As representatives of Kurdish culture, Robin Nazari and Maceo Frost have endured a lot of hostility and have overcome many a hurdle on their way to an artistic breakthrough. Last year, the two succeeded on several levels: Nazari made his acting debut in the Netflix series “Snabba Cash”, while Frost entered the next level as a multi-award-winning film director and music producer. Their single “Zo” (2023) cracked the trap hype with minimalist, percussive Afrobeat and showed that mid-tempo rhythms can also work in a completely different way. Shortly afterwards, the Conducta feature “Gold” (2023) achieved something similar with Amen Breaks, making BIJI an indispensable soundtrack for anyone who wants to cruise through the neighbourhood and show off every trick in the book – whether with Scirocco or TT. It’s hardly surprising that this year’s debut EP – “BIJI, Pt. 1” (2024), with tracks such as “Zigidi” and “Wey Wey” – has fans of lush beats and the finest production quality nodding their heads from northern Iraq to northern Germany. It’s a good thing that the two of them will also be here in September.