A monthly selection of alternative, ambient and experimental music from Lebanon and the MENA region, selected by music promoter and label owner Ziad Nawfal – this broadcast features a guest mix by Lebanese musician YOUMNA SABA. Originally commissioned by Stegi Radio and produced by Onassis Stegi.
Youmna Saba is a Lebanese musician, composer, and musicologist whose work bridges classical Arabic music and electroacoustic experimentation. Her current research explores the resonance of instruments and spaces in relation to the Arabic language in its sung form. She has released five albums, most recently Wishah (2023) on Touch and Ruptured, and has collaborated with artists such as Kamilya Jubran, Mike Cooper, and Neue Vocalsolisten.
Saba has performed at festivals including CTM (Berlin) and Éclat (Stuttgart), and has taken part in international residencies at the Cité Internationale des Arts, INA-GRM, Camargo Foundation, and Musée du Quai Branly, where she developed a sound installation on the “breath” of instruments. Her practice reflects a deep engagement with sonic memory, spatiality, and the evolution of Arabic musical forms.
TRACK LISTING:
- Kamilya Jubran And Sarah Murcia: Baab
- Kid Fourteen: (Ninja Scroll)
- Dina El Wedidi: Homeland
- Fadi Tabbal: (Keep Beating)
- Sandy Chamoun / Anthony Sahyoun / Jad Atoui: Al-Moulatham
- Youmna Saba: Akaleel
- Maya Al Khaldi: Zaghritu
- Marie Jubran: Yle Alqamar
- Two Or The Dragon: Dance Grooves For The Weary [Live At Sarab Music Festival]
- Abdelmoniem Ekhald: Droob A Shoag (Paths To Love)
- Elyse Tabet: 4 A.M.
- Hassiba Hashem Bdeir: Mawwal Ashshawq Wel Hanin
Ruptured Music 
I enjoyed playing music with Youmna in Switzerland recently. Glad to see she is doing well. Look forward to listening to this show. We should do more together maybe? Mike Cooper