sound politics
Heba Kadry Hears Dead Frequencies: On Curating Sounds and Amplifying Voices
Mastering engineer Heba Kadry on listening to noise, curating sound, and amplifying voices across music, cities, and politics.
Exclusive
Calm Before Storm
A Cornerstone of Arab Alternative: Houdou Nisbi by Ziad Rahbani Revisited
How Ziad Rahbani’s Houdou Nisbi blended jazz, satire, and Lebanese reality to lay the groundwork for Arab indie and alternative music.
Palestinian Princesshood
Amira Jazeera and The Politics of Just Making Pop
A self-proclaimed Pop Princess, Amira Jazeera places Palestine at the center of her life – though not necessarily her music.
Bar-by-Bar Breakdown
‘Youmi’ Dissected: A Breakdown of A West Bank Groundhog Day
On Fawzi, Shabjdeed and Al Nather’s “Youmi,” a song that turns routine into ritual, and repetition into resistance.
MDLBEAST Architect
MDLBEAST’s Ramadan Alharatani Is Redefining Saudi Music Culture
Inside MDLBEAST’s long game: CEO Ramadan Alharatani on building infrastructure, developing talent, and reshaping Saudi Arabia’s music future.
2025 Ranked
The 75 Best Arabic Songs of 2025
75 tracks that shaped Arab music in 2025, from soft mahraganat and indie pop to political rap and Moroccan grunge.
GFF Examined
The Screens Behind Smoke Screens at El Gouna Film Festival
What lies behind the polarized coverage of El Gouna Film Festival, beyond red carpet glamour and class critique?
God Approved Groove
These Songs Might Contain Music: The Rise of Halal Beats
Between pop and hip-hop, Sharia loopholes and sonic innovation – meet Halal Beat, the umbrella term for a new nasheed wave.
Cover Story
THE STRENGTH OF SOFTNESS: ALSARAH IS MAKING MUSIC FOR A BORDERLESS WORLD
Alsarah’s evolving artistry blends ancestral sound, diaspora politics, and a bold vision for a borderless musical future.
Blessed Pop
How Islam’s First Female Saint Inspired Rosalía’s ‘La Yugular’
How Rabia Al Adawiyya shaped the spiritual core of Rosalía’s ‘La Yugular,’ a track titled after a Qur’anic verse.
Zeitgeist Forecaster
15 Years Later, ‘Microphone’ Still Finds Its Voice in Egypt’s Youth
In 2010, Microphone foresaw Egypt’s revolution and a decade of cultural and social change. Is its prophecy still resonant today?
RS
The First Rolling Stone Rooftop and the Rebirth of Georgia’s Cultural Story
“Guests are a gift from God.” On my fifth night at the Tsinandali Estate, Elene Machavariani, the estate’s COO, offered…
