Jia Lissa
Electronic music producer, DJ, and cultural curator Ahadadream has officially released his debut studio album, Paskai, out now via Island Records and Dialled In Records. The milestone full-length project represents a culmination of years of underground acclaim, cross-continental sonic exploration, and a deep-rooted personal journey for the London-based artist. Featuring a powerhouse roster of global collaborators—including Eliza Rose, Capo Lee, Skrillex, Priya Ragu, Ance, Jamakabi, Dismantle, Sidd, Jolie P, Lamsi, and archival vocal contributions from the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan—the album bridges contemporary club music with rich South Asian diasporic heritage.
The release follows a steady rollout of promotional singles, including "Make Space" and "Put That Banger On Next," alongside the drop of the brand-new focus track "Koi Si," which features Ance. As Ahadadream steps into this new chapter of his career, Paskai stands out not only for its eclectic sonic palette—spanning UK club sounds, amapiano, dancehall, and traditional Pakistani instrumentation—but also for its profound socio-cultural narrative.
Unpacking the Meaning Behind Paskai
The album’s title, Paskai (stylized as P ⭐️ K I and pronounced "Pee-Star-Kay-Eye"), carries a deeply personal and transformative significance for the producer. Growing up, the word was a familiar part of Ahadadream’s lexicon in Pakistan, associated exclusively with positive, everyday meanings. However, upon relocating to the United Kingdom, he was confronted with the derogatory connotations and harmful xenophobic contexts attached to the term within British society.
Rather than allowing the word to retain its weaponized, negative framing, Ahadadream has chosen to reclaim it. By centering his debut body of work around the title, he transforms a painful cultural friction point into a vessel for joy, celebration, pride, and self-love.
"This is a word which I grew up in Pakistan knowing to be nothing but positive, but was confronted with the harmful context it holds when I moved to the UK," Ahadadream explained regarding the album’s conceptual framework. "I’ve chosen to reframe it within a positive body of work that is all about joy, celebration, pride, and self-love, keeping my younger self in conversation with the artist I am in the present day."
This thematic thread runs through the core of the album’s production. The record does not merely fuse genres; it acts as a bridge between the artist’s Pakistani roots and his formative years navigating the vibrant, multicultural underground club scene in London.
Chronology and Cultural Homecoming
The road to the release of Paskai has been marked by strategic milestones, extensive international touring, and a deliberate return to the artist’s geographical and cultural origins. In the weeks leading up to the album’s drop, Ahadadream traveled back to Pakistan for a landmark homecoming performance in Lahore. Staged in collaboration with the influential local cultural collective Dosti, the event served as a living testament to the cross-pollination of global electronic music and burgeoning Pakistani subcultures.
Dosti, known for fostering creative exchanges and championing underground arts in Pakistan, provided the ideal backdrop for Ahadadream to test and celebrate material from the LP within the very environment that inspired its cultural ethos. This return to Lahore reinforced the artist’s commitment to building bilateral creative channels between South Asia and the Western electronic music establishment—a mission that has long defined his work as both a solo producer and a co-founder of the Dialled In platform, which champions South Asian creatives in music and the arts.
Extensive Global Tour Schedule
To support the release of Paskai, Ahadadream has mapped out an extensive international live touring schedule that spans multiple continents throughout the autumn months. The tour kicks off immediately following the album’s release, beginning with a performance at Refuge in Brooklyn on Saturday, September 19.
From North America, the itinerary loops through major metropolitan hubs and festival stages worldwide. Upcoming tour stops include Toronto’s FORMAT on September 25, followed by a double-header in October at Club Vinyl Rooftop in Denver on October 2 and Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver on October 3.
The international run then crosses the Atlantic for European and African dates, stopping in Bordeaux, France, on October 9, Cardiff, UK, on October 10, and Lagos, Nigeria, on October 16—underscoring the truly global reach of Ahadadream’s musical network. Returning to North America later in the month, he will perform at the AI Warehouse in Washington, D.C., on October 23, and the Lincoln Factory in Detroit on October 24.
The final leg of the autumn tour brings Ahadadream to the Southern Hemisphere for a string of highly anticipated dates across Australia. He will perform at the Vault in Perth on November 19, Howler in Melbourne on November 20, and cap off the extensive run with a major festival appearance at Australia’s renowned Strawberry Fields festival on November 21.
Broader Impact and Industry Implications
The release of Paskai via Island Records—a major label imprint historically rooted in boundary-pushing music—in partnership with Dialled In Records, signals a significant shift in how multinational labels are engaging with underground diasporic sounds. By partnering with an independent collective-turned-label like Dialled In, Island Records is providing institutional backing to music that refuses to pander to Western pop sensibilities, instead demanding that mainstream audiences adapt to complex rhythmic structures, multilingual collaborations, and non-traditional song forms.
Furthermore, the roster of collaborators on Paskai speaks volumes about Ahadadream’s standing within the global electronic and club music ecosystem. The inclusion of superstar producer Skrillex alongside UK bass heavyweights like Jamakabi and Dismantle, pop-forward vocalists like Eliza Rose and Priya Ragu, and a timeless vocal feature from the legendary Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan demonstrates a rare curatorial breadth. It proves that underground club music can be simultaneously rooted in avant-garde sonic exploration and expansive, stadium-scale appeal.
As electronic music continues to globalize, artists like Ahadadream are leading the charge by refusing to treat cultural heritage as a mere sonic accessory. Instead, Paskai treats heritage as foundational truth—reclaiming narratives, bridging generational divides, and forging a deeply personal, unapologetic path forward for modern dance music.
Complete Ahadadream 2026 Live Tour Dates
- 19th September – Refuge, Brooklyn, USA
- 25th September – FORMAT, Toronto, Canada
- 2nd October – Club Vinyl Rooftop, Denver, USA
- 3rd October – Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, Canada
- 9th October – Bordeaux, France
- 10th October – Cardiff, United Kingdom
- 16th October – Lagos, Nigeria
- 23rd October – AI Warehouse, Washington D.C., USA
- 24th October – Lincoln Factory, Detroit, USA
- 19th November – Vault, Perth, Australia
- 20th November – Howler, Melbourne, Australia
- 21st November – Strawberry Fields Festival, Australia
