Guest Feature: Tayseer Kabbani
Guest Feature: Tayseer Kabbani
This week, everyone’s getting A BONUS PLAYLIST!
My good friends over at Mille World curated a playlist just for Sa’alouni El Nas, where they shared some of the tracks they’ve been really into right now.
Big shout out and thank you to the incredible team at Mille! And please y’all, go check them out, follow them on Instagram and Twitter, and don’t miss out on all of their incredible work on art, culture, music, and vibes in the Middle East and North Africa!
Okay friends, let’s get right into it. I am so excited to introduce this week’s guest feature: Tayseer Kabbani!
Tayseer is a sound engineer with Sowt’s Dom Tak podcast (a phenomenal podcast, if I may say so myself). Originally from Syria, Tayseer studied sound engineering in Jordan and loves this specialty because it allows for creativity and fun in his work, especially because of the imagination that comes from creating something beautiful for sound.
First of all, big shout out to Dom Tak podcast. If you haven’t yet already, check out their latest season where they talk to the major players in the Egyptian rap scene.
Now, Tayseer is a connoisseur of music and likes to listen to all kinds of genres. And what I love about him and his song selections is his pride in Syria and his people. That really shines through in his answers:
1. What is your favorite song right now?
“Can't Get You out of My Head (Cover)” - AnnenMayKantereit x Parcels
I listen to this song almost every day. I love the deep and raspy voice of Henning May.
2. What’s your go-to song for all your feels?
“Leave The Door Open” - Silk Sonic
The mix in this song with the harmony of Silk Sonic and the melody — and the liveliness that they convey to us — are wonderful.
“Oul Lel Maliha” - Sabah Fakhri
Sabah Fakhri is someone revered by Syrians and Arabs in general. He captures my feelings strongly with his voice and takes me to a higher level with tarab.
3. Name a song that reminds you of home.
I used to listen to Kulna Sawa when I was living in Syria, and they’re one of the few Syrian bands that exist whose songs I enjoy. Their music brings me back to a time before.
This song reminds me of a time in my life when I was in Damascus, and unfortunately I don’t expect these memories and these feelings to return to what they once were because of what Syrians continue to endure.
This question was the most difficult one for me, but when I hear the music of Iyad Rimawi and Taher al-Mamli, I can’t help but remember my country and the streets of Damascus.
Also, Fairuz’s songs bring back memories of going to school in the morning as a child.
4. Name a song you know all the words to.
5. Name a song that gets you really hype and ready to go.
“Haramlek (Outro) [Extended Version]” - Iyad Rimawi
“Abulzooz” - Zaid Khaled featuring The Synaptik and El Far3i
Big shout out to Tayseer for joining and sharing his song selections! Most of Tayseer’s songs are available on Spotify and will be included in this week’s playlist, so be sure to take a listen. And please, go subscribe to Dom Tak and follow them on Twitter too!
What I’m Listening To
Full Playlist
🎧 Flows by Middle Eastern, North African, & Diaspora Artists 🎧
Disco Maghreb - DJ Snake
Msh Raja3 - DaMoJaNad
ENERGY - Minerva
Scandalous - Miraa May
Cold Strut - Azmito & Nicofasho
Hitly - Kira the Blurryface featuring DoN Al-Karada
Tang - Dabl De
Akhsam - Double Zuksh
Koulchi Money - Carmeline
Dime Porque - RYM
🎤 Vibes by Latinx & Hispanic Artists 🎤
La Prendo - Bad Gyal
Bendecido - El Alfa featuring Farina
OJALÁ - Maria Becerra
MENEITO - Nil Moliner featuring Yera
La Provoque - Rou C
El Cayuco - Tito Puente
Solitario - J Balvin
Montaña Solitaria - Carlos Vives featuring ChocQuibTown
Protect Her - Sabrina Claudio
Como la Primera Vez - Leslie Grace featuring Boza
🎼 Other Good Music 🎼
California Dreamin’ - The Beach Boys
Ohemaa - Chop Daily featuring He3b and Bisa Kdei
Want - Niniola
Komole - GIDAY featuring Singah
Don’t Know What To Tell Ya - Aaliyah
Brambleton - Pusha T
Cleo - Rapsody
OBSESSION - Naomi Wild
Life in Technicolor ii - Coldplay
Back Here - BBMak
🎙️ Podcasts 🎙️
Women in Mahraganat - Kerning Cultures
Interview with Egyptian rapper Dareen - Dom Tak
What I’m Reading
🇱🇧 Lebanon 🇱🇧
Zoukak’s Political Theater: A Space for Collective Reflection Amid Crisis - Layla Yammine and Yara El Murr, The Public Source
Like other theater companies in Lebanon, the Zoukak collective has spent the past two years figuring out how to survive and produce cultural work when money is scarce and gathering in person is fraught with difficulties. The collective has come up with new ways to stay afloat, guided by a deep belief in the role of theater when things fall apart.
