Use Knife is the exciting result of the raw synergy between Iraqi vocalist and percussionist Saif Al-Qaissy—who fled war-torn Iraq—and Belgian musicians Kwinten Mordijck and Stef Heeren, known for their passion for analog synths and organic wind instrumentation. The band tell a necessary tale of freedom, responsibility and the gulf between the Eastern and Western mindset. Even the instrumentation itself reflects this constant friction; intuitively muddling distorted industrial textures and jerky EBM pulses with brittle Iraqi rhythms and tonalities, Use Knife devise their own distinct harmony against the dissonant global backdrop.
Debut album 'The Shedding of Skin' (2022) received critical acclaim by The Quietus, Mixmag and Knack Focus, a.o.. They played at festivals such as Le Guess Who?, Sonic City, Videodroom, Grauzone, Botanique, Worm, Wrong Fest, Roadburn, Suoni Per Il Populo, Wave-Gotik-Treffen and We Are Open a.o.
Additionally, ‘Peace Carnival’ was released on Morphine Records —a 10” remix EP featuring tracks from the debut album reinterpreted by Muqata’a مقاطعة, Zoë Mc Pherson, and Rabih Beaini.
Their new album ‘État Coupable’ (March 2025) is mixed by Jerusalem in My Heart's Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, who also created the contrasting ambient 2nd part of the title track, while New York based engineer Heba Kadry (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nicolás Jaar) handles the mastering. Nihiloxica’s drummer Spooky-J, also laid down a post punk beat on first single ‘Freedom, Asshole’.
Youniss Ahamad crafted Use Knife’s distinct visual language, evoking rawness through direct and distorted imagery, and developed scenography and visuals that truly enhance their live show, creating “an all-embracing vortex that allows those experiencing it to plunge, headfirst, into a hypnotic state that veers between a dreamlike trance and a sensual workout.” (The Quietus)
Their radio show ‘Feeding The Gentry’ airs monthly on Palestinian Radio Alhara.
