Use Knife - État Coupable

Use Knife is Saif Al-Qaissy, Stef Heeren and Kwinten Mordijck, in collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Youniss Ahamad. Their residency at art center VIERNULVIER during Covid-19 sparked enthusiasm for bringing together their Belgian and Iraqi musical backgrounds together. Youniss Ahamad is responsible for the scenography and visual component.

Use Knife's debut album “The Shedding of Skin” was released in September 2022 by VIERNULVIER records. The title refers to the human instinct to survive and leave war and disaster behind and build a new life in a completely different environment. The album was mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem in my Heart) at Hotel2Tango (Godspeed You Black Emperor). Radwan also plays buzuq and synthesizer on the song “To feed the Gentry.

For Use Knife's live show, Youniss Ahamad projects shifting and reassembling abstract images and text onto three separate gauze canvases, with the musicians, located behind them, always present as moving shadows or distant aspects.

“There is nothing half-hearted about Use Knife as a live act. You clearly get the sense that each member is completely full of energy in this iteration of their collective art. A Belgian article called their sound “electronic outsider music,” but to me it's an all-encompassing vortex that allows those who experience it to plunge headlong into a hypnotic state midway between a dreamlike trance and a sensual workout,” said The Quietus.

In 2022 and 2023, they played at Le Guess Who?, Sonic City, Videodroom, among others, Grauzone, Worm and Wrong Fest. 2024 brings Roadburn and Peel Slowly and See Festivals.
There were also notable reviews, interviews, mentions, premieres and airplay in/on Dusted Magazine, Mixmag Mena, Mixmag Asia, A Closer Listen, It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, Foxy Digitals, The Attic, Gonzo (Circus), White Light/White Heat, VRTNWS, CMU, Polifonia, City Cancer, Radio 1 Belgium, Lyl Radio, Klara, Blurred and Obscured, Focus Knack, Star Records, Radio alHara, Phonofocus, Rebel Up, Movement. Radio, Urgent.fm, KEXP, Radio Scorpio, We Are Various, ...

Since February 2023, Use Knife has presented the radio program “Feeding the Gentry” on the Palestinian Radio alHara, in which they play music that inspires exploration, questioning and experimentation. One episode, a tribute to Palestine, was rebroadcast on NTS Radio and Rinse.fm.

In October 2023, Use Knife released the standalone digital track “Sowieso F***ed,” a cynical anthem set to a heavy 95 BPM beat and a jumble of rigged samples & sounds, about “ten little bums” trying to belong. This release was released before the brutal reality of the genocide in Gaza. Therefore, the cynical message had to give way to solidarity with the Palestinian people. Proceeds from this release and the accompanying t-shirt will go to Oxfam International's Gaza Crisis Appeal. In November, we also played at the Benefit for Gaza of art center VIERNULVIER in Ghent.

To bridge the gap between the electronic experimental music scene and thus enter newer territories, the band decided to approach Berlin-based Morphine Records, known for its eclectic, unlimited output and network. In April '24, Use Knife released the remix EP “Peace Carnival” on Morphine Records. This EP consists of three remixes from the band's debut album, carefully crafted by French-Irish producer Zoë Mc Pherson, Palestinian underground hip-hop artist Muqata'a and Lebanese-born producer and DJ Rabih Beaini (formerly known as Morphosis).

The band is currently putting the finishing touches on their second album, “État Coupable,” which will be released on VIERNULVIER records on March 25, 2025. The album was remixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh and mastered by Heba Kadry in NYC. A new live show will premiere in early 2025.