Lebanon's army grapples with an unpredictable future - Dana Hourany, The New Arab
Tasked with ensuring national security and sectarian cohesion, Lebanon's armed forces were assailed by a financial crisis that slashed their salaries by more than 90 percent and pressured them to maintain public trust amid rising tensions.
A mother's weekend errands show the impact of the economic crisis in Lebanon - Arezou Rezvani, NPR
The calculations of one mother in Beirut shows the struggles to feed a family amid Lebanon's years-long economic collapse.
From the Ground Up: Seed Saving and Food Sovereignty in Lebanon - Christina Cavalcanti and Chris Trinh, The Public Source
Faced with depleting biodiversity, and in the name of food sovereignty, farmers across the country have begun collaborating to save and share local and regional seeds.Inside Australia’s diverse and longstanding Lebanese community - Matt Unicomb, Middle East Eye
Middle East Eye visits Australia, where the country’s Lebanese community has made its mark across music, literature and culture.
🌍 Middle East, North Africa, & Diaspora 🌎
Alaa Abdel-Fattah: A symbol of Egypt's police state - Dima Wannous, The New Arab
In an exclusive interview with The New Arab, Mona Seif, the sister of high-profile Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah who started a hunger strike on 2 April, says UK authorities need to act now.
Climate change ravages Iraq as palm trees make way for desert - Azhar Al-Rubaie, Al Jazeera
Basra was known for farming, but rising temperatures, increased water salinity, and desertification, have changed that.
In Canada, Palestinian journalists are deemed incapable of being 'objective' - Dalya Al Masri, The New Arab
Shireen Abu Akleh's murder by Israeli forces once again laid bare the double standards, hypocrisy, and silencing that characterise journalistic portrayals of Palestine. Canadian media is no exception, writes Dalya Al Masri.
The Algerian activist who may face the death sentence after being deported by Spain - María Martín, El País
Mohamed Benhalima warned that he risked being tortured if he was returned to his home country. Despite this, he was sent back after Algiers withdrew its ambassador in response to Spain’s U-turn on Western Sahara.
A girl fled her war-torn homeland, but found more trauma in San Francisco - Heather Knight, The San Francisco Chronicle
The Saleh family fled Yemen seeking refuge in San Francisco. They've found neither living a tiny, pricey studio at Turk and Hyde in the Tenderloin with misery on the streets outside. This time, they see no way out. (Quick note: not the biggest fan of the headline for the story)
🎶 Music, Arts, & Culture 🎶
Egyptian dance music in 'Moon Knight' hooks global promoters - Azza Guergues, Al-Monitor
The Egyptian musical genre mahraganat's debut in Marvel’s hit series "Moon Knight" has led to international record deals. (I love a fresh new angle to this story)
On Discord, Music Fans Become Artists’ Besties, Collaborators, and Even Unpaid Inter - Cat Zhang, Pitchfork
Originally launched as a messaging app for gamers, the platform has become an intimate place for artists and fans to connect and build community. Can this fragile ecosystem last?
At the Cannes Film Festival, I saw the future of French cinema - Rokhaya Diallo, The Washington Post
How people of color are shaking up France’s film industry.
Anees Is Happy for You to Tell Him What His Music Means - Tori Bergel, Washingtonian
"I finally found a way to make music that is open to all people," says the "Sun and Moon" singer.
The Johnny Depp Amber Heard Verdict Doesn't Matter After the Internet Made a Spectacle of Abuse - Lexi McMenamin, TeenVogue
The internet made a spectacle of domestic abuse claims, leaving a despicable landscape for survivors everywhere.
📚 Other Reads 📚
Who Do Historians Write For? - N.A. Mansour, Contingent Magazine
“The short answer is that historians write for other historians, that is if they’re writing in specific genres. There are four types of publications academic historians, namely those on the tenure track, write.”
Marcus Smart knows he's not your favorite player, and he's not going to change his game - Chris Haynes, Yahoo Sports
Marcus Smart granted Yahoo Sports a phone interview upon the Celtics landing in the Bay Area ahead of Game 1 on Thursday.How Ime Udoka’s Brutal Honesty Turned the Celtics Into Contenders - Jackie MacMullan, The Ringer
Boston’s first-year head coach made it a mission to turn lottery picks into accountable grinders. After plenty of pushback and a downright disastrous start, his young stars eventually bought in. Now the results speak for themselves.
Meet Josiah Johnson, the former UCLA benchwarmer who became an NBA meme king - Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times
Former UCLA benchwarmer Josiah Johnson found a way to use Twitter to express himself, have fun, and make a career out of it.
How our demand for sand is destroying our world - Tayo Bero, CBC News
In a lecture called Poetics, Politics, and Paradoxes of Sand that she delivered for Slow Factory — a research lab and open education initiative focused on social and environmental justice — Nehal El-Hadi tackles the difficult subject of our relationship to sand, and how that relationship may be leading us toward an environmental crisis.