Inkswel

Inkswel is a true force in the global music scene, blending old-school vibes with future-forward sounds. The Lebanese Australian Producer / DJ has been pushing boundaries for over two decades.

Born Julian Leo Habib - Jules took an obsessive approach to music from a young age - after his father exposed him to a melting pot of sounds from the likes of The Clash, Blondie, Public Enemy and Prince. Fast forward to now... Inkswel is a seasoned producer, DJ and beatmaker whose work sits somewhere between hip-hop, house, boogie, soul and experimental music. His productions are rooted in groove and sampling but never stuck in one lane, moving between raw beats, soulful electronics, deep dancefloor music and leftfield sounds with a style that has developed over years of digging, making records and playing clubs around the world.

He’s worked with a wide range of artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Talib Kweli, Moodymann, Peven Everett, Prefuse 73, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Amp Fiddler, Steve Spacek, Blu, DJ Spinna, One Sixth, Danielle Moore of Crazy P, Robert Owens, Guilty Simpson, Dudley Perkins, Colonel Red, Osunlade and Bugs In The Attic. Alongside those collaborations, Inkswel has built an extensive catalogue of original music through his own cult imprint, Inner Tribe Records, as well as releases on BBE, Sonar Kollektiv, Compost, Atjazz, Feedasoul (Lebanon), Liquid Beat, Apparel Wax, Wonderwax, Boogie Angst, Soul Clap, Firecracker and Rush Hour Records. He’s also responsible for a series of bootleg edits on the legendary GAMM Records.

As a DJ and live presence, Inkswel has played everywhere from Dante’s HiFi in Miami and Paradiso in Amsterdam to ://about blank in Berlin, Eighteenth Street Lounge in Washington DC, The Nightcat, Motown Mondays in Los Angeles, Denis Simachev in Moscow, Breakthrough in Tokyo, Goldline Los Angeles, Motor City Wine Detroit, Northcote Social Club, Wicked Jazz Sounds in Amsterdam, São Paulo and Output in New York. He’s appeared at festivals including Hip Hop Kemp, WOMADelaide, Wide Open Space (Alice Springs), Summer Dance Forever (Amsterdam) and Adelaide Festival, and has shared bills with artists including De La Soul, The Pharcyde, DJ Vadim, DJ Krush, Jamie 326, Blu & Exile, Ta’Raach, The Bamboos, Shafiq Husayn, Dâm-Funk, Mayer Hawthorne, Alexander Nut, IG Culture, DJ Spinna, Sassy J, Dego, Rick Wilhite and Rahaan.

He’s also a weekly host of the hip-hop show on Adelaide’s Three D Radio, and has previously guest-hosted on NTS Radio, Worldwide FM, Rinse FM, The Lot Radio, Triple J and 3RRR. In 2021 Inkswel was nominated for the Australian Music Prize.

At the core of it, Inkswel is a producer and DJ with a deep connection to hip-hop and dance music, but an equally strong interest in everything around those worlds. His records and sets draw on years of digging and listening without being overly concerned with genre boundaries. The result is music that can work just as well in a club as it can on a pair of headphones — soulful, rhythmic, slightly off-centre and always built around the groove.