Muddyoush: Spotlighting Sounds From the Underground

Leave it to Muddyoush to push electronic subgenres into the mainstream. Not only does this Saudi-Palestinian producer sell out venues on the regular, but he’s also the creative force behind Délusion Records. Founded in 2021, the Paris-based electronic music label and collective is home to 12 artists and over 100 releases spanning various subgenres of electronica, from jungle and techno to ambient and deconstructed club. And nine years into producing, Muddyoush’s network is sizeable, with collaboration the backbone of his work. 

Despite an array of successes, he speaks about his work with humility, describing music as a process that he’s “still figuring out every day”. Equally curious and experimental, Muddyoush continues to interact with new sounds, pushing himself to try new things. When speaking about his career, he makes sure to emphasise that much of his success has been due to those who supported him—DJ Rikka opened his mind to electronica early on, shaping his career, while Zajîïr was fundamental to getting the producer where he is today. At the core of his practice is an earnest hunger to grow, to leave a legacy—one that isn’t restrictive or exclusionary but that brings important sounds and stories to the forefront. 

One of Muddyoush’s goals is to broaden the creative world. “I’d like to challenge the school of thought that one is unable to create art as long as you have a nine-to-five,” he shares. “Many people believe they are unable to be as productive due to their job when, in actuality, the lack of free time you can dedicate to your art allows you to become infinitely more creative due to the limits you’re forced to overcome.” A broader pursuit for the producer and his label – something the collective is actively working on – is spotlighting lesser known genres.

“Electronic music in Paris has always been either slightly tied with elitism and classism since the rise of the French house,” he explains. “My closest collaborators and I have been working on contributing to subgenres that haven’t seen the same success as House music has seen in France in a larger effort of increasing diversity within the electronic music scene of the country.” With this mission, Muddyoush hopes to collaborate across borders and make music more accessible, fundamentally of the belief that a creative outlet is essential to joy. 

Work, to him, is inherently tied to his philosophy, and it’s a link that’s clear to his audiences. Behind the success, the excitement, and the crowds is a true believer in the importance of music to being human. Endearingly, after almost a decade of producing and gaining renown in electronica, his career highlight is just as human: “My mom said she liked one of my songs this summer.”