Ziad Nawfal Mix for Stegi Radio with guests SNAKESKIN // 07 October 2025

November 18, 2025November 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 dreampop duo SNAKESKIN (Julia Sabra & Fadi Tabbal). Originally commissioned by Stegi Radio and produced by Onassis Stegi.

Snakeskin is a Beirut-based duo making electronic dreampop that incorporates ambient, industrial, and experimental elements. The project brings together producer and musician Fadi Tabbal and singer songwriter Julia Sabra, also a member of indie trio Postcards.
The duo’s third album We live in sand will be released on October 10, 2025 as a co-release between Ruptured and Beacon Sound. Written as the war in Gaza spread to Lebanon, it is their starkest and most immediate work to date, combining industrial beats, ambient dirges, and Julia’s distinctive vocals.

TRACK LISTING:

1- Snakeskin: Ready
2- Nadah El Shazly: Kaabi Ali
3- Lucrecia Dalt: Caes (feat. Camille Mandoki)
4- SANAM: Goblin
5- Snakeskin: October sun
6- Kelly Moran: Don’t Trust Mirrors
7- Sary Moussa: Everywhere at Once
8- Jerusalem In My Heart: Ana Lisan Wahad (feat. Farida Amadou & Pierre-Guy Blanchard)
9- Dina El Wedidi: The Moon
10- Gizzmo: A Change in the Seasons
11- Snakeskin: Blindsided
12- Mabe Fratti: Kravitz
13- Postcards: Poison
14- Blood Orange: Look at You
15- Snakeskin: Black water

Press Review // Snakeskin // We live in sand

November 1, 2025November 3, 2025Press ArchiveLeave a Comment

Acclaim for We live in sand, the latest album by Lebanese dreampop duo Snakeskin, released by Ruptured & Beacon Sound in October 2025:

“Snakeskin don’t so much shed layers from release to release, they harden their resolve, reinforcing their messaging into songs which are even more powerful and defining… [They] have created an extraordinary sound document which is so poignant in these troubled times and which will remain enlightening for much longer.” – John Parry, Backseat Mafia https://www.backseatmafia.com/album-review-snakeskin-we-live-in-sand-enlightening-intense-dream-pop-from-the-ever-impressive-beirut-duo/

“With dark minimalism orchestrated from the bottom of the vortex, if We live in sand doesn’t reduce you to tears, then you’re probably hollow inside. The best art often comes from the darkest places; the same ones many of us will never encounter.” – Simon Kirk, Sun-13 https://sun-13.com/2025/10/10/snakeskin-we-live-in-sand/

“There’s a chilling disconnect at the heart of Lebanese duo Snakeskin’s third album, We live in sand: On the surface, their music invokes a lineage of wistfully melodic electronic pop. But once you dig into the album’s lyrics, a far bleaker scenario presents itself. Beneath the sweetness of the music, Sabra lays bare the tragedy playing out across the border—and on our screens, in our feeds, in our thoughts and consciences.” – Phil Sherburne via substack https://futurismrestated.substack.com/p/fr-140-spheres-nexuses-horizons

“We live in sand is an emotionally weighty album, though it’s also one in which the Lebanese duo manage to find beauty in the darkness.” – Shawn Reynaldo via substack https://firstfloor.substack.com/p/first-floor-285-money-matters

“There’s an uncompromising authenticity to the album, presenting each track as a visceral interpretation of mourning. Amidst the starkness, hope could easily seem lost. Yet the album’s most powerful moments emerge in subtle but striking sparks of defiance and resilience; and that, in itself, is a form of hope.” – SceneNoise https://scenenoise.com/New-Music/Snakeskin-s-We-Live-in-Sand-Captures-Hope-Amidst-Destruction

“There’s an atmosphere of grief, anger and frustration throughout, but as with so much of the music Sabra and Tabbal make — together or separately — there is hope here too.” – Arab News https://www.arabnews.com/node/2619195/lifestyle

