Zeid Hamdan & Maii Waleed (LB/EG)

A producer, occasional actor and composer of several soundtracks from the Lebanese Beirut is not only a renowned studio persona of the local scene (collaborating with colleagues across genres, from hip hop over pop to trip-hop), but also an active multi-instrumentalist himself. His political activism in the lyrics include also a connection of the electronic music with the echoes of the traditional Arab and Western influence – in 2011, he was arrested on the grounds of a political sedition for his song, which criticized the president. Yet his music is much closer to the European concept of a downtempo melancholy than to the dance music world, and his hypnotic rhythms and thoughtful melancholic melodies can wrap the listener like a spider can wrap a fly. And beware of their infectiousness! His last year’s EP Ezaal was created in collaboration with the Alexandrian singer and guitarist Maii Waleed.

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