February 2012
14 posts
6 tags
Fatima Al Qadiri - "Hip Hop Spa"
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — Brooklyn, NY-based producer and musician Fatima Al Qadiri creates lovely soundscapes, and this track is a great example. Full of synthesized pads, haunting reverb-laden vocals that give the impression of being in a massive, reflective space, and chilling arpeggios, “Hip Hop Spa” is, sometimes, just where I’d like to be. Also, check out...
Feb 29th
1 note
WatchWatch
With 15 days left for our campaign, we have raised $3,345, but are still short of our goal. Please help us print and internationally distribute Kalimat by spreading the word. Your donation will also help us continue our work, so if you like what you read, hear and see, we would appreciate your support. There are many perks that accompany every donation- including posters, limited edition music,...
Feb 27th
1 note
3 tags
Feb 24th
2 notes
1 tag
Feb 24th
26 notes
2 tags
WatchWatch
DOSSIER: Culture Skateboarding in Lebanon with riders Hussein Krayem, Ghassan El Salman, Ian Masry, Karam Karam, Bilal El Hirsh and Nasr Mukaresh.
Feb 23rd
Arab Resource and Organizing Center is hiring →
Please help AROC find qualified candidates for this position. Spread the word to your networks! AROC is a membership based organization led by a Collective comprised of paid staff and volunteer members. Volunteer members of the Collective and AROC General Members contribute much of the programmatic work and political direction of the organization. The Executive Director will be responsible for...
Feb 23rd
6 tags
Maii Waleed - Warda w Na7la (A Flower and A Bee) +...
There is a lot of music by Arab artists online—so many different genres, styles… Every Wednesday it is always a challenge to decide what to post. After sifting through tens of tracks, I decided on this charming indie pop song by Alexandrian artist Maii Waleed. Fun listening! On another note entirely, I stumbled upon this: For those of you who are into remixing or sampling, this is like...
Feb 22nd
2 notes
3 tags
RewindStopPlay →
DOSSIER: New Media Blogs worth a browse: After a long absence, we’re back with a blog recommendation! Designer Nour Tabet’s blog “RewindStopPlay” explores various aspects of graphic design from social to packaging. Look out for Nour’s work in the upcoming issue of Kalimat (and for her appearance in our campaign video!)
Feb 20th
1 note
7 tags
Slogans from Syria: Occupied Kafrnbl
Locales enter history for a variety of reasons: beautiful scenery, a flattering mention in a novel or a movie, becoming a site for a major battle, the bed of a revolution, or even the birthplace of a celebrity. Kafr-Inbol sets a precedent in that it will be remembered as a major producer of some of the wittiest signs and cartoons for the Syrian Revolution so much so that the age-honored custodians...
Feb 18th
7 notes
5 tags
Sheikh Emam - "Dawar Ya Kalam"
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — The musical figure of singer and oud player Sheikh Emam has been an omnipresent figure in the political developments of the past half century. His voice (and the poetry of his musical partner Ahmed Fouad Negm and many others) has been described as “the voice of justice.” He’s been a sort of witness and his words come back in to relevance...
Feb 15th
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Upcoming Release: More Remixaat (another sneak...
DOSSIER: New Media The process of taking these old songs we love and doing something fun with them is far from straightforward. Sometimes remixers will have a standard blueprint for how they use elements of the original track, shaping to fit their own style. Here I found that each track had its own potential in its distinct elements. Sometimes I only chose small bits and a mawwaal (like in our...
Feb 13th
7 tags
Upcoming release: Remixaat
We’re very excited for the upcoming release of our first album—Remixaat, featuring remixes from collection of our favourite songs by Arab artists, old and new. Remixaat is a limited CD release and currently available as a perk with our fundraising campaign. Reserve yours now at indiegogo.com/kalimat-magazine If you have any Arabic songs you’d like to hear remixed, send us an email to...
Feb 2nd
7 tags
boikutt - Lahen Wahad (feat. Btar Mohammad) |...
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — After its first decade or so in the spotlight, Arabic hip-hop is growing in terms of lyrical content, performance dynamics, variety of language and register, and production. This track by boikutt, affiliated with Tashweesh, is a great example of this new wave. I must admit, it was the production of this track got me instantly—the grainy sampling, the saturated...
Feb 1st
1 note
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Feb 1st
3 notes
January 2012
9 posts
4 tags
WatchWatch
As you may have noticed, there’s been quite the bustle at Kalimat over the past three days as we have just begun our crowdsourced fundraising campaign to print the upcoming issue. While doing some research on crowdsourcing (which is pretty interesting itself), I had the opportunity to reflect on some of Kalimat’s short and long-term goals and the personal importance of having a group...
