A blog entitled Mideast Tunes regularly chronicles and shares music from independent Middle Eastern artists, ranging from hip-hop to acoustic and pop singers, and recently wrote an article celebrating 10 Syrian Indie musicians who make music celebrating their country.
The list includes the likes of Samih Choukeir, a well-known composer and musician whose music has become synonymous with the resilience of the Syrian people in face of hardships.
https://youtu.be/NCDFS_byTfs
And Hello Psychaleppo, the brainchild of Syrian artist from Aleppo, Samer Saem Eldahr’s music seamlessly combines trance and house sounds with clips of classical Arabic music from the likes of Abdel Halim Hafez, Farid al Atrash and Oum Kulthoum. His music, with titles like Badawiya Lovin’ and Tarab Dab, is a funky celebration of past and present.
And Omar Offendum, Syrian American hip-hop artist, who mostly raps in English but mixes in different beats, Arabic and the real heart of Syrian music. His music really captures the sense of longing Syrians feel for their country, the kind of love that will forever exist in the hearts of all Syrians and a sense of unity despite the struggles. Omar also works to promote humanitarian causes with his music, using his music as a platform to promote change and awareness.
https://youtu.be/AZneEJSb2vY?list=PLn9iE1lB_93FTkuKgWDnYU04JxifL0GwR
Bilad El-Sham, contemporary hip-hop, mixes Arabic classics, Arabic lyrics with Algerian Rai and Western sounds to create a unique sound.
To check out the full list, visit the Mideast Tunes blog here.
Read a beautiful book about contemporary arts and culture in Syria, along to some classical Syrian dabkeh:
