Lebanese DJ SAS to Play Verknipt Festival 2025 in Utrecht June 7th-8th
Lebanese DJ SAS to Play Verknipt Festival 2025 in Utrecht June 7th-8th
Lebanese DJ and producer SAS is set to play at Verknipt Festival 2025 edition, considered one of the Netherlands' biggest techno-focused festivals in Utrecht from June 7th to June 8th.
Based between Berlin and Milan, Sarah Assi, aka SAS, has built up a reputation as one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in the global electronic scene, steadily carving out her niche with a distinctive industrial techno sound, one that's raw and dark, packed with atmospheric layers and hard-hitting kicks. Beyond her own productions, SAS is also the founder of EKSTASIS, a record label and event series, dedicated to spotlighting experimental sounds across the globe, hosting parties in some of the biggest venues across Lebanon, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Jordan.
Since its inception in 2012, Verknipt has grown to become a staple in the global techno scene, with its forward-thinking approach to event production and dedication to celebrating hard techno, industrial beats and rave culture in the Netherlands. Despite mostly focusing on hard techno, the festival finds its roots in a more extensive variation of tech-house, minimal, and melodic techno. Last year, over 25,000 ravers gathered at Verknipt Festival 2024, marking the biggest crowd the festival has ever welcomed since its inception.
Taking place at Strijkviertelplas, Utrecht, this year, Verknipt is bringing a world-class lineup of DJs from across the globe, such as Fantasm, Nico Moreno, Aida Arko, SANTØS, Nikolina b2b Neon Graveyard, Toxic Machinery, Vall Du Son, BØĘRY, Xiben, and more. You can book your tickets at Verknipt's official website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
The moral high ground
A few months into the war on Gaza, following the 7 October attacks, I found myself like everyone else, glued to the news around the clock, watching non-stop the horror coming out of Gaza. One night, as the Israeli forces started to bomb Al-Shefa Hospital – a spot I was familiar with, having developed a bond with the reporter who broadcast from there – I realised that reporter was no longer there. He was not even mentioned. That night was particularly heartbreaking for me. I felt pressure in my head, as if it might literally explode. Waves of anxiety surged through me, along with terrible thoughts, and I had to turn off the television and wander around my house at 2:00am, desperately trying to shift my focus. I remembered that night as I watched the Palestinian documentary A State of Passion – directed by Carol Mansour, a Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker with Palestinian ancestry, and Muna Khalidi, who has a very close friendship with Abu-Sittah – which follows the renowned Palestinian-British plastic and reconstructive surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah when he volunteered to enter Gaza for the sixth time at a time of conflict only to realise that this time it was full-scale genocide. He had never performed this number of amputations on children ever in his life, as he said at one of the most moving moments. At this point, when the film was recently screened at Zawya in the lineup of the Between Women Filmmakers Caravan – an independent initiative organised by a group of female filmmakers and film curators – the Gaza war was already one year and eight months old. Still, I'd missed the first screening of the film, which made its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival, receiving three awards: the top award of the Horizons of Arab Cinema section, the Saadeddin Wahba Award for Best Arabic Film, and the second prize for Best Palestinian Film as well as a Special Mention for Abu-Sittah. After 43 days in Gaza, Abu-Sittah jumped on a plane to Amman to spend 24 hours with Mansour and Khalidi, who had called to request the meeting. As they stated in an online interview with the audience after the screening, the phone call that appears in the film is the real phone call. In Amman, the camera captures the emotions involved in the meeting, which also involves an old friend of Abu-Sittah's and his proud mother, whose favourite son he was, according to the two filmmakers. Mansour and Khalidi accompany Abu-Sittah on a quick visit to Kuwait, where he was raised and where he reminisces about his father, also a doctor, in front of said father's former clinic. Abu-Sittah was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian father and a Lebanese mother. His father's family originated in Maain Abu-Sittah in the southeast of Gaza, which they were forced to flee when the Zionists attacked during the Nakba. They moved to Kuwait and later to the United Kingdom in the 1980s and Abu-Sittah eventually realised his father's dream by studying medicine at Glasgow University. The documentary includes some harsh photos of children undergoing surgical procedures, especially when Abu-Sittah is trying to prove that Israel used white phosphorus in their military operations, but such graphic imagery was limited, reflecting the filmmakers' decision to give only a small taste of the horror after they were faced with the predicament of whether and how much to show. Abu-Sittah recalls performing amputations on six children in a single day, and when he elaborates on how complicated the situation is there, he explains that health procedures are based on people directing you to save the life of the only living member of the family or whether a doctor can just clean up a wound that will keep someone alive for a day so as to save a few other lives that require urgent attention. Abu-Sittah made his way to Gaza to treat patients all the way through Rafah many times; his first medical visit to Gaza was during the first Intifada in 1987. He was back during the second Intifada in 2000 and then in the wars of 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021 and finally 2023. Mansour alone accompanies Abu-Sittah to London where he lives with his family: his wife Dima and three sons. Khalidi couldn't go due to complications with her visa. And this is where the documentary becomes a more personal exploration of Abu-Sittah's extraordinary character. When he's not working, he is with his family, a dedicated husband and father whose presence is a delight to them. He is seen ironing his sons' school uniforms and putting together their lunch boxes in the