Jan 31st
4 notes
8 tags
WatchWatch
We think magazines are great and we still believe in the value of print. It continue to be the best medium to present and generate fresh ideas, and we want to show the world what we’ve got! We want to give you (our readers) something to hold and share, pages to turn and beautiful graphics to look at without the screen making your head hurt. As a visual communication tool, we want it to become a...
Jan 26th
2 notes
One year on... Narcy's "Fly Over Egypt" and...
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — Its been a year since the shaking up in our region took that extra, unexpected turn and further lit up the world. We all know music played an incredible part of that, especially as Egypt has such a high concentration of rich, rich cultural production. Everything was there, from Sayed Darwish, who almost a century ago wrote simultaneously for the theatre and...
Jan 25th
Karim Abousleiman - "Synopsis no. 1"
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — A composer for film from Beirut, Karim Abousleiman makes electronic music “for fun.” Synopsis no 1 by KarimAS One thing that is evident from the production here is the strong sound design approach and the thick textures are full of emotional content. The arrangement is interesting, with a very different rhythm that follows halfway through...
Jan 18th
4 notes
Jan 15th
1 note
2 tags
Design Days Dubai
DOSSIER: Art+Design For the 1st time in the Arab region, a fair dedicated to collectible and limited edition design furniture and objects will take place in Dubai from March 17th until 21st, 2012. The launch of Design Days Dubai marks the arrival of a major annual meeting point and catalyst for the regional design scene. With its track record of anticipating trends, Dubai has established...
Jan 12th
8 tags
Egyptian digital archivists 2
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — Its fantastic to see how many people—especially younger people— from the region are collecting music that has cultural and historical importance and posting them on SoundCloud, giving them accessibility and places them alongside some of the most contemporary music available. (I am curious to see what will happen when all this parallel listening will lead to in...
Jan 11th
1 note
2 tags
Jan 10th
1 note
7 tags
Stormtrap - "Tah el 3agel"
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — With boisterous production with a distinct sha3bi flavour (due to the samples and the attitude) Stormtrap—long affiliated with the Ramallah Underground music collective—gives us something to listen to and shake ourselves accordingly. Tah el 3agel by stormtrap As always, we welcome feedback, suggestions, and submissions!
Jan 4th
8 notes
December 2011
10 posts
8 tags
FRKTL - "Tahrir"
DOSSIER: New Media FRKTL - Tahrir by shbadr Music Wednesdays — A fantastically talented producer and Egyptian musician residing in the UK, Sarah Badr a.k.a. FRKTL uses live instruments, field recordings, and innovative production and performance methods to create cinematic, emotionally intense sound-scenes. Moving back to Egypt after the Egyptian revolution, this work seems to reflect her...
Dec 29th
4 notes
6 tags
Podcast—Isma3oo No.4, Winter 2012 edition!
DOSSIER: New Media Isma3oo No.4 - WINTER 2012 by Kalimat Music Wednesdays — A special treat for you! With our quarterly magazine comes a podcast, Isma3oo, for your listening pleasure. In this edition, we features a talk by Creative Director and Editor Danah Abdulla given at the “Artistic Arabs in America” event in Washington DC on issues with education and cultural production (particularly in...
Dec 22nd
3 tags
Dec 21st
3 notes
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LACOSTE: NO ROOM FOR PALESTINIAN ARTIST
DOSSIER: Art+Design French fashion brand demands the removal of Bethlehem artist Larissa Sansour from major photographic prize. The prestigious €25,000 Lacoste Elysée Prize is awarded by the Swiss Musée de l’Elysée with sponsorship from Lacoste, the clothing brand.  Larissa Sansour was among the eight artists shortlisted for the 2011 prize. In December 2011, Lacoste demanded that her nomination...
Dec 20th
21 notes
5 tags
Dec 14th
9 notes
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Dec 9th
3 tags
Dec 8th
1 note
4 tags
Egyptian digital archivists
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — Musical archiving has become an almost common activity amongst the digital Arab generation. Whether the motivations are out of preservation, or out of nostalgia, we find that there is a fascination with collecting and sampling sometimes neglected or inconsequential works from our popular music past and presenting them to a new generation of listeners...
Dec 7th
1 note
2 tags
Afterthought by Karim Mekhtigian
DOSSIER: Art+Design In preparation for the release of our upcoming Egyptian Design issue, Founder and Chief Designer of Alchemy Design Studio Karim Mekhtigian will be preparing readers with weekly posts about, well, design! Well, after a month of blogging and posting references of my work process, I thought it would only be fair to end this series by putting it all into clear steps. I started...
Dec 5th
1 note
4 tags
Dec 4th
3 notes
November 2011
24 posts
7 tags
Dhafer Youssef Quartet - "Les Ondes Orientales"
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — For you jazzheads out there, the name Dhafer Youssef might ring a bell. The Tunisian oud player and vocalist has led a rather notable career in the genre since the early 1990s, moving between Vienna and Paris. His style is certainly well within the parameters of modern jazz, but his oud and his otherworldly vocals give it an unique dynamic edge that rare...
