Now You Know: The Twins

Words by Eero Deosaran

Omar and Jamal Ikram are brothers paving an entirely new path through London’s bustling underground music scene. Under their moniker “The Twins,” the twenty-one-year-olds have been making waves in the UK over the past year with their South Asian-infused EDM, bringing their heritage to the forefront of their art in an unorthodox yet highly impactful way. And I have watched it with my own eyes.

I first met Omar and Jamal last year while photographing for one of London’s top club nights, called Maxxing; the same group that has held events with the likes of 2hollis, The Hellp, and many more names influential in the internet’s electroclash scene. When Omar and Jamal played, they were on a lineup among modern scene icons, from Fakemink to Frost Children. I had heard of their music before; songs like Mattress had shown up on my Spotify recommendations during a heady month of diving into Kitsune Maison compilations and the deep end of new-age Indie Sleaze, but watching them perform turned me from a casual listener to a hardcore fan. I was obsessed with everything they represented, and how they went about it; young South Asian Brits looking to make a space for people from the diaspora in contemporary Western music culture.

Over the course of that summer, the brothers released their breakout EP, Turmeric, a 12-track multi-genre dance record that was the world’s first real showcase of who Omar and Jamal really are. It’s a project chock-full of dancefloor-ready beats that cover many of the sounds London dance music has pioneered over the last twenty years, bringing them together with percussive elements from traditional South Asian music and a plethora of different Lollywood and Bollywood samples, showcasing the brothers’ desire to bring their heritage to the forefront of their art. At the EPs release party at London’s famous Ormside Projects, Omar and Jamal played the record out for the first time to a massive crowd, all wanting to see The Twins make it. It was a powerful experience, and in the coming months, this community continued to grow as The Twins’ sound started to gain a real following.

At the start of the year, the brothers began teasing a new record, started a collective of South Asian British creatives called Asianpaper, and used their resources to throw community events and perform throughout the UK and Europe. By the time March had rolled around, the first single for their latest release came out, and it showed The Twins in full force. Holding On, featuring Rada, is an anthemic blast-beat-driven Electroclash track that takes their signature sound to new heights. And alongside its release, award-winning actor Riz Ahmed, who, during the media cycle for his newest Amazon Prime show titled Bait, put the brothers on the soundtrack. Watching this unfold in real time was surreal, and the sense of community Omar and Jamal had been cultivating over the last year was truly coming to the forefront. As The Twins continued to promote their then-upcoming release, you could feel that all eyes began to turn to see what they would do next.

At the end of last month, their latest project, titled There&Back, was released, and features some of their most personal works to date. The project sees Omar and Jamal embrace their Electroclash roots in full force, writing emotionally captivating songs full of Glitch-Hop-inspired tones and textures. The night of its release, The Twins and Asianpaper threw an unprecedentedly large party at one of London’s largest clubs, Colour Factory. It felt as if the entirety of London’s youth had shown up to celebrate this moment, and with that, you could sense a new chapter in The Twins’ career beginning to open up.

Omar and Jamal are spearheading a youth movement dedicated to exploring your identity through your heritage and your passions. The sentiment of their work is resonating with audiences because of its honesty and unapologetic self-expression. As The Twins continue to rise, the community they built will be there to support their career every step of the way.

At Activaire, we believe that when brand stories and music move together, they create something extraordinary. This connection forms a new emotional dimension where experience and identity meet.

Curator is the platform that makes this possible. It maps your brand’s story to sound and adapts dynamically to location, audience, time of day, and season. Whether you are a music expert or someone newly responsible for selecting a music service, Curator ensures that your brand always feels alive and in sync with culture.

With full-service curation and ongoing support from our team, Curator helps your brand evolve in real time. Music is dynamic, and your brand is dynamic. When you combine them with Curator, you can hear the difference.

Find out more about Curator here at www.activaire.com