Being a Syrian in exile can feel like a nightmare you can’t wake up from, like walking through the world as a ghost - invisible and cut off from humanity, or inadvertently haunting those around you who can’t understand your pain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAqzg8d67q8 “Ghost of Sham” was written and shot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with Finnish [...]
When you’re stuck between cultures and the world is a mess, why not throw a party? Assasi teams up with Emsallam to laugh in the face of life’s absurdity over a danceable track (Haquin) piled high with layers of darbouka, riq, and cümbüs saz by Lo.Renzo (Lorenzo Mantovani) and Gilbert Mansour. The music video, equally [...]
One day, I had an epiphany. I realized that haters and their mindless imitators could only bother me if I cared what they had to say. “Mandal” and its accompanying music video celebrate me running out of fucks to give! Featuring live riq, tombak, and sarangi by Lorenzo Mantovani, “Mandal” reinterprets dancehall-UK drill fusion a [...]