Deki Alem are the firebrands you need to know

“My butthole is sweating!” was the verbatim proclamation I distinctly remember overhearing as I was exiting a sweltering concert of Deki Alem a while back. The rest of the crowd carried a similar air around them: sticky, euphoric, simultaneously worn-out and energised. This is the Deki Alem experience in a nutshell – a sonic explosion that leaves no one untouched. Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, Sammy and Johnny Boakye Bennett have amassed a cult following across the globe with their exorcism-like fusion of drum and bass, rap, and punk sensibilities. Powered by their somewhat elusive, guerilla approach, the duo’s mission of defiance and raw self-expression resonates with many. To celebrate the release of House Fire, and the announcement of their debut album, we caught up with the incendiaries to get a glimpse into their world.

Hey! Excited to be in touch, how are you doing today?
Sammy: Good thank you, we just got back to Gothenburg after spending some time in Stockholm putting the final touches on the album.

Let’s start at the beginning. How did Deki Alem first come to life? What was the transition from siblinghood to creative partners like?
Sammy: The transition happened almost 10 years ago, when we first started rapping together in Swedish, really out of boredom. We’re glued for life, so figured we might as well have fun with it and create stuff. Deki Alem came to life after we buried our Swedish project and started this journey during the pandemic with our friends and bandmates Richard Zastenker and Johannes Klahr.

Do you ever get fed up with each other?
Johnny: Of course! Too many to count, but we’ve been in the womb together, we’ll always crawl back to each other. 

Your confidence in how you traverse genres is unmistakable. What does rap mean to you, and how do you see it in relation to mainstream club music?
Johnny: Appreciate it. Hip hop as a whole is a cornerstone in my life. It has raised me and influenced the way I resonate to a certain extent, how I walk, talk and so on so it’s big. And I don’t usually put it against other genres like that. All genres come with good and wack, it comes down to the intention and authenticity of the artist.

Sammy: I agree. Hip-hop and rap have shaped me in every sense, I can’t remember going a day without it. Rap, at its core, has always been about honouring originality. I’m big on not stealing flows or rhymes if it’s not intentional. That mindset alone made me want to develop my own ID early on, whereas mainstream music doesn’t really carry that same sense of integrity. I love that stuff too, though. Sometimes it’s just easier being a basic bitch.

You make music to be “felt and not only heard”. What is your understanding of physicality and feeling of sound?
Johnny: That’s when music moves you. I hear stuff every day and register way more things than I actually feel or emotionally internalise. 

I had the pleasure of coming to one of your shows in Amsterdam a while back. The infectious energy (and the amount of sweating bodies in the crowd) was truly unmatched. Within that, your live shows are the ultimate catharsis – how do you summon all this energy, and how do you keep it up while creating off-stage?
Sammy: I wouldn’t put it any other way. The live shows are the main reason we do what we do. It’s the purest way to experience the music for us as creators, but also as listeners. The energy is just there, we feed off it, then go and make more. 

How have you gained this cult following?
Johnny: We’ve only been out for three years now but I believe the ones here are people who champion honest expression and a playful attitude towards music. We take much pride in the stuff we put out and I think the people messing with us can sense that. 

What can you tell us about the Stockholm underground scene? What was it like growing up there?
Johnny: We’re actually born and raised in Gothenburg but have a base in Stockholm, so there’s a lot of traveling back and forth. The scene is in a healthy place, there are a lot of dope bands bubbling right now like Lover’s Skit and Horse Vision who’re making some noise. 

You recently dropped Fun, described as “an ode to giving in rather than enduring the tedious work of resistance, allowing yourself to simply swallow the pill.” Within that, what is your relationship to escapism – whether through drugs, music, or sex?
Johnny: Yeah, I value escapism in every positive sense of the word. As the song alludes to, sometimes just giving in to our primal urges, whether they’re destructive or not, can break you out of tedious patterns and offer a perspective worth carrying into everyday life.

And congrats on the release! Tell us more about House Fire – what were the inspirations and how does the track encapsulate the sonic evolution of Deki Alem?
Johnny: Thanks. I’d say ‘House Fire’ is us at our core. We started off with cut through tracks, it comes easy to us. With this, we’re playing off that while throwing in colours from where our heads are at today.

Your debut album, Forget in Mass is awaiting its release – how do you feel? What can we expect from it?
Sammy: Feeling great, don’t know what to say. I like it, I hope you will too.