EX.777 Sama’ Abdulhadi

RA Podcast

Resident Advisor

Music

4.7 • 662 Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Has the techno industry failed Palestine? Sama', the world's most famous Palestinian DJ, talks about Israel’s genocide in Gaza and how the music industry—and some of her peers in techno—have failed Palestine. The most deeply divisive topic of the year is undoubtedly Israel's genocide in Gaza. The issue has prompted some artists to step boldly into the political ring and others to shield their professional identities from scrutiny and public discourse, with each camp drawing fierce backlash. After a brief summer hiatus, the RA Exchange returns with a new season, launching with Palestinian DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi, who addresses all this and more in a charged interview. The Ramallah-born artist has since gone on to tour non-stop internationally, regularly appearing alongside some of her idols growing up, such as Richie Hawtin and Nicole Moudaber. She's also no stranger to RA: in 2023, she graced the cover of this magazine and, just this summer, contributed to our drop of RA.1000 anniversary mixes. This interview, though, is the most outspoken Abdulhadi has ever been. She shares her take on what's happened since October 7th, including her assessment of how and where the music industry, and her peers, have fallen short; the pressure she feels to be a global spokesperson for Palestine; why she feels that the revolutionary spirit has drained from a subculture built from resistance; and how, despite it all, she retains a sense of optimism and forward momentum. Listen or watch the episode in full. -Chloe Lula

Transcript

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0:00.0	R.A. Exchange.
0:03.0	Welcome to Resident Advisors Exchange.
0:22.5	I'm your host, Chloe Lulow.
0:24.8	You may have noticed that we took a short break in recent weeks, and for good reason.
0:29.5	We're launching a new format that emphasizes video and leaves a few weeks between seasons
0:34.4	for us to focus on booking the best, most thought-provoking talent.
0:38.6	So season one kicks off today with Palestinian DJ Samma Abdul-Hadi.
0:44.1	Seven years ago, the Ramallah-born artist shot up through the techno ranks after her boiler
0:48.8	room set went viral. She's since gone on to tour non-stop internationally, regularly appearing alongside some of her idols growing up, like Richie Houghton and Nicole Muda Bear.
0:59.5	She's also no stranger to R.A.
1:01.6	In 2023, she graced the cover of this magazine, and just this summer contributed to our drop of R.A. 100th anniversary mixes.
1:09.7	This interview, though, is the most outspoken Abdul-Hadi
1:13.0	has ever been. We spoke openly about the last two years of Israel's genocide on Palestine,
1:19.5	including how she feels either betrayed or abandoned by most of her peers in the industry.
1:24.9	She reflected on the pressure to be a global spokesperson for Palestine,
1:29.1	why she feels that the revolutionary spirit has drained from a subculture built from resistance,
1:34.3	and how she retains a sense of optimism and forward momentum. This was a very emotional conversation
1:40.6	and probably the most political we've ever published on the exchange.
1:44.8	So thank you so much to Sama Abdul-Hadi for coming on the show and speaking with so much heart
1:50.1	and candor. You can watch this interview in its entirety on our YouTube channel,
1:55.0	so I encourage you to check it out there if you can. Thanks for tuning in. Next up,
2:00.3	Sama Abdul-Hadi.
	...

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