Nov 30th
1 note
عودة المومياء The mummy returns →
Nov 30th
3 tags
Arab Winter - December 2
Arab Winter - The Middle East is coming to Montreal - New artwork, installations, collaborations, performances, music - a multimedia experience. Friday, December 2 at 7pm (show will also remain up until December 24) Under Pressure Fresh Paint Gallery in Montreal (180 Ste. Catherine Street East)
Nov 29th
2 notes
2 tags
Cohabitation Collection by Karim Mekhtigian
DOSSIER: Art+Design In preparation for the release of our upcoming Egyptian Design issue, Founder and Chief Designer of Alchemy Design Studio Karim Mekhtigian will be preparing readers with weekly posts about, well, design! Today at the office, we got a little philosophical while working on a certain project. We had a little debate regarding the interface between architecture, space and the...
Nov 29th
2 tags
Deshret Collection by Karim Mekhtigian
DOSSIER: Art+Design In preparation for the release of our upcoming Egyptian Design issue, Founder and Chief Designer of Alchemy Design Studio Karim Mekhtigian will be preparing readers with weekly posts about, well, design! Sometimes I am tempted to explore the idea of transformation, like taking a concept and turn it into a chair that gives away the process with its narrative ability. A...
Nov 24th
4 tags
Zahed Sultan — "I Want Her But I Don't Want Her"
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — Well produced, catchy, and altogether fun, Zahed Sultan’s track found its way onto volume 15 of the well-known Hotel Costes mix. Its been difficult to get this one out of our heads!
Nov 23rd
7 notes
4 tags
WatchWatch
DOSSIER: Art+Design Last September, Mohamed Fares (Chief Designer/ Partner at Alchemy Design Studio) was invited to give a lecture about his perception of Design in Egypt at Kuala Lumpur Design Week. Understanding the complexity of the Egyptian culture, he started off his presentation with this introductory video to show how his surroundings affect his work and design process. As he shares us the...
Nov 22nd
3 notes
2 tags
White Desert Collection by Karim Mekhtigian
DOSSIER: Art+Design In preparation for the release of our upcoming Egyptian Design issue, Founder and Chief Designer of Alchemy Design Studio Karim Mekhtigian will be preparing readers with weekly posts about, well, design! Since I audaciously suggested to be labeled as an environmental scenographer, I wanted to define what this title really meant to me.  Starting with the basic job...
Nov 21st
Nov 19th
We're looking for a web developer/designer
This is a Web/Mobile development position. We are looking to become tablet compatible. First we would like our magazine content to be downloadable as tablet-friendly pdfs (by creating an interactive magazine on InDesign) and then we would like to develop an app for all our new media content. We need a savvy web developer/designer who is passionate about education, social development and Arab...
Nov 18th
2 tags
Soheimi Chair by Karim Mekhtigian
DOSSIER: Art+Design In preparation for the release of our upcoming Egyptian Design issue, Founder and Chief Designer of Alchemy Design Studio Karim Mekhtigian will be preparing readers with weekly posts about, well, design! In my first post, I mentioned the overwhelming nature of our city that became a cultural phenomenon within itself. Throughout the years, Cairo has lent its name to...
Nov 17th
6 tags
Intik — "Khalouni Nebki"
DOSSIER: New Media Music Wednesdays — Known and loved well by their fans, Intik is an Algerian hip-hop group with a down, dubby sound. Their tracks feature melancholic choruses that you might find yourself humming long after the track ends. “Khalouni Nebki” (Let Us Cry) is a great example.
Nov 16th
2 tags
Malafat Naqdiyya call for submissions
Network of Arab Arthouse Screens (NAAS), a network of independent art-house cinemas and cultural institutions in the Middle East, is launching Malafat Naqdiyya, an English/Arabic e-zine dedicated solely to writing on world cinema. NAAS was founded by ArteEast (a New York based non-profit that promotes the work of contemporary Middle Eastern artists) in collaboration with a number of art-house...
Nov 16th
2 tags
Nov 15th
1 note
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Mohamed Mousa →
DOSSIER: New Media Blogs worth a browse: Mohamed Mousa is a graphic designer from Jordan. Check out his tumblr to view his work.
Nov 14th
2 tags
Taktouka Table by Karim Mekhtigian
DOSSIER: Art+Design In preparation for the release of our upcoming Egyptian Design issue, Founder and Chief Designer of Alchemy Design Studio Karim Mekhtigian will be preparing readers with weekly posts about, well, design! Lately, I have been reminded of how I have always wondered why, despite our country’s rich cultural heritage, some Egyptian designers choose to borrow references from the...
Nov 14th
2 tags
Nov 13th
11 notes