Arab music really doesn’t have to pale in front of its Western counterparts anymore. It’s not like it necessarily had to before, especially considering the icons around back in the day, but it’s true that the scene has rarely seen so many sonic offerings be laid out in front of an audience that is constantly hungry and thirsty for more.
Living in a day and age where modern Arab music has finally made its foray into the mainstream means having to click through hundreds of releases every month to find the right snappy beat and witty bars that’ll get your head bopping. But for those that struggle to find enough time to sift through countless playlists on Spotify, they’ll certainly be happy to hear that there are a number of dedicated platforms out there, across different mediums, that are more than happy to do their dirty work and niche these gems for them.
Here’s a couple of our favorites:
All Arabic All Za Time (AAAZT)
AAAZT is London-based radio show, led by Egyptian-British host Deana Hassanein, that focusses on spotlighting the region’s up-and-comers as well as pioneering sonic talents from Morocco and Tunis all the way up to Palestine and beyond. Regularly inviting singers, producers, and beat-makers to come speak about, and sometimes even defend, their craft on air, Hassanein’s bubbly energy, coupled with the show’s didactic approach, makes AAAZT one of the go-to places whenever in need of new doses of listenable dopamine.
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Sa’alouni El Nas
Created by Danny Hajjar, Sa’alouni El Nas is a weekly newsletter that catalogues and references the Arab World’s music and subsequent releases around a simple concept. Launched about two-years-ago, each Friday, the Lebanese crate-digger invites a new special guest to answer the same five questions: What their favorite song is at the moment, their go-to song for “all their feels,” a song that reminds them of home, a song they know all the words to, and the one that gets them hype. Slowly becoming the ultimate hub for modern Arabic music, there’s always something for everyone to enjoy in Hajjar’s directory.
Radio Alhara
Conceived right after COVID-19 had first broken out, the first wave of lockdown witnessed the birth of an experimental Internet radio station hailing straight out of Bethlehem. Serving as sonic support towards the Palestinian cause, the self-proclaimed Liberation Front plays to strengthen the embattled parcel of land’s voice in the cultural arena all while pointing fingers at the apartheid state’s daily offences in singular ways.
Sizer Show
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Set to air every first and third Thursday of the month, audiences of the upcoming show can expect exclusive music, remixes, and interviews. Conceived by burgeoning rapper, producer, and DJ, Sizer, the eponymous program will seek to put the Arab World’s hottest releases at the center of the broadcast’s stage.
