Ruptured Album Release // SNAKESKIN // We live in sand

September 4, 2025September 4, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

Out 10 October 2025 via Ruptured and Beacon Sound

We live in sand is the 3rd album from SNAKESKIN, the Beirut-based duo of Julia Sabra and Fadi Tabbal.

Written in October 2024, just as Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza fully spread to Lebanon and finally reached Beirut, the album is their darkest and rawest yet, exploring what it feels like to wait, to love, to grieve, and to keep living while the world falls apart. Pairing Tabbal’s masterful production with Sabra’s vivid imagery and evocative singing, the duo, as Resident Advisor put it, mines “deep emotional depths by tempering dream pop’s sweet-natured reverie with experimental snarl.” Bearing witness to impossible events, We live in sand is a complex and nuanced work, balancing forward-thinking pop sensibilities with relentless realism and a poetic spirit of empathy.

Composed, performed and produced by Julia Sabra and Fadi Tabbal between Beirut and Bern. Lyrics by Julia Sabra. Drum samples by Pascal Semerdjian.

Mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh at Hotel2Tango, Montreal. Mastered by Harris Newman at Grey Market Mastering, Montreal.

Album art, band portrait, and “October sun” video by Mohamad Abdouni. Design by Josette Khalil.

This album is the third volume in the Corrosion Series, a collaborative effort by Beacon Sound in Portland and Ruptured in Beirut.

Thank you for listening and supporting.

LISTEN / ORDER

Ruptured Album Release // PREFACES // Acqua Marina

August 22, 2025September 4, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

PREFACES RETURN WITH ‘ACQUA MARINA’ – A SUN-DRUNK, HAUNTED GUITAR ALBUM FOR OFF-SEASON BEACHES

Out 15 August 2025 via Ruptured and Hisstology

Beirut-based trio Prefaces return with Acqua Marina, a luminous and melancholic new album that conjures the empty beach clubs and concrete shorelines of Lebanon’s coastline. Out 15 August 2025 via Ruptured and Hisstology Records (vinyl + digital), the album marks the band’s second full-length release—following their 2021 debut Hippodrome.

Prefaces is composed of Charif Megarbane (Cosmic Analog Ensemble, Habibi Funk), Salim Naffah (Alko B), and Pascal Semerdjian (Postcards, SANAM)—three key players in Lebanon’s independent and experimental music scenes. On Acqua Marina, the trio distills elements of surf rock, Mediterranean psych, and vintage library music, while weaving in the modal turns and rhythms of the Levant.

Where Hippodrome emerged from a spirit of improvisation and spontaneity, Acqua Marina is more deliberate in tone and form. The album was recorded at Tunefork Studios in Beirut and shaped around recurring imagery: abandoned pools, tiled corridors, rusting gates, and the strange beauty of deserted resort towns. Lead single “Marmoura” captures that sensibility with reverb-laced guitar melodies and a gently hypnotic rhythm, drawing the listener into Prefaces’ submerged world.

Acqua Marina speaks in coastal dialects both real and imagined. Fans of Khruangbin, Allah-Las, Omar Khorshid, Ennio Morricone, or Megarbane’s own Cosmic Analog Ensemble will find plenty to explore in its currents.

The album is released on limited edition vinyl and digital formats, with artwork that mirrors the album’s themes of faded glamour and seasonal drift.

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Ziad Nawfal Mix for Stegi Radio with guest YOUMNA SABA // 03 June 2025

July 10, 2025October 27, 2025Music Shows1 Comment

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 Album Release // VARIOUS ARTISTS // The Dome Sessions

June 15, 2025September 3, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

The Dome Sessions emerged from the architectural and acoustic qualities of the dome designed by Oscar Niemeyer in 1962 in Tripoli, Lebanon. Since 2010, Firas El Hallak has used this space as a site for sonic experiments, exploring the relationships between sound, space, and memory. The dome’s distinctive reverb and resonance have shaped a series of recordings that capture the characteristics of the structure while evoking the untold stories held within its walls.

What began as an individual pursuit evolved into a collective project. Artists and collaborators joined forces, contributing to a body of work that reflects the layered history and collective memory of the dome. Each piece resonates with the space’s acoustics, dissolving the boundaries between past and present, personal and communal.

These recordings extend beyond a musical album; they form part of the soundtrack for an upcoming film that examines the dome’s place in Tripoli’s cultural and historical fabric. The Dome Sessions therefore becomes an exploration of place, identity, and collective history through multiple senses.

