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Ruptured Album Release // TWO OR THE DRAGON // Dance Grooves For The Weary EP

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RELEASING 21 MAY 2021 ON RUPTURED:

TWO OR THE DRAGON
Two or the Dragon is the electro-acoustic duo of Lebanese musicians Abed Kobeissy and Ali Hout. The project was initiated in 2014, when the two players were asked to compose scores for contemporary dance and theater performances. The duo’s unapologetic approach to traditional Arabic music hints at deconstruction, dance grooves, industry, satire and a deniable melancholy, in a manner reminiscent of early recordings by Einsturzende Neubauten, Laibach or Throbbbing Gristle.
Hout and Kobeissy approach Beirut’s industrial vistas both as a local aesthetic and a main element of their work: the unique sound of processed buzuq (Levantine long-necked lute) and percussion, combined with the two musicians’ rich background in traditional Arabic music, takes the sonic, visual and pseudo-political day-to-day that is Beirut and reflects it onto a hyper-realistic soundscape.

Rather than a contemporary rendering of traditional Arabic music, Two or The Dragon’s music is saturated with their city’s aural components. The restless din of Beirut plays a major role in shaping the duo’s aesthetic; from the drilling of ever-expanding construction sites, the cacophony of car horns in unpredictable traffic, the drone of randomly juxtaposed electricity generators powering an entire city, and the thousands of wandering tankers pumping water into apartment blocks. Colorful fields of raw noise evolve into soothing agents of amnesia, in an absurdly elongated post-war period.
“DANCE GROOVES FOR THE WEARY” marks a departure from Two or The Dragon’s usual trademarks. The prevailing attitude here is one of sobriety and caution, undoubtedly as a result of the events that started dismantling the fabric of Lebanese society, from October 2019 to the present day.

Kobeissy’s solo piece, on which this EP is based, was composed in the Fall of 2020, following THE most violent summer in Lebanon’s history. As “DANCE GROOVES FOR THE WEARY” progresses, the initial sense of sobriety and caution seems to have run its course. The physical detonation of the drum machine – an agent provocateur of sorts – paves the way for an emotionally charged finale, with faint traces of a Bizet melody and a grinding, distorted daf.
At the heart of this new work is a desire to provide solace for the megalomaniac, the tired, the frightened, the bored, and the hopeful alike. A slap in the face of Lebanon’s ongoing, undeterred collective amnesia.

Listen/Order HERE

Ruptured Album Release // STELLAR BANGER // Data Is EP

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RELEASING MAY 21ST ON RUPTURED:

STELLAR BANGER
Stellar Banger is an electro-acoustic quartet composed of Lebanese musicians Ali Hout and Abed Kobeissy and German musicians Pablo Giw and Joss Turnbull.
The roots of this unique collaboration were laid down during the 2019 iteration of Irtijal Festival in Beirut, when the four men played together for the first time following their respective festival sets. The next year, right before the eruption of the Coronavirus pandemic, they set about working on a set of concrete recordings, from their homes in Beirut, Berlin, Köln and Turin. The resulting, freeform pieces were reworked, stretched and recomposed under varying states of lockdown, over the course of six months and 28 highly kinetic Zoom meetings.

The approach behind Stellar Banger is one of complete musical freedom, away from pre-assigned functions of instrumental / cultural roles, oblivious to the borders separating acoustic and digital media. At the heart of the quartet’s creative process is the notion of instant composing; improvisation with an experimental mindset, drum machines and electronic beats used in an open and intuitive manner, creating an identifiable sonic identity and structure.
Influenced by the absurd realities of a world overridden by COVID-19, far-right politics and bloody popular uprisings, the music might seem chaotic at first; but hidden within a multi-matrix of patterns, rhythms and colors, an elusive yet imposing structure begins to emerge, a pulsating musical bed composed of grainy, poly-layered pink-noise eruptions.
A case in point would be lead track “Data Is,” a bewildering example of musical defragmentation, overlaying sample shreds, stutters and tremolo patterns, unraveling as a sonic reminder of pre-existing musical idioms. The track inexorably builds up and climaxes into a giant cluster of pixels and dots; an audiophiliac prophecy of digitization, set to ghostlike incantations of astronomical objects and cosmic junk data.

Stellar Banger survived COVID-19’s reign of terror and the tyranny of border controls thanks to instant voice messages. In this EP release, messages act as both musical tools and narrative elements. They document the difficulties undergone by band members traveling and attempting to meet under lockdown. Aural, often nonsensical snapshots of arguments at airports, border controls, in quarantine; a binary, intercontinental ballistic messenger of friendship, a conveyor of hope through music. An apt representation of today’s digital world.

Mixed by Pablo Giw.
Mastered by Rashad Becker at Clunk, Berlin.
Artwork by Murtey.

