News Iranian artist on living under crackdown: “We are not okay, we are alone” Iranian DJ/producer Proyal offers a personal perspective on Iran’s ongoing crisis
News Amro Zidan drops first single of the year, ‘catch me’ Alexandria-based producer continues to push his familiar experimental approach on his first release of 2026
News Martcl and Al Rasta release ‘Sarina سرينة’ on newly launched Doze Records The accompanying official video moves through chaos while the release explores dark electronic and cinematic hip-hop
News Middle Eastern and African music markets show growing global impact in Luminate’s 2025 report The report uncovers striking insights on Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Ghana
News lylla shares ‘FUGITIVE’ video shot in Moroccan desert The video features Farsi subtitles and carries strong Arabian driftcore and Tumblr-era aesthetics
News A women-only Ableton Live workshop took place in Cairo Six women with no prior experience took part in a workshop led by Berlin-based Algerian DJ and producer Acidfinky in collaboration with Dhamma and Maison Sot
News 1001Tracklists outlines global dance music trends in new annual report The report maps MENA-related activity involving Tiësto, Aly & Fila, R3HAB and Future Sound of Egypt, alongside contributor data from the United Arab Emirates
News FIVE Holdings becomes new owner of Brooklyn Mirage and Avant Gardner The deal reflects an unprecedented moment for large-scale club ownership in the US through Middle East-based investment
Comment Padre Guilherme, aka the ‘DJ Priest’, highlights dance music’s unifying role at a Beirut club night The performance faced opposition before the event but concluded peacefully
News Human Rias and Xashes release ‘This Is The End’ at decisive moment for Iran The long-unreleased track arrives as a response to Iran’s ongoing struggle for freedom
News Bandcamp bans AI-generated music from its platform Bandcamp says it will remove music suspected of being created wholly or in significant part using AI tools
News DJ HABIBEATS and Felukah highlighted among Shazam’s Fast Forward 2026 artists The Fast Forward 2026 playlist also counts Khayyat, royazdad, CIZA, Tems, Omah Lay and LAGOS IN PARIS among its global picks
News Elon Musk’s X Corp sues major music publishers in licensing dispute Reservoir Media, led by its Iranian-Canadian founder and CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi, is among the publishers named in the lawsuit
News Ibiza court rules woman knowingly made false rape claims against Guy Gerber The sentence follows accusations dating back to a party in Mykonos in 2013
News Liliane Chlela and LAÏ bridge experimental pop and drum’n bass on new collaborative single, ‘Msh S7ab’ The single marks the first chapter of a two-part project and arrives with a video directed by Mohsen Sherif
Tech AlphaTheta brings Apple Music integration to CDJ-3000X with latest update The over 100-million-track catalogue is also accessible via all-in-one systems including OPUS-QUAD, OMNIS-DUO and XDJ-AZ
News The Weeknd, PinkPantheress, Kelela and others support Sudan fundraising auction with special lots Running from January 6 to 12, the online auction raises funds for food and medical support in Sudan
News Red Axes revisit ‘We Do For Love’ following release of latest album ‘LOUD’ A new remix package sees Red Axes themselves joined by Jonny Rock
News Hidden crisis threatens future of analogue master tapes Archivists describe a race against time as master tapes reach their physical limits
News Kneecap become Bohemian F.C. away shirt sponsor with proceeds supporting ACLAÍ Palestine 30% of shirt profits will be donated to ACLAÍ Palestine in Bethlehem, West Bank
News Sultan + Shepard featured on UN Chamber Music Society album, ‘HARMONY’ The UN’s 80th anniversary is marked through a cross-genre electronic release
News Mathame to debut NEOLOGY experience in Beirut NEOLOGY extends the duo’s NEO universe with a live debut at Beirut Hall on December 27, Saturday
Tech “FL Studio is coming to your browser”: Image-Line unveils FL Studio Web FL Studio Web is the first industry-standard DAW to deliver functionality via browser
News Bahrain adds new indoor venue as Terminal 4 by Beyon nears opening The 3,500-capacity venue opens within Exhibition World Bahrain as a companion to Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre
News Saliah set to perform in Doha this Friday One Day At A Time presents the event at HIDE Doha with Dimix opening the night
News Lilya Mandre shares new single ‘Casablanca’ alongside mini documentary Lilya Mandre teams up with VXSION on the track she describes as her love letter to Casablanca
News HBB lands on Pipe & Pochet with new EP, ‘Challenge Everything’ The two-track EP emerged from a summer of studio experimentation in Los Angeles
News Gorillaz release new single ‘Damascus’ featuring Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey The track deepens the narrative surrounding the band’s ninth studio album ‘The Mountain’