“Over a decade of collaboration, producer Fadi Tabbal and singer-songwriter Julia Sabra have sculpted a sound that is both melancholic and radiant: a haunting palette of reflection, collapse and resistance that keeps developing in their new album We live in sand.” – Le Guess Who? https://leguesswho.com/news/snakeskin-new-album

“The provisional nature of life in a country touched by war has infused all of Snakeskin’s music with an urgent beauty, made of dream-state laments, elegiac organ drones and the glitch and glitter of electronic pop beats.” – Dusted Magazine https://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/796850309807882240/snakeskin-we-live-in-sand-rupturedbeacon

Featured in Will Hermes New Music + Old Music substack: https://newmusicoldmusic.substack.com/p/singing-the-unspoken

Utility Fog broadcast on FBi Radio by Peter Hollo: https://www.fbi.radio/programs/utility-fog/episodes/utility-fog-28th-september-2025

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Ruptured presents “The Noise We Carry” for Radio Elsewheres

October 27, 2025October 28, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

October 2025

Ruptured co-founders Ziad Nawfal and Fadi Tabbal have crafted “The Noise We Carry,” a sprawling 50mn audio mixtape for Radio Elsewheres and the Elsewhere on Record exhibition at Art Windsor Essex.

The piece moves through Beirut itself: its traffic, collapsing infrastructure, seaside stillness, and the din of everyday life. Drones and layered textures meet archival radio fragments and selections from Lebanon’s underground post–civil war scene (including Scrambled Eggs and Munma), creating a patchwork of music, memory, and city noise. Interwoven are intimate voices and recordings from the 2019–2021 protests, tracing themes of displacement, forced departure, and creative survival.

Released on cassette, the recording loops continuously; with each pass, the magnetic tape degrades, turning medium into message and memory into material. Nothing lasts unchanged. Nothing returns exactly. And yet, the transmission persists.

Ruptured has long nurtured Lebanon’s experimental music, hosting concerts, producing albums, and preserving cultural memory amid collapse. “The Noise We Carry” carries that mission further: a transmission from Beirut, from the noise of daily survival, sent out to anyone listening.

LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT

The mixtape will be broadcast during the exhibition at Art Windsor Essex and on Radio Elsewheres’ website. Check broadcast times here.

Discover the exhibition here and explore Radio Elsewheres, the experimental sound platform founded by Velibor Božović, Steve Bates, and Claudia Zini, here.

Ruptured News // Snakeskin European tour // Nov. 2025

October 11, 2025October 10, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

Nov 04 Berlin, Germany – Morphine Raum
Nov 06 Zutphen, The Netherlands – Modka Beiroet
Nov 08 Utrecht, The Netherlands – Le Guess Who?
Nov 09 Ghent, Belgium – Groot Begijnhof Church
Nov 12 Paris, France – Les Relais Solidaires
Nov 13 Oslo, Norway – Kafe Haerverk
Nov 14 Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Murmur

WE LIVE IN SAND: Listen/Order

Ziad Nawfal Mix for Stegi Radio with guest SARY MOUSSA // 02 September 2025

October 2, 2025October 27, 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 SARY MOUSSA. Originally commissioned by Stegi Radio and produced by Onassis Stegi.

Sary Moussa is a Lebanese electronic musician, sound designer, producer, and engineer, deeply rooted in Beirut’s experimental and underground music scenes. Emerging in the late 2000s under the moniker radiokvm, he released his debut full-length album, Issrar, in 2014 on the Ruptured label. Performing under his own name, Moussa followed up with Imbalance in 2020 on Nicolas Jaar’s Other People imprint: an album shaped by childhood memories and regional soundscapes, blending Greek-Catholic chants, ambient noise, and the sonic imprint of southern Lebanon.