At its core, the project highlights the power of collective action. It demonstrates how reclaiming spaces can breathe new life into the forgotten. By transforming the dome into a site of collaboration, the collective emphasizes the role of art in preserving and reinterpreting heritage. The Dome Sessions invites listeners to a shared experience of space through sound.

Wassila Abboud, December 2024

THE DOME SESSIONS: Listen/Order here

All tracks recorded on-site by Tunefork Studios in April 2023.
All tracks mixed at Tunefork Studios by Anthony Sahyoun & Fadi Tabbal, except for Session 8 (mixed by Hadi Deaibess).

Music composed and performed by the artists, except for:
Session 1 (Once I Entered a Garden) originally composed by Medhat Assem for Asmahan.
Session 10 (Zahrat al-Mada’en) originally composed by the Rahbani Brothers for Fairuz.

Created and produced by Firas El Hallak. Co-produced by Anthony Tawil.

Audio captured by Neumann and supported by Eltek. Mastered by Cedrik Fermont at Syrphe, Berlin.

Album photography by Gabriel Ferneini. Artwork & design by Cynthia-ël Hasbani.

Watch the promotional trailer by Firas El Hallak

Ruptured News // SANAM members with Jessica Moss + Radwan Ghazi Moumneh at HOTEL2TANGO // 23+24 June 2025

June 5, 2025August 21, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

For two nights, members of Lebanese sextet SANAM and a lineup of collaborators will take the stage at Montreal’s Hotel2Tango for a series of solo and duo performances. While the band itself won’t be performing, these sets will highlight the individual artistry of its members alongside special guests, exploring free-rock, post-folk, and experimental sounds in an intimate setting.

Hotel2Tango – 110 Van Horne, Montreal QC
Monday, June 23 & Tuesday, June 24
Doors 8 PM | Music 8:30 PM
Entrance $20

Tickets can be purchased HERE.

NIGHT 1 – MONDAY, JUNE 23

Sandy Chamoun (Solo)
A solo set focused on vocal performance, blending tradition and contemporary experimentation.

Farah Kaddour (Solo)
A performance rooted in folk and classical Arabic music, showcasing her mastery of the buzuq.

Radwan Ghazi Moumneh & Anthony Sahyoun (Duo)
Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, co-owner of Hotel2Tango, joins Anthony Sahyoun for an exploratory duo performance.

NIGHT 2 – TUESDAY, JUNE 24

Antonio Hajj, Jessica Moss & Pascal Semerdjian (Trio)
SANAM’s rhythm section—Antonio Hajj and Pascal Semerdjian—teams up with avant-garde violinist Jessica Moss for a unique collaboration.

Farah Kaddour & Marwan Tohme (Duo – Cassette Album Launch)
A special set celebrating the release of Farah and Marwan’s new cassette on Ruptured Records, offering an exclusive first listen.

Anthony Sahyoun (Solo)
A closing performance featuring a key voice of Beirut’s experimental music scene.

Ziad Nawfal Mix for Stegi Radio with guest NOUR SOKHON // 06 May 2025

May 10, 2025August 13, 2025Music ShowsLeave a Comment

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 and sound artist Nour Sokhon. Originally commissioned by Stegi Radio and produced by Onassis Stegi.

Nour Sokhon is a Lebanese artist based in Berlin, Germany, whose work explores diverse methods of artistic research, including interviews, field recordings, and site-specific interventions. Her findings are translated into sound/music compositions, performances, interactive installations, and moving image work.

“This mix, “Qulubuna”, is named after a track I composed for the Zilzal: Sonic Ceremony compilation. Qulubuna means “our hearts” in Arabic, and it reflects the whirlwind of emotions I’ve been experiencing over the past year and a half, watching the violence escalate—and continue to escalate—from afar. Through sound, I try to process the grief, helplessness, and longing that come with bearing witness from a distance.”

TRACK LISTING:

Q: Scattered Memory of Syria
Nour Sokhon: Your Silence is Loud
Flugen: Piramatozo
Nour Sokhon & Ensemble Modern (Jaan Bossier, Rumi Ogawa, Jagdish Mistry, Megumi Kasakawa, Nathan Watts and Alexander Kolb): Voyaging Through Silent Rumbles (live performance excerpt)
Asifeh: Asafeer /عصافير
Sara Persico: Voices Organ
Viki Steiri: I Want You Too In My Private Dream
Makoto Sakamoto: Trust
Beirut drone (Field recording)
Underwater hydrophone (Field recording)
Sara Persico: Domescape
Saba Alizadeh: Temple Of Hope
Elyse Tabet: 4 A.M.
Nour Sokhon & Stefan Christoff: Cascading effects
Flugen: Twenty Nine
Nour Sokhon: Qulubuna
Saba Alizadeh: Plain Of The Free