Listen/Order HERE 

Photo by Niclas Weber

Ruptured News // LUMEN PROJECT // BEIRUT MOON

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LUMEN PROJECT // BEIRUT MOON – SATURDAY 13th of MARCH 2021
A longform experience with sound and image
Lumen Project (Sweden) will present performances by artists in Beirut, Lebanon // with a sonic + visual response from Malmö, Sweden featuring:
Albin // Jad Atoui // Vincent Bahar // Yasmine El Baramawy // Liliane Chlela // Nadia Daou (Nãr) // Tony Elieh // Charbel Haber // Mathias Landæus // Nathan Larson // Aya Metwalli // Ziad Moukarzel // Sary Moussa // Jawad Nawfal // Julia Sabra // Anthony Sahyoun // Sharif Sehnaoui // Fadi Tabbal // Elyse Tabet //
FREE FOR ALL — DONATIONS ARE APPRECIATED and will be shared among the participating artists

Initiated and realized by Lumen Project, in collaboration with Ruptured and Tunefork
Producers: Ziad Nawfal, Lina Enqvist, Maria Lyth, Erik Sandberg and Nathan Larson
Graphic design by Caroline Igel
Photography by Lujain Jo and Erik Sandberg
Editing by Erik Sandberg and Nathan Larson
With support from Musikverket

Ruptured Album Release // THE DRONE SESSIONS Vol. 1 – Live at Tunefork Studios

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RELEASING 19 MARCH 2021 ON RUPTURED:

The Drone Sessions vol. 1 – Live at Tunefork Studios
In partnership with Nathan Larson and Lumen Project (Stockholm)

Featuring brand new music from Fadi Tabbal & Julia Sabra – Anthony Sahyoun & Jad Atoui – Elyse Tabet & Jawad Nawfal – Charbel Haber & Sary Moussa – Aya Metwalli & Nadia Daou – Sharif Sehnaoui & Tony Elieh – Liliane Chlela & Ziad Moukarzel.

Mastered by Cedrik Fermont at Syrphe, Berlin. Design by Nour Raad.

Listen/Order HERE

All photos by Lujain Jo at Tunefork Studios.
Both audio and video material is going to be the subject of a live broadcast by Lumen Project, on March 13, 2021.

Ruptured + Annihaya Album Release // SENYAWA // Alkisah Remixed

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Arriving February 21 on Ruptured + Annihaya.

Ruptured and Annihaya (as well as a hefty assortment of indie labels from all over the place, including Jordan’s Drowned By Locals and Bahrain’s Qarar) are taking part in the release of SENYAWA’s incredible new album “Alkisah”, on February 21st.

To accompany our co-release of “Alkisah”, we’ve commissioned remixes from some of our favorite contributors: Anthony Sahyoun, Aya Metwalli, C-drík, Hatem Imam, Jad Atoui, Jana Saleh, Jawad Nawfal, Safa, Stephanie Merchak and Ziad Moukarzel.

Order from Bandcamp HERE and HERE

WATCH ‘ISTANA’ VIDEO

Live from Beirut: Mixes by Ziad Nawfal for “Time in this Time” // January 2021

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Last August, we were asked to contribute material to a project by harvest entitled #timeinthistime, meant to examine our connection with time, post-Covid, post-August 4th blast, post-everything.

In the following weeks, we produced two music mixes, one of already-released tracks from our “Ruptured Sessions” compilation series. Another of exclusive tracks from musicians we’ve worked with time and time again in the last few years.
They are Fadi Tabbal, Youmna Saba, Anthony Sahyoun, Charbel Haber, Sharif Sehnaoui, Aya Metwalli and Jawad Nawfal.
We also asked these musicians for a picture, preferably from their phone’s camera roll, that would represent the year 2020 for them.

You can see these photos and listen to the 2 music mixes at the link below.
As ever, we are grateful to the artists who donated their tracks, and trusted us to make good use of their music and images.
Also grateful to Nour Raad for her images that accompany the mixes beautifully.

 

Ruptured + Annihaya Album Release // SENYAWA // Alkisah

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Arriving February 21 on Ruptured + Annihaya.

Indonesian art-doom duo SENYAWA — vocalist Rully Shabara and instrumentalist Wukir Suryadi — will release their new studio album ALKISAH in February 2021, through a cooperative arrangement with a number of labels across the globe, in an attempt to decentralize the hierarchical structures of the music industry, particularly the distribution system.

Each participating label was given free rein to design their own cover, package the album in the format of their choice, and decide on the number of copies they wish to release.
Each label represents the country where it is based, in order to avoid distribution overlap, minimize shipping distances, and empower smaller scattered powers to grow and connect. The way it should be.