morning. There is a sequence in the 90-minute documentary when we hear the exchange of voice messages between him and his three sons. It is touching how he says good morning to each of them in spite of the horrors he is enduring so many miles away. Dima and Abu-Sittah have a sweet relationship with the Palestinian cause at its core. Dima explains how she took the children to Gaza, showing them every corner of it with a strange presentiment that it might not survive. They went to the beach and visited all the landmarks. Her presentiment was right: they returned on 7 September, exactly a month before the horrific incidents began. When Dima and Abu Sittah were in Gaza, they took along Dima's mother, who needed medical attention in London while her father remained alone, an old man tired of being repeatedly displaced, refusing to leave his house. The mother could not return to Gaza but she has been living in Egypt: she was even present at the screening of the film. When Dima spoke of Palestinian resilience, it rang true in a way it usually doesn't. 'If he hadn't gone to Gaza, I wouldn't have known how to maintain my respect for him,' she also said of Abu-Sittah, who, for his part, said they were both so clear about his need to be there, the decision didn't even have to be discussed. * A version of this article appears in print in the 5 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
CairoScene
11 hours ago
- CairoScene
Select 335: Mixed by NeighborsByMusic
Lebanon's vinyl maverick NeighborsByMusic delivers jazzy house, Brazilian bossa nova with funk and classic Arabic tunes. Jun 07, 2025 For our latest Select, we have Lebanese vinyl maverick, NeighborsByMusic. Her penchant for discovering new sounds has led her to build an extensive repertoire over the years, blending diverse music styles from different cultures. Her sets often incorporate influences from oriental, Brazilian funk, hip-hop and jazz. NeighborsByMusic treats us to a special vinyl-only set–initially recorded at JIVE in Beirut–that meshes together threads of Brazilian bossa nova, funk, and Arabic oldies from Simone and Hamid El Shaeri with 90s hip-hop and a hint of jazzy house here and there. The colossal proportions of the set, fitting together a multitude of different sounds, are somewhat reflective of the organised chaos that Lebanon is known for. Featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of feel-good tunes, such as Ezra Collective's 'Palm Wine', Mtume's 'Juicy Fruit', and Simone's 'Mabsouta', the set ends abruptly, as if alluding to a typical electricity cut at midnight in Beirut. Listen to the full set below: SceneNoise · Select 335: Mixed by NeighborsByMusic
CairoScene
2 days ago
- CairoScene
Eid Al-Adha at Four Seasons Nile Plaza
Eid Al-Adha at Four Seasons Nile Plaza This Eid, unwind at Four Seasons Nile Plaza with redesigned rooms, three serene pools, and a diverse dining lineup -from Egyptian classics to riverside Italian to Cairo's most stylish late-night spot. By the time the sun hits the terrace on the fifth floor of Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, there's a steady rhythm to the day: the sound of water shifting in the pools, families reading under umbrellas, the faint clink of cutlery from the tables just beyond the loungers. This is not the Cairo most people expect. This Eid Al-Adha, the hotel is inviting guests to experience the city from a different vantage point—where the mood is lighter, the pace slower, and the moments more deliberate. The Fifth Floor Is the Pulse The hotel's elevated terrace is more than an amenity—it's where the stay unfolds. Three outdoor pools are spaced across a landscaped deck, surrounded by wide loungers, soft greenery, and the kind of layout that actually gives guests room to breathe. If you're booked into a Pool Terrace Room or Suite, you step out directly onto the space—no elevators, no detours. You wake up, slide open the door, and the day begins. Rooms That Get the Balance Right The newly redesigned Premium Rooms and Suites have been updated with a soft, contemporary touch. Designed by PYR, the interiors feel fresh but not over-styled: clean lines, neutral tones, natural materials. There are Egyptian coffee table books, small art pieces that don't try too hard, and terraces that face either the Nile or the city skyline. The atmosphere is calm, but not minimal—more edited than stripped back. Dining That Anchors the Stay Food is central during Eid, and the hotel has range. Zitouni, the all-day Egyptian restaurant, hosts an expansive Eid buffet for the first five days of the holiday. Dishes are rooted in tradition - fatta, lamb with freekeh, house-made sweets - served in a space that feels festive without being overdone. If you're after something lighter, Riviera offers Italian coastal cuisine built for summer: fresh seafood, handmade pastas, bright vegetables, and desserts that land gently. It's ideal for a late lunch or a dinner timed to catch the light shift over the river. At Byblos, the Lebanese restaurant, the mezze is authentic, the grill delivers, and the poolside setting is lively in all the right ways. For something with more edge, Bullona holds its place as Cairo's most styled-up nightspot. It's where seafood dishes meet strong cocktails and live DJ sets, and where the room is half locals, half guests who know their way around a late night. A Spa Built for Pause Tucked just off the pool terrace, the spa operates at a lower frequency. No forced serenity, no over-fragranced hallways - just a menu of solid, effective treatments and the option to book a couples' experience built for the holiday. Whether you go for a massage, a facial, or just the quiet, the space delivers on what it's there to do. Cairo, Looser Around the Edges Outside the hotel, the city feels wide open during Eid. There are felucca rides on the Nile at sunset, pop-ups in Zamalek, art shows still running in Garden City, and souks that stay lively long into the night. And on the horizon, the much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum is expected to open its doors - housing the full Tutankhamun collection and shifting the cultural centre of gravity just slightly westward. An Eid That Lingers The Stay Longer – Fourth Night Free offer gives guests space to take their time. The pace here doesn't press. The service holds quietly. Whether you're visiting for the long weekend or turning it into a full week, the hotel gives you the stretch you need—and the quiet to enjoy it.
