Inside CEHNNEM, Istanbul’s trans and queer rave

“Every night is a vision of screams, breaks, hard kicks, heavy bass, distorted drums and euphoric synths,” says Istanbul-born, London-based musician SISSY MISFIT of her CEHNNEM event series. “The whole starting point of the night is to celebrate electronic music made and performed by trans and queer artists.” Full of topless bodies writhing to an intersection of electronic, industrial and screamo music, the rave takes on a particularly revolutionary role in its home city of Istanbul, where as recently as 2020 a reported 57 per cent of people believed that same-sex relationships did not have a place in Turkish society.

“CEHNNEM started as a small party and gathering for live electronic music two years ago in Istanbul and happens every summer in its home bar Sahika Upperground, which is run by a dear community member, artist and a close friend of mine BasicDisarm,” SISSY MISFIT continues. “While I enjoy making CEHENNEM wherever it goes in the world, the editions in Istanbul really feel like the whole family getting back together to celebrate our community, queerness and electronic music in its purest form.”

In dynamic, glitched-out transitions and thumping electronic rhythms SISSY MISFIT has curated a futuristic sound that is both heavily inspired by the digital realm yet firmly poised for physical energy releases, a blend which is showcased to its loudest and harshest extent on her debut full-length project, EXXXOSKELETON, released earlier this year. This reality-bending dichotomy is reflected in the chrome, cyber-punk-esque branding of her CEHNNEM event series, and also caught the attention of Rick Owens, who in a recent Dazed interview described her as a “raw and ferocious, self-invented abandon”.

It is also this ferocious abandon that gives rise to the deeper significance of CEHNNEM’s Istanbul events, which continue to thrive in the face of the Turkish government’s relentlessly anti-queer rhetoric. “Some of us, especially the younger generation of queers, do not care at all. We keep on burning and dancing and doing what we need to do and shouting out that we are here and we are queer,” says singer-songwriter Kübra Uzun, AKA Q-Bra. “Some of us who are able to do the necessary steps are leaving the country. Some of us who can’t leave, stay here and they exist with the energy of live and let live. Hard times are overcome by getting together and raving. There is always a sense of ‘you can’t stop me’ in the queer community here which keeps it alive!”

These sentiments are echoed by SISSY MISFIT. “The community in Istanbul really appreciates nightlife on a deeper level. The love for electronic music and helping each other out gives birth to the greatest nights and artistic expressions. I honestly think Istanbul has one of the most beautiful underground scenes ever.”

Check out the gallery above for a closer look inside the CEHNNEM’s chrome underworld.