Moussa’s work is characterized by a fusion of drone-driven compositions and dance floor-ready electronica, emphasizing generative sound design and intricate sonic textures. His latest album Wind, Again was released by Other People in summer 2025. Beyond his solo projects, Moussa is an active collaborator across various artistic disciplines. He has composed music for theater, dance, film, and art installations.

TRACK LISTING:

Sary Moussa – Everywhere at once
Two or the Dragon – Dance Grooves for the Weary pt. 1
Cinna Peyghami – Sympathetic Fillings
Jerusalem in my heart – Wa Ta’atalat Loughat Al Kalam pt.1
Aho Ssan and Nicolas Jaar – Le Tremblement
Amina Hocine – Ātamōn I
Maurice Louca – Yara’ (Fire Flies)
Biliana Voutchkova and Phill Niblock – Biliana
Mana – Archipelaghi pt.2
Hania Rani – Dreamy
Charbel Haber, Nicolas Jaar and Sary Moussa – Crashing waves dance to the rhythm set by the broadcast journalist revealing the tragedies of the day pt.4
Asil Ensemble – Free group improvisation
Sary Moussa – White Dust
Fadi Tabbal – (Keep Beating)
Charbel Haber and Sary Moussa – Pity City (unreleased)

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 // 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

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

Ruptured News // Snakeskin announces European dates // April-May 2025

March 13, 2025March 6, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

Snakeskin, the duo of Julia Sabra and Fadi Tabbal, has announced a handful of European dates in Spring 2025, in support of their album They Kept Our Photographs (Mais Um Discos & Ruptured, 2024). Apr 27 – Malmo (SE) at Intonal Festival Apr 28 – Oslo (NO) at Kafe Haerverk May 01 – Brighton (UK) at The Rose Hill May 02 – Paris (FR) at Chair de Poule May 05 – London (UK) at Shacklewell Arms

THEY KEPT OUR PHOTOGRAPHS: Listen/Order (Ruptured)

*THEY KEPT OUR PHOTOGRAPHS: Listen/Order (Mais Um Discos)***

WATCH the video for “Bodies”

Ruptured Album Release // POSTCARDS // Ripe

March 6, 2025March 6, 2025NewsLeave a Comment

Releasing March 28, 2025 on Ruptured Records:

We are thrilled to announce Ripe, the long-awaited new album by Beirut’s shoegaze trio POSTCARDS — composed of lyricist, singer, and guitarist Julia Sabra, drummer Pascal Semerdjian, and guitarist/bassist Marwan Tohme.

Their 5th album Ripe (out March 28 via Ruptured and T3 Records) is both a natural evolution and a bold departure, channeling themes of anger, grief, and resilience.

Recorded live in a family home in the Lebanese mountains and produced by longtime collaborator Fadi Tabbal, the album captures the raw energy of their live shows while balancing intensity with expansive soundscapes.

First single “Dust Bunnies” is out now on Bandcamp and digital platforms. A laundry list of the frustrations of living in Lebanon, the track builds into a menacing, unsettling atmosphere that recalls PJ Harvey’s darker moments, culminating in Sabra belting out: “Our ancestors may have known / There’s nowhere left to go.”

Watch the video for “Dust Bunnies”, directed by Areej Mahmoud

All music composed and performed by Postcards: Julia Sabra, Pascal Semerdjian and Marwan Tohme. Lyrics by Julia Sabra.

Recorded and mixed by Fadi Tabbal in the Semerdjian family home in Ain Aar, and Tunefork Studios in Beirut. Produced by Fadi Tabbal and Postcards.

Mastered by Harris Newman at Grey Market in Montreal.

Cover photo by Mohamad Abdouni. Design by Josette ZOoz Khalil.

Vinyl edition printed and pressed at Mother Tongue in Verona. Includes download card. Limited to 400 copies.

Ripe was partially funded by Institut français du Liban through MASAR, a French initiative supporting contemporary music in Lebanon.

RIPE: Listen/Order here

Photo by Nessim Stevenson

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