Music
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Algerian rapper Losez"I get a lot of inspiration from raï"
Losez blends trap, punk and raï into a sound that's hard to label. He explains why raï is so formative, from synths that answer the singer's voice to its pioneering use of auto-tune, and why he no longer feels the need to spell out his Algerian identity.
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Berlin-based rapper Siba"Rage can be very constructive"
With "Dounana", Siba has struck a chord. Rapped in Arabic, the track takes aim at colonialism and imperialism and is spreading rapidly online. A conversation about anger, injustice and empowerment.
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Club culture in GermanySounds of the "Stadtbild"
In Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne, "SWANA"-focused events are filling clubs. DJs and organisers are forging hybrid sounds drawn from South-West Asian and North African musical traditions, asserting identity in the face of exclusionary political rhetoric on migration.
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Feminism & Pop in Tunisia"The world doesn’t want loud women"
Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi, an icon of resistance during the 2011 Arab Spring protests, recently released an album exclusively produced by women. A conversation on metal, feminism and the beauty of the Arabic language.
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Jewish composer Brigitte SchifferFleeing the Nazis and thriving in Cairo
Many Jewish musicians fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Composer Brigitte Schiffer was one of the few who put down roots in Egypt. In this interview, the German music professor Matthias Pasdzierny charts her unusual story.
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Album "Mute" by El KhatOn the edge of anarchy
The Berlin-based Yemenite-Israeli band El Khat use handmade instruments to create a chaotic blend of styles and traditions. Behind the raucous noise, they explore themes of silencing, conflict and displacement.
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Kurdish singer Hani MojtahediMyths re-imagined
Kurdish singer Hani Mojtahedi and German electro legend Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars have collaborated on an album that also pays homage to Mojtahedi’s grandfather, a Sufi master
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Grammy-winning producer Ian BrennanRecording Rohingyas' raw emotion
Brennan's "Once We Had A Home" is a searing document of the reality faced by Rohingya refugees squeezed into the massive Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border
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French-Moroccan band Bab L'BluzMorocco's electrifying abundance
Swaken is the title of the second album from French-Moroccan quartet Bab L'Bluz. The band based around singer Yousra Mansour delves even further into the facets of the music found between the Atlantic coast and the Sahara
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Aziza Brahim's "Mawja"The voice of Western Sahara
Aziza Brahim's childhood as a Sahrawi refugee in Algeria naturally shaped her music, but as her latest album, "Mawja" shows, while she has not forgotten where she comes from, she has long since tuned her ears to a world beyond the camp perimeters
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Palestinian-Chilean singerElyanna poised to take Arabic pop global
Singing in Arabic wasn't part of Elyanna's original plan. Yet it's helping the 22-year-old Palestinian-Chilean singer make history, even as she walks a fine line against the backdrop of current events
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"Hediye" by Özgür Akgul (Schnieke)A masterclass in how to bridge two worlds
Özgür Akgul usually composes film and television scores, but performing under the name Schnieke, he recently released his first album – a case study in how the modern and the traditional can co-exist in perfect harmony
