and a clear progression. In 2019, she signed an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1 and later performed at Coachella, Glastonbury, Primavera Sound, Fusion, Circoloco, Warung, EXIT, and Tomorrowland. In 2023, she starred in a four-week residency at Phonox, London.
Her catalog includes Reverie, released by CircoLoco Records in 2021; a collaboration with Tom Morello; remixes for Perry Farrell; and Well Fee, a piece linked to fabric presents Sama' Abdulhadi. That mix, edited by fabric in 2023, condensed her breadth of criteria. In 2025, she signed RA.1000, the session with which Resident Advisor celebrated the thousandth episode of its podcast series.
Union, Resilience, and a scene with its own voice
The community dimension occupies a central place in her work. Through Union, conceived as a meeting point for Palestinian DJs, producers, and creatives, she has promoted collaboration, learning, and local visibility. She also promoted support campaigns for Beirut and launched Resilience, a platform intended to amplify artistic stories crossed by displacement, marginalization, and oppression.
Her career was marked by the arrest she suffered in 2020 after an authorized broadcast in the historical setting of Nabi Musa; she was released after eight days and an international mobilization. Currently, she combines festivals, clubs, production, and community projects with a constant goal: to place Palestine on the global map of electronic music without lowering the demands of her sessions.