Press Review // Postcards // Ripe

May 5, 2025May 6, 2025Press ArchiveLeave a Comment

Acclaim for Ripe, the latest album by Lebanese shoegaze trio Postcards, released by Ruptured in April 2025:

“On a foundation of what many would consider shoegaze and dream-pop, while the band has moved sonically with each release, the Postcards remit has been held together by the emotive storytelling of Sabra, and on Ripe it reaches a crescendo. Fraught with tension and the chaos that overshadows everyday life in Lebanon, Postcards frame it through song; and while you can certainly draw a line to this in previous works, on Ripe the band are at their all-encompassing best, reaching new levels.” – Simon Kirk, Sun-13 https://sun-13.com/2025/03/27/the-long-road-in-conversation-with-postcards-julia-sabra-pascal-semerdjian/#more-27934

“If previous Postcards albums were drenched in reverb-soaked melancholy, Ripe is what happens when that sadness curdles into fury. It is an album of contradictions: lush but raw, defiant yet wounded, intimate while also sounding like the collapse of a city.” – Chain DLK
https://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/12752

“Postcards channel this violence into their music, crafting dreamlike landscapes where guitars cut through the canvas like blades. Ripe is born from pain and uncertainty, an album of defiance that blends brutality and vulnerability, noise and melody. Like a lighthouse in the fog, it searches (in vain?) for a possible way out.” – Ondarock
https://www.ondarock.it/recensioni/2025-postcards-ripe.htm

“This is the soundtrack of burning youth, cigarettes over cityscapes, and late-night existential spirals. With the current situation in Gaza and Lebanon, the album takes on an even deeper resonance, its rawness mirroring the heartbreak, rage, and resilience of a region constantly on edge.” – Scene Noise
https://scenenoise.com/New-Music/Postcards-Ripe-Is-a-Love-Hate-Letter-to-Beirut

“A project of sharp contrasts and blinding sweetness, Postcards manage to sound both angelic and nervy, shifting seamlessly between storm-like intensity and moments of pure, hushed beauty (…) Ripe is a rare surprise — an album that sustains curiosity with substance, style, and flashes of emotional clarity across its ten tracks.” – Sodapop
https://www.sodapop.it/phnx/postcards-ripe-ruptured-t3-2025/

“A darker, more punk-infused take on shoegaze.” – CDM
https://cdm.link/postcards-from-lebanon-telling-the-worlds-story/

“Until now, the band was known for its mesmerizing blend of dreampop and shoegaze, carried by Julia Sabra’s airy voice floating over layers of synths. But with *Ripe*, the guitars storm into the space with fury. The trio’s sound becomes sharper, more cutting. The drums gallop, Marwan Tohme’s bass rumbles, and from this turmoil emerges a refrain that haunts the album’s opening track, ‘I Stand Corrected,’ echoing like a mantra throughout the record: ‘Destroy, rebuild, you know the drill.” – Djolo Cultures d’Afrique https://djolo.net/ripe-5eme-album-postcards-ne-dans-colere/

“A recent batch of new material from the Beirut label Ruptured just arrived at the shop. And though it is a challenge to single out just one release, my heart keeps returning to the fifth album from shoegaze trio Postcards. Ripe fills each gushing moment of this album with devastating imagery of smoldering buildings, poisoned blood, and barren shorelines. A challenging, shattering, necessary listen.” – Robert Ham, For The Record https://www.wweek.com/music/2025/04/22/for-the-record/

“On previous releases, we heard echoes of various influences, but on Ripe, the band’s own voice comes through more clearly—the album’s title couldn’t have been better chosen. Ripe is a beautifully balanced record with a sound that leaves a lasting impression. Singer/guitarist Julia Sabra soothes at times with her warm, gentle voice, but she can also unleash its full power, perfectly complementing the driving rhythm section of drummer Pascal Semerdjian and bassist/guitarist Marwan Tohme.” – Luminous Dash https://luminousdash.be/reviews/postcards-ripe-ruptured-t3-records/#google_vignette

Adventures in Sound & Music x Resonance FM broadcast by Shane Woolman for The Wire Magazine: https://shanewoolman.uk/ana-lua-caiano-guest-mix/

Utility Fog broadcast on FBi Radio by Peter Hollo: https://www.fbi.radio/programs/utility-fog/episodes/utility-fog-16th-march-2025

Featured in Premonition broadcast: https://www.premo.fr/transmission/Deux-Cent-Trente-Septieme-Tentative/237

Listen/Order

Ziad Nawfal Mix for Stegi Radio with guest CAMILLE CABBABE // 01 April 2025

May 5, 2025December 17, 2025Music ShowsLeave a Comment

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 and filmmaker Camille Cabbabe. Originally commissioned by Stegi Radio and produced by Onassis Stegi.

