Chances are you most likely came across a video of a black cyberpunk-masked oud player covering Travis Scott and Playboi Carti banger ‘FE!N’ whilst lost in a reel rabbit hole on Instagram. Well, that’s Yad Oud, a Bahraini musician reinventing the traditional oud instrument through his reinterpretation of popular international tunes by the likes of Kanye West, SZA, The Eagles and Daft Punk, just to name a few.

As unpredictable as his sound, so is his approach to production, the Cairo-born DJ, producer and sound designer is now reemerging with a new alias, Hablam, a project through which he explores a wholly different musical style on the opposite side of the left-far spectrum he’s been so long dominating. As he puts it, “It’s a project to help you unwind.”

El 7ora’, a six-track record that is loose, loud and confident – a distillation of Moe Hani’s influences of post-punk and psych-rock with a pop edge. Mixed and co-produced by Mostafa Adel, co-founder of Audio Bus, the record’s moniker metaphorically represents ‘falling into the hole’ - a mental space of self-doubt and confusion that Moe has struggled with, offering a window into his inner world.

In Palestine’s occupied West Bank, right in the heart of Ramallah, Jafra Productions, an independent music label and artist incubation business, have been actively forming the building blocks of a solid music ecosystem since 2010. Despite the ongoing genocide at the hands of the Israeli occupation and the constraints of censorship, the organization has managed to play a pivotal role in fostering a Palestinian music community, nurturing both emerging and established artists and forging connections with global industry professionals.

True to its name, IN ACT embodies the Dish Dash brothers’ ethos of constant motion and innovation. The label aims to reshape Saudi Arabia’s electronic music landscape, blending bold sonic experiments with a commitment to community-building. By spotlighting emerging regional talent, collaborating with fashion and art collectives, and crafting exclusive releases, IN ACT serves as a creative hub where music, art, and culture can converge.

Released under Alan Dixon’s label Love Attack Records, ‘El Baile’ is the first installment of Misty’s forthcoming trilogy release. On this two-track record, Misty veers a little bit off his established style of italo-house, drawing from the old-school house legacy to introduce a more versatile and fresh sound compared to his previous releases.

Mixed by Oliver Wright and recorded using analog techniques at UK’s Humm Studio in Bristol, ‘Dar Disku’ is a culmination of the duo’s extensive years of researching, listening and experimenting, offering a portal into their world beyond the dancefloor. The album, released under Soundway Records, sonically captures what time travelling with Dar Disku’s influences would feel like, and the cosmic emotions of cinematic scores through a meticulous analog approach to live recordings.

Perched on the coastal city of Batroun in the idyllic sanctuary of Arnaoon Village, Aegis Festival is one of Lebanon’s most highly-anticipated electronic music festivals –a melting pot of arts, culture and music in a remote village amidst verdant hilltops and lush greenery. It’s a fully formed aesthetic, a lightning rod of aspiration, and a way of being. Think aviator sunglasses with mini plastic daisies affixed to the rims, and cowboy boots dancing like there’s no tomorrow.

Intrigued to find out how this month of restraint and reflection affects music consumption within the Middle East and North Africa region, we got in touch with our friends at Spotify Arabia to uncover Arab listeners’ behaviours on online music streaming platforms during Ramadan.

In Heliopolis, near Merryland, we came across a burgeoning cypher known as EL MAFSH5A - a community of aspiring young rappers. Despite the cold winter night, this group of young artists braved the rain and gathered from all corners of Cairo, driven by only one thing: their love for the rap game. With their gathering featuring an unrestrained flow of ad-lib logorrhea, improvisatory rhythms and gritty unfiltered lyrics with gunfire punctuation, EL MAFSH5A is now playing a pivotal role in nurturing the thriving cypher culture in Egypt.

While we often see talent and artists partnerships worldwide, with global brands always investing in emerging artists, this trend has only been normalised recently in the MENA region, with a specific focus on male artists. Serving to bridge that gap between regional female artists and brands, Dubai-based Female Talent Agency (FTA) has recently emerged as the first-of-its-kind female-led creative agency, specialising in facilitating powerful and authentic collaborations.

On one of his many voyages to Cairo, I met up with Bayou in the House of Kheops, sheltered in the shadows of the Great Pyramids of Giza, where we talked about how his Egyptian heritage influences his work, the joy of imbuing Arab sounds in his music, and how he wields his voice to make a global impact on the music scene.