Music

The Artists Shaping the Region’s Electronic Music Scene Right Now

BYMille Team

November 13, 2025

The region’s electronic music scene isn’t “emerging” anymore. What once lived in niche rooms and after-hours corners is now spilling into rooftops, helipads, beach clubs, and full-blown festival stages. There’s a new confidence in the air, and Arab artists are no longer waiting for co-signs from abroad; they’re building their own ecosystems, their own sounds, and their own communities.

And nothing captures that energy better than International Music Summit (IMS) Dubai, returning for its second edition from November 12–16. The summit brings everyone— artists, bookers, labels, platforms, and the deeply committed nightlife crowd— into one big, sweaty, citywide conversation. From Nicole Moudaber’s kickoff at Reunion to Beatport’s stacked showcases across the city, this year feels like a marker of how far the region has come.

With trailblazing artists shaping the sonic landscape, and platforms like IMS Dubai giving them a global handshake, the region’s electronic music scene is becoming its own cultural export. What was once underground is now a movement, and these are some of the most exciting names leading it.

Nooriyah

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If you’ve spent any time online, on a dancefloor, or anywhere near an algorithm that knows you’re Arab, Nooriyah has absolutely crossed your path. Born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Japan, now based in the UK, she’s made a career out of making diasporic sounds impossible to ignore. Fusing Arabic classics, global percussions, funky edits, and SWANA samples into sets that feel like cultural reclamation in real time, she’s what happens when identity meets intention, and the dancefloor gets better for it. Her collective Middle of Nowhere hosted a Boiler Room that hit over 4.5 million streams, she’s headlined KOKO, EartH, Jazz Cafe, and Glastonbury, and she’s produced work for BBC 4 — all while staying committed to teaching, community, and keeping SWANA sound front and center.

Nicole Moudaber

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Nicole Moudaber is basically techno royalty, but the region claims her first. A powerhouse on global stages, an innovator behind the scenes, and the kind of artist who casually sells out venues on multiple continents, she’s also the one kicking off IMS Dubai this year with a blowout pre-party at Reunion DXB. Her influence runs deep: she’s built her own platform, her own sound, her own community. And whether she’s headlining festivals or mentoring emerging talent, she remains one of the few artists who’ve successfully bridged the Middle East’s underground roots with the world’s biggest stages.

DJ Habibeats

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The global takeover of Middle Eastern dance music? Yeah, DJ Habibeats is one of the main reasons why. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, he’s exploded across platforms and festivals with his signature “Habibi’s House” sound: Arabic percussion, Levantine influences, and infectious global rhythms drawn from Africa, Brazil, Latin America, India, and everything in between. With over 1.7 million followers, he’s become a cultural bridge, pushing SWANA dance music into the center of global nightlife and making it impossible for anyone to pretend they haven’t heard it. Few artists right now feel as current or as fun.

Misty

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Cairo’s beloved house maestro, Misty, is one of those names everyone in the Egyptian scene respects. A veteran DJ and producer, he walked away from a stable consultancy job to go all-in on music, literally building his own soundproof studio from scratch so he could spend full days experimenting with sound. His breakout Amandrai EP on Montreal label Fauna & Flora turned heads far beyond Egypt, spotlighting his warm, melodic take on house and progressive. They’re the kind of tracks that feel just as good in a tiny basement as they do on a festival stage.

Cynthia Nasr

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Lebanese DJ and producer Cynthia Nasr brings emotion-first energy to her sets. Her mixes blend house, melodic techno, and organic electronic textures with a softness that still hits hard on the dancefloor. She’s one of those artists who can shift a crowd without ever forcing it, and as the regional scene leans more into artistry over hype, Nasr is exactly the kind of voice rising to the surface.

Gawdat

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Cairo’s nightlife has its own electricity, and Gawdat is one of the artists bottling that feeling and exporting it outward. The Egyptian DJ/producer duo is known for high-energy sets that mix 90s R&B influences, classic soul, and jazzy basslines, creating a groove-heavy sound that’s instantly recognizable. They’re crowd-movers in the purest sense, and as the region’s club culture becomes increasingly global, Gawdat’s feel-good, soul-infused style is only getting louder.

The Artists Shaping the Region’s Electronic Music Scene Right Now

Nooriyah

Nicole Moudaber

DJ Habibeats

Misty

Cynthia Nasr

Gawdat

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The Artists Shaping the Region’s Electronic Music Scene Right Now

Nooriyah

Nicole Moudaber

DJ Habibeats

Misty

Cynthia Nasr

Gawdat

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