Koumiya Reflects on Her Fractured Identity on Self-Titled Debut EP

French-Moroccan DJ and producer Leila Koumiya, known simply as Koumiya, has unveiled her self-titled debut EP via Marseille-based Gros:Œuvre Records.

A rising figure in the regional underground scene, Koumiya’s sets and productions are unruly yet emotionally charged, blending experimental bass, melancholic lo-fi textures, and rap, with elements from North African musical heritage.

On her debut EP, Koumiya channels experimental electronics to explore fractured Arab diasporic identity and the tension between memory and emancipation. The six-track record fuses experimental trap, dub, introspective poetry, and bass-driven arrangements in multiple languages, including Darija, French, and English.

The EP opens with ‘HA NAR’, a trance-tinged electro-Amazigh fusion that evokes desert winds through atmospheric white noise. A synthesised Ribab plays Amazigh pentatonic scales, interspersed with bendir breakbeats, before yielding to a four-on-the-floor beat underscored by fleeting vocal harmonies rooted in Moroccan tribal singing traditions.

‘7ARIQ’ pushes into futuristic territory, anchored by Koumiya’s multilingual rap over a raw, bass-driven beat and a cacophony of manipulated ganwa instruments like Gimbri and Lutr, reflecting her ongoing inner conflict and process in repairing her sense of fractured identity.

‘Les Epines’ unfolds like a dystopian orchestral piece, punctuated by heavily processed, detached vocals that feel alien, while ‘TFOOTWORK’ shifts the energy with high-energy percussive bass, glitchy vocals, darkbuka samples, and desert blues–infused synths, delivering a track designed for a lot of footwork on the dancefloor.

The closing track, ‘Noursa’, slows the pace into dreamy introspection, a piano-driven ballad that dissolves into electric buzzes, highlighting Koumiya’s evocative poetry that feels mildly inspired by regional heavyweights like Yasmine Hamdan.

With Koumiya, the producer makes a striking debut, delivering a genre-blurring, deeply personal EP that showcases her range and marks her as a distinctive voice in the underground electronic scene.