Lebanese indie labels RUPTURED and ANNIHAYA have joined forces for this unique release, gladly embracing the challenge of producing and distributing a limited vinyl edition of ALKISAH in Lebanon and nearby countries.
The worldwide release of the album will be accompanied by a digital album of remixes, produced by musicians from Beirut and beyond.

Order limited edition vinyl + digital from Bandcamp HERE and HERE

WATCH ‘ALKISAH’ ANNOUNCEMENT

Ruptured + Beacon Sound Album Release // FADI TABBAL // Subject To Potential Errors And Distortions

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Arriving October 23: the fifth solo album by Fadi Tabbal and the third collaboration between Ruptured Records in Beirut and Beacon Sound in Portland.

On Subject To Potential Errors And Distortions, Lebanese musician, producer and sound engineer Fadi Tabbal delves deeper into the theme of alienation in a suffocating city. Composed and conceived almost entirely at his home in Beirut during Covid-19 quarantine, the record is his most intimate yet. While his previous solo work consisted solely of guitar pieces, this time Tabbal adds tape loops, vocal samples and synthesizers to his sound palette in an attempt to convey the subjectivity of memory and our tendency to write and rewrite history according to the present. The result is seven pieces that veer between minimalism and ambient music akin to recent outings by Pan American’s Mark Nelson and mid-period Stars of the Lid. Three of the tracks feature the voice of Julia Sabra, singer for Beirut dream-pop group Postcards.

Fadi Tabbal has been one of the leading figures in the Beirut music scene for over a decade. He runs Tunefork Studios, a specialized work space which offers customized services including full band recordings, live sound, music production and composition; is a member of several musical projects including electronic duo Stress/Distress (with Anthony Sahyoun) and The Bunny Tylers (with Charbel Haber); has collaborated with Mike Cooper, Oiseaux-Tempête, Youmna Saba, Sary Moussa and Marc Codsi; has produced albums by Postcards, Kinematik and Safar; has recorded and mixed the entirety of Ziad Nawfal’s Ruptured Sessions live series; has done installations and sound design for numerous artists and institutions, including Lebanese art ensemble The Feel Collective, Nada Kano’s Beirut Dance Studio, Petra Serhal and The Sursock Museum; has performed soundtrack work for filmmakers Maher Abi-Samra, Rania Rafei, Roy Deeb, Chadi Aoun, Nadim Tabet, among others; has been the technical director of Irtijal Festival since 2011; and has taught sound at the Académie Libanaise Des Beaux-Arts since 2012.

Tabbal has released 4 solo albums since 2013, including How’s Annie (Ruptured, 2016) and Museum of Disappearing Buildings (Ruptured + Beacon Sound, 2017). Recently he’s been spearheading the #beirutmusiciansfund, an effort to help local musicians affected by the explosion at the Port of Beirut recoup some of their considerable losses. Not known: whether he ever sleeps.

Limited edition vinyl + digital release by Ruptured Records & Beacon Sound.
Wordwide distribution by Cargo Records UK.

Order from Bandcamp HERE and from a whole lot of other nice places HERE

LISTEN

Ruptured News // MUSIC RELIEF FOR BEIRUT #4: Amman, Beirut, Tunis

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In the aftermath of the August 4th explosion in Beirut, which left several hundred people dead, thousands injured, and resulted in city-wide material damage, several labels and platforms have started releasing compilations in support of the crisis.

Grief Into Rage: A Compilation for Beirut is a 36-track compilation by Jordanian label Grief Into Rage, aiming to raise funds in support of Beirut and its inhabitants. 100% of the compilation’s profits will be donated to the Lebanese Red Cross and Tunefork Studios’ Beirut Musicians’ Fund. Notable contributors include Arabs with Synthesizers and Asifeh.

Buy Grief Into Rage here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

System Revival Recordings put together System Revival: For Beirut, The End Of Corruption as a fundraiser for the people of Beirut. 100% of the compilation’s proceeds will go directly to support organizations on the ground in Beirut. Notable contributors to this lengthy 31-track collection include Kujo, Legowelt, MAKH, NP (the duo of Anthony Sahyoun and Jad Atoui), Nur Jaber, Safa and Yasmine Hamdan.

Buy For Beirut, The End Of Corruption here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ma3azef teamed up with New York-based mastering engineer Heba Kadry to curate a compilation of new and unreleased material from regional and international musicians, entitled Nisf Madeena (half city). All proceeds from the compilation’s sales are going to local initiatives working to provide assistance on the ground in Beirut, namely AFAC’s Fundraising Campaign for the Arts and Culture Community, Tunefork Studios’ Beirut Musicians’ Fund, and Beit el Baraka. The 17-track compilation includes contributions by Nicolás Jaar, Zuli, Aya Metwalli, Fatima Al Qadiri, Deena Abdelwahed and Marc Codsi.

Buy Nisf Madeena here.