01Profile
A Arabstract Photo
Arabstract
Musicians — Bahrain
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
A: Abdulla Faisal Bahraini-Saudi.
M: Maram Abdulaal Bahraini & ¼ Iraqi.
What do you do?
A: Musician and Manager of The Music Space in Jeddah.
M: Musician and Music/Art Event curator/co-ordinator in Bahrain and Saudi.
Describe your style in three words?
A: Weird. Wondrous. Wide-ranging.
M: Eclectic. Re-rooted. Invoking.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
A: Santana.
M: Fat Freddy’s Drop.
If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
M: I prefer the number three: Janis Joplin, Portishead, Christian Loffler - he rearranges my soul’s content every time.
A: Ali Bahar - He was so diverse, dynamically sound and ahead of his time. Majaz - So I can play for both of my bands at the same time and place.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
A: Probably the experimental progressive rock scene in Latin America, it helped me to expand my ear’s range and my musical repertoire.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
A: Ibn Khaldun, he is the world’s first sociologist. I'd love to pick his brain.
Of all the independent venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
The Music Space in Jeddah because it’s unbiased to any genre or demographic.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
A: Ali Bahar & the Brothers band.
M: Regina Spektor, OFFtrack.
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'My All' by Mariah Carey.
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Creep' by Radiohead.
One record you would keep forever?
'Into The Great Wide Yonder' by Trentemoller.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
“Come lay your weakness down” or “undress your heartstring”
From 'Howling' and 'Shortline' by RY X.
A song you wished you had written?
“chase-faded days, with eyes that cannot see I wanna feel it again rushing over me”
From 'Walking on Clouds' by Tiesto (written by Kirsty Hawkshaw).
Best song to turn up loud?
'Ya Rayeh' by Rachid Taha.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'Al Amakin' by Mohammed Abdu.
The song that would get you straight on the dance floor?
Anything by Black Coffee.
Best song to end an all-nighter?
'Killing Me Softly' by Roberta Flack.
Any new bands you are into at the moment?
Not necessarily new but certainly current: Bedouin burger, Alice in Arabland, A-WA, Alan Abi, Arabian Alien, Tamara Qaddoumi, Baloo, spceboi, NarkBeat, VinylMode, HOVR, KLED, Aveora, OffTrack, statues of sinking men, ,ana.n7n, DJ Laizeh, Agha, Galaxy Juice Band, Desertf!sh, Blu Feifer, LJ Jorge, Emel Methlouthi, Wujud, Shkoon,Yasmine Hamdan/ Zeid Hamdan- SoapKills, Mashrou3, Leila, El Morrabba3, Solskin, Mixed feelings series, Gooner, Biirdperson, Goldcap, Dabous, RY X, Cleo Sol, Shamsa, Qusa, IBZ, Mira, Britta Arnold.
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
A: Abdulla Faisal Bahraini-Saudi.
M: Maram Abdulaal Bahraini & ¼ Iraqi.
What do you do?
A: Musician and Manager of The Music Space in Jeddah.
M: Musician and Music/Art Event curator/co-ordinator in Bahrain and Saudi.
Describe your style in three words?
A: Weird. Wondrous. Wide-ranging.
M: Eclectic. Re-rooted. Invoking.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
A: Santana.
M: Fat Freddy’s Drop.
If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
M: I prefer the number three: Janis Joplin, Portishead, Christian Loffler - he rearranges my soul’s content every time.
A: Ali Bahar - He was so diverse, dynamically sound and ahead of his time. Majaz - So I can play for both of my bands at the same time and place.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
A: Probably the experimental progressive rock scene in Latin America, it helped me to expand my ear’s range and my musical repertoire.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
A: Ibn Khaldun, he is the world’s first sociologist. I'd love to pick his brain.
Of all the independent venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
The Music Space in Jeddah because it’s unbiased to any genre or demographic.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
A: Ali Bahar & the Brothers band.
M: Regina Spektor, OFFtrack.
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'My All' by Mariah Carey.
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Creep' by Radiohead.
One record you would keep forever?
'Into The Great Wide Yonder' by Trentemoller.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
“Come lay your weakness down” or “undress your heartstring”
From 'Howling' and 'Shortline' by RY X.
A song you wished you had written?
“chase-faded days, with eyes that cannot see I wanna feel it again rushing over me”
From 'Walking on Clouds' by Tiesto (written by Kirsty Hawkshaw).
Best song to turn up loud?
'Ya Rayeh' by Rachid Taha.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'Al Amakin' by Mohammed Abdu.
The song that would get you straight on the dance floor?
Anything by Black Coffee.
Best song to end an all-nighter?
'Killing Me Softly' by Roberta Flack.
Any new bands you are into at the moment?
Not necessarily new but certainly current: Bedouin burger, Alice in Arabland, A-WA, Alan Abi, Arabian Alien, Tamara Qaddoumi, Baloo, spceboi, NarkBeat, VinylMode, HOVR, KLED, Aveora, OffTrack, statues of sinking men, ,ana.n7n, DJ Laizeh, Agha, Galaxy Juice Band, Desertf!sh, Blu Feifer, LJ Jorge, Emel Methlouthi, Wujud, Shkoon,Yasmine Hamdan/ Zeid Hamdan- SoapKills, Mashrou3, Leila, El Morrabba3, Solskin, Mixed feelings series, Gooner, Biirdperson, Goldcap, Dabous, RY X, Cleo Sol, Shamsa, Qusa, IBZ, Mira, Britta Arnold.