... his own niche in the hardcore underworld of
dance music for more than a decade and a half.
The Extreme Machine is a relentless promoter of
his passionately held musical beliefs, and he has
been championed throughout his career by everyone
from the late, great Tony de Vit to Paul Glazby.
As uncompromising as the name of his record label
Do Not Bend suggests, the far-sighted Karim has
relentlessly pioneered his own exceptional style
which has been often copied but never equalled.
The French native of Moroccan origin has amassed
a cult-like following of staunch supporters for
his ability to push peak-time dancefloor disorder
to its most anarchic and enjoyable.
Karim sets are unwavering: nasty and filthy pleasure
trips of unique music more often than not created
or re-created exclusively for his masterfully moulded
mesh.
No tune is safe from being Karimified: from Michael
Jackson’s Billie Jean to Joe Inferno’s
Tribal Church, the list of anthems freshly remodelled
for the ace’s club excursions is endless.
As a producer and remixer, the fierce funkster
is responsible for more than 250 forays into turbo-charged
pandemonium including seminal hard house hits such
as Don’t Fuck With Me, Cheap Rent, No Women
Allowed, You Have Control and Clean & Heavy.
What’s most admirable about his staying power
is the fact that this lengthy career has been carved
out chiefly through his own three independent powerhouses:
Tuff Trax, Unfknblvbl and the aforementioned Do
Not Bend.
A true clubbers’ DJ with an innate sense
of what works on a hardened dancefloor, Karim’s
a party animal at heart, a larger-than-life character
born to take centre-stage.
In 2007, the hard-NRG hero has taken his brand
of intense raw filth to Australia, New Zealand and
Ireland, and added SNAT and Insekt to his British
residencies.
His long-term pole position at London’s premier
after-hours party Twist is running at five years
and counting. Few turntable technicians can surpass
such consistency.
But consistency has always been a crucial component
in Karim’s constant progression, and with
the launch of an eagerly-anticipated album of rarities
‘Unreleased Projects Volume 2’ and a
new digital label towards the end of 2007, he will
show that he is a more formidable force than ever.