Camille Cabbabe is a Lebanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and musician whose work spans film, music, and literature. She earned her BA in Filmmaking from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in 2017, and her senior film, Down is the New Up, won two awards and was screened at festivals across Lebanon, Europe, and the United States.

Beyond filmmaking, Camille is also a musician, having played with several bands over the past decade. In 2024, she recorded her first solo album titled K2 set to be released in 2025. The album is accompanied by a film featuring a blend of home videos and mixed media visuals.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Aphex Twin: Alberto Balsalm
2. Brian Eno: This
3. Interbellum: For Air
4. KŌZŌ 構造: Capsule Tower
5. Camille Cabbabe: The Last Time
6. Massive Attack: Protection
7. SANAM: Ayouha Al-Taiin Fi Al-Mawt
8. Faten Kanaan: Fin août, début septembre
9. Angelo Badalamenti: Twin Peaks Theme
10. Cosmic Analog Ensemble: Ohms and Watts
11. Alko B: Whenever It Gets Dark
12. The Bunny Tylers: I’ll Make It Up To You
13. Kinematik: Muhibbi Al-Kanari
14. Snakeskin: Bodies
15. Vegyn: Big Fun Never Ending Nightmare [75bpm]
16. Camille Cabbabe: Visitors
17. The Incompetents: Grey Midas

Stegi.Radio · Ruptured Music • Guest Mix by Camille Cabbabe w/ Ziad Nawfal (01.04.2025)

Ruptured Album Release // CLAUDIA KHACHAN & ZIAD MOUKARZEL / JOY MOUGHANNI

April 28, 2025May 5, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

Releasing April 25, 2025 on Ruptured Records:

The Vapornet, by Claudia Khachan & Ziad Moukarzel / A Separation From Habit, by Joy Moughanni

We are proud to announce two powerful new albums released today on Ruptured, available on cassette and digital formats.

Claudia Khachan & Ziad Moukarzel – The Vapornet
The Vapornet is the result of a unique collaboration between sound producer and musician Ziad Moukarzel and multidisciplinary artist Claudia Khachan. Developed over a long-distance exchange between Beirut and Europe, the album captures a dialogue in sound—blending ambient textures, deep bass, restless rhythms, organ swells, and ethereal vocals.
Structured yet intuitive, The Vapornet unfolds as a meditation on distance, uncertainty, and transformation, offering five tracks that explore the delicate interplay between absence and connection.
For listeners of FKA twigs, Laurel Halo, Holly Herndon, and Arca.

[Listen/Order]

Joy Moughanni – A Separation From Habit
A Separation From Habit marks the debut solo release from Lebanese musician, producer, and sound engineer Joy Moughanni. Built from archival tape recordings, manipulated electronics, and dense sonic layering, the album is a deeply personal reflection on grief, trauma, and memory.
Drawing from recordings made between 1975 and 1985 by George Tarazi, Moughanni crafts a vivid and unsettling exploration of Lebanon’s ongoing struggles, using sound to collapse past and present into a powerful and immersive listening experience.
Highly recommended for fans of Fennesz, Tim Hecker, Éliane Radigue, and Tarek Atoui.

Both albums are now available through Ruptured Records. We invite you to explore these works—each a testament to strength, collaboration, and the transformative potential of sound.

[Listen/Order]

Watch the video for Joy Moughanni’s “A Separation From Habit”, directed by Yara Asmar

Ziad Nawfal Mix for Stegi Radio with guest STEFAN CHRISTOFF // 04 March 2025

April 25, 2025August 13, 2025Music ShowsLeave a Comment

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 mix by Canadian musician, writer and community activist STEFAN CHRISTOFF. Originally commissioned by Stegi Radio and produced by Onassis Stegi.

Stefan Christoff is a media maker, community activist, and artist based in Montréal. He hosts Free City Radio, a weekly program airing on seven community stations across Canada and available globally as a podcast. As a musician, he collaborates with artists worldwide, including Anarchist Mountains, Aidan Baker, Adriana Camacho, Aidan Girt, Lori Goldston, Nicolás Jaar, and Sessa. Stefan serves on the board of the Immigrant Workers Centre in Côte-des-Neiges, organizes with Cinema Politica Network, and contributes regularly to Radio AlHara in Palestine. He is also involved with the Social Justice Centre and is pursuing graduate studies in history at Concordia University.

TRACK LISTING: