Playlist #25: Arabic Christmas Songs

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube. Click here for the full playlist on Spotify. As the festive season is approaching, here’s a MARSM gift to you, showcasing Christmas carols and songs from the Arabic-speaking world. The musical genres reflected within are wildly varied, from liturgical...

Playlist #24: 2020 Releases

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube. Click here for the full playlist on Spotify. How can we sum up 2020 in music? Our last playlist of the year spotlights some of the most evocative songs released in 2020 from the Arabic-speaking world. This was not...

Playlist #23: Palestine Solidarity Songs

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube. Click here for the full playlist on Spotify. For the Palestinian struggle, like many anti-colonial struggles, song and music have undeniably been a key catalyst in supporting and driving resistance movements. From facilitating mass-mobilization, to overcoming centralized forms of...

Playlist #22: East Syrian Hafla Hits | Curated by Rizan Said

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube. This playlist is curated by Syrian Kurdish composer, musician and producer Rizan Said, also known as the “King of Keyboard” and renowned for his prolific collaborations with numerous stellar Syrian artists. Rising on the world’s stage through his iconic...

Playlist #21: Trumpeters from the East | Curated by Amir ElSaffar

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube. Click here for the full playlist on Spotify. This playlist is curated by Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar.The trumpet is not an instrument that comes to mind when we think about Arabic music. Typical Arabic instruments include the oud (lute),...

Playlist #20: Aghani Alabanat | Curated by Alsarah

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube. Arguably the most influential singular genre in Sudani pop music, "aghani albanat" "اغاني البنات" is an umbrella term that shades a variety of sub-genres and is used to describe folk music made by women and usually performed during...

Playlist #19: Egyptian Film Music

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube  and Spotify Recognized as an unparalleled historical powerhouse of cinema, film and pop culture, Egypt’s prominent history in the region's cultural production is undeniable. An influential cultural capital during the Middle East’s ‘Nahda’ era (a cultural and creative...

Playlist #18: A Habibi Funk Selection

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Click here for the full playlist on YouTube  For this edition, we have teamed up with guest curator Habibi Funk, DJ and record label manager who is renowned for digging up 70s and 80s jazz and funk music from Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon...

Playlist #17: Arabic Cartoon Music

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Click here for the full playlist on YouTube  Get ready for a vintage and analog take on Arabic cartoon music. This time around, we visit the legendary Arabic cartoons that swept the region during the 1980’s and 1990’s, cementing themselves as a staple of youth nostalgia...