Quartertones | Music from the Arab World

Scavenging for synthesizers, digital vs analog music, and what it means to be a music producer in the AI era. This episode of Quartertones features Egyptian music producer Kubbara in our studio in Beirut. Known for his jazz-influenced, neo-soul sound, he gives us a master class in music production, from discovering and collaborating with artists to blending sounds and the intricate details of putt...

Karim Ziad and Mehdi Nassouli perform at Habibi Festival 2024 and are joined on stage by Yacine Boulares and other talented musicians for a jazzy performance and a conversation with host Mikey Muhanna who asks Karim and Mehdi about their inspirations, musical journeys, and the experience of working together. 00:00:00 Intro & Performance 01:13:11 Fusion of West & North African Music 01:15:51 Yacine...

After a moving performance at Habibi Festival, we sit down with the members of Taktouka to hear about the band’s journey from vocalist Alia Haju, beginning with how it came together after she fled Beirut with her cousin, Bashar Farran, the ensemble's bassist. The rest of the band—Daro Behroozi (woodwinds/synth), Calvin Lu (keys/synth), and Jesse Chevan (drums)—also share their perspectives, descri...

Habibi Festival is back for another year at Joe's Pub, bringing Arabs, comrades, and lovers of music together in New York in these difficult times that our nations continue to endure. And for another year, afikra was on stage to speak to the musicians and bring their conversations and performances to you on afikra's Quartertones podcast. Who better to kick off the season with than the one and only...

Nai Barghouti joins us for a very special episode of Quartertones ahead of her performance at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival on September 27th which will be her Canadian debut. Speaking from the heart, Nai shares how Palestine underscores the music she makes and performs, her journey to becoming unapologetically Palestinian, and learning the nuanced language of Fairuz's music. She tells us of...

It's not often that we welcome a film score composer on QuarterTones. So we had a lot to chat about with award-winning composer Suad Bushnaq. We discuss the realities of writing music for cinema, her favorite Arab film scores of all time, and why the best movie soundtracks are those that you don't remember. We quizz Suad on how she chooses a key for her music, what it was like to study at Damascus...

In this episode of QuarterTones, Cheb Mimo joins us in our podcast studio in Beirut along with his cassette player, turntable, and rare records and tapes, to take us on a tour of North Africa's raï, funk, and disco. With each musical interlude, Cheb Mimo introduces both well-known, niche and sometimes forgotten musicians through the past decades. We get a feel for raï as a transgressive genre that...

We're stoked to finally be launching our live in-studio sessions in our podcast recording studio in Beirut as an extension to Quartertones. The first is with no other than our past guest Rayess Bek (aka Wael Kodeih), the Lebanese music composer, producer, and performer's behind projects such as Love & Revenge, Aks'ser, and Goodbye Schlöndorff. He plays three tracks from recent projects, explaining...

What makes experimental music…experimental? And what does it take to cultivate a thriving musical scene in the context of the Arab world? In this episode of QuarterTones, Sharif Sehnaoui joins us in our studio in Beirut to talk about the genre in the Arab world, the cultural significance and economic value of music, why his work is in itself an act of resistance, and Lebanon's unique position wher...

This QuarterTones episode is exceptionally in French and is hosted by our Outline host, Sabine Boghossian. We chat with Khalil Hentati (EPI) a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and essential figure in North Africa's alternative, electronic and contemporary music scenes. He shares the stories behind the origins of his collaborations and dives into the musical traditions of North Africa — namely Aïta...

In this episode of QuarterTones, we're joined by the frontman of pioneering Jordanian rock band, JadaL. Mahmoud Radaideh tells us about how the band popularized the genre in the Arab world, reflecting on his journey as a musician, and the shifting moment when an artist realizes that their work no longer belongs to them solely – but to their audience even more so. With each musical interlude, we he...

Multi-instrumentalist musician and musicologist Ronnie Malley shares his immense knowledge of Arabic classical music, touring us through the fundamentals of the musical canon and the sounds, songs and rhythms that define it. He tells us about his early exposure to Arabic music in Chicago playing for his father's bands, through thousands of wedding performances, to building a career alongside some...

Fadi Tabbal is a hidden giant of Beirut's alternative music scene. He joins us in our studio in Beirut to talk about the music he's produced over the years, the independent musicians on the rise, and the work that his studio – Tunefork studios – is doing. He compares the music scenes in Beirut, Cairo and Dubai, and explains how there are no records or archives of the alternative music that came be...

From medic to musician, Amman to Palestine, and quitting Ritalin, The Synaptik is a multifaceted musician who has grown out of change and transition. In this QuarterTones episode filmed live in afikra's studio in Beirut, The Synaptik tells us about his adolescence in Jordan defined by frustration and Ritalin, which was prescribed to him at a young age. He shares how the drug impacted him and how h...

Emmy-nominated composer Kareem Roustom joins us on Quartertones to discuss all things Arabic music. With musical interludes from across his albums, we talk about the origins of Arabic Classical Music, current and previous perceptions around it, and the pioneers of the genre including Sayed Darwish and Sabah Fakhri. We get to grips with what defines Arabic music, hear about what it's like to get an...

Buzq player and musicologist Farah Kaddour, joins us in the afikra studio in Beirut to give us a tour of her music and her instrument. Alongside musical interludes and live performances, we talk about the specific sound and identity of the Buzq and Farah's individual performance style. She tells us about how she experiments with the sound she's able to create with the Buzq and how playing this tra...

We sat down with Maysa Daw and Tamer Nafar from Palestinian Hip-Hop group DAM for a live recording of Quartertones at Sole DXB in December 2023. We play short clips of music from their albums and talk about representing their home city of Lydda through rap, working with Israeli musicians in “co-resistance” and writing music that goes beyond the occupation as Palestinian musicians.  DAM is a Palest...

At Sole DXB in December 2023, Oddisee joined afikra on stage for a live episode of Quartertones. Using his music as an entryway, this conversation journeys from D.C. to NYC all the way to Sudan. We learn about Oddisee's musical influences and how he blends soundscapes from iconic musical eras and his own heritage. With each musical interlude, we dive deeper into Oddisee's creative process, the ins...

In this episode of Quartertones, musician, architect and urban researcher Mayssa Jallad joins us in the afikra studio in Beirut to talk about her latest, deeply researched work “Marjaa: Battle of the Hotels”. The album brings together her passion for music and her background in urban research and architectural history.  She recounts her interest in buildings and her relationship to her city, Beiru...

In this episode of the Quartertones podcast, we sat down with Rayess Bek (aka Wael Kodeih) to talk about his varied and vibrant musical career. As we traverse his music projects, personas and styles from over the years, the conversation explores the Lebanese music composer, producer, and performer's relationship with Lebanon, hip hop, history, war and colonialism. We listen to tracks from his begi...

On this episode of Quartertones, up-and-coming musician Ghaliaa discusses her love for music, career to date, and finding inspiration in non-fiction. She talks about her childhood, how she came to be so multi-instrumental, and who her Arabic music inspirations are. Ghaliaa also reflects on the influence of TikTok and other social media on the music industry today and what it means to her to write...

In this episode of Quartertone, Karim Nagi takes us on a journey into the world of Arabic percussion and rhythm. He talks about his experience as a musician and how the arts – and percussion in particular – have helped him embrace and grow into his own Arab identity. He shares his advice for musicians who are just embarking on their own journeys, and his top recommendations for albums and musician...

We partnered with Habibi Festival for a six-night celebration of ancient + contemporary sounds from Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria and more! It all took place from October 1-7 at Joe's Pub in NYC. Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on stage. This special Quartertones episode is the last of six featuring a conversation with and performance by Yacine Boular...

We partnered with Habibi Festival for a six-night celebration of ancient + contemporary sounds from Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria and more! It all took place from October 1-7 at Joe's Pub in NYC. Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on stage. This special Quartertones episode is the fifth of six, featuring a conversation with and performance by Clarissa Bi...

We partnered with Habibi Festival for a six-night celebration of ancient + contemporary sounds from Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria and more! It all took place from October 1-7 at Joe's Pub in NYC. Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on stage. This special Quartertones episode is the fourth of six, featuring a conversation with and performance by Nesrine Be...