Best Arabic Electronic Music – A Handy Guide (Part 1)

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog on the best arabic electronic music , and should be made in a number of helpful lists. As I was writing it, it quickly turned into a much larger project than anticipated and I had to split it up into 4 parts. However, as the first part came out, I never got around to finishing the other parts. Time flies!

Now, one and a half years later, I have decided to give this blog another go. This time I will try to keep it shorter and more concise.

Let’s start with the basics: what is arabic electronic music? Well, there are different ways of looking at this question. The most straightforward way is that arabic electronic music is any kind of electronic music with an arabic influence. This can be anything from western artists using oriental scales in their music to new age sounds using traditional middle eastern instruments and rhythms to full-on oriental dance remixes to oriental beats combined with western vocals or any other combination you can come up with.

The problem with this definition is that it can create some confusion. For example: one of my favourite songs at the moment is by

The idea behind this blog was to create a number of helpful lists and a free downloadable compilations, from various Arabic electronic music genres and subgenres that are relevant to our listeners today.

The Arabic electronic music scene has been around for decades, but only began to get the attention it deserved in the mid 2000s. Nowadays, the genre is flourishing and artists are creating new sounds every day.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen some popular blogs like Electronic Rum and The Arabology appear on the scene and make an impact with their weekly podcasts. These blogs have helped spread Arabic electronic music far beyond its origins in the Middle East.

As you may know, there are many different styles within this genre. It can be overwhelming at times when trying to discover new artists or find a compilation album that covers all these different styles. This blog aims to solve that problem by providing lists of recommended artists and albums for each style of music, as well as a selection of free compilations that you can download right now!

Arabic electronic music is in its golden age! The past few years have seen an explosion of artists and producers making amazing tracks, while more and more people are getting into it. Not just in the Arab world, but all over the world. It’s awesome.

But… where do you start? There’s a lot of Arabic electronic music out there, and there are a lot of different styles. Some of it is really good, some of it isn’t so great. So I thought I’d put together this guide to Arabic electronic music – my recommendations for what to listen to and where to start.

This will be a series of posts (this is the first), with each post focusing on a different style or genre of Arabic electronic music with recommendations on what to download and listen to. In this first part I introduce the scene, go through 10 classic tracks that you should know if you’re going to get into Arabic electronic music, then give a number of recommendations for starting points for each genre.

Arabic electronic music is a genre that’s been bubbling away on the internet for a while now, with varying degrees of attention from mainstream media. As the interest in everything Arab-related takes off in 2012, we thought it’d be a good time to compile a few handy lists of the best Arabic electronic music out there. This week we start with what’s available on YouTube and Soundcloud.

Let’s get this straight: we’re not talking about oriental arabesque tunes played by DJs, nor remixes of traditional Arab music (though these can be very good too). We’re talking about original compositions that blend Arabic melodies and rhythms with electronic sounds.

Here’s our pick for the best Arabic electronica available online (in chronological order):

An ongoing series of posts based on a blog that showcases the best Arabic Electronic Music.

Part 1:

In the past 18 months, the Arabic electronic music scene has exploded with excitement. Countless new producers are popping up all over the region, and it’s hard to keep track of what’s new and good. Here’s a handy guide for you to get started in your exploration of this exciting new electronic music frontier:

You will notice that I have excluded many big names from this list. Most of these people are well-known in the region and beyond (e.g. Omar Souleyman, Cheb i Sabbah, Autostrad, The Narcicyst). My goal is to introduce you to some less known individuals who are still fantastic and deserve more attention.

And so without further ado, here is part 1 of my overview of Arabic electronic music:

In the last few years there was a noticeable shift in the music scene in the Middle East. The Arabic electronic music scene is gaining momentum, and we’re seeing more artists from the MENA region getting signed to some of the most prestigious record labels around.

If you are interested in Arabic electronic music and you want to stay updated, there are a number of blogs that cover this topic extensively. Here are some of my favorites: