Iconic landscapes of the Arab world are the basis for new music in Billboard Arabia’s latest campaign

Billboard Arabia has recently unveiled ‘Sounds of the Land’, a groundbreaking musical venture that transforms the Arab world's emblematic landscapes into captivating auditory experiences.

With a vision to celebrate the rich terrains of the Arab world and uplift its burgeoning music scene, Billboard Arabia has taken a pioneering step to fuse science, art and technology. Intriguing research has unveiled that the complex patterns of vinyl records share a resemblance with the enchanting valleys across the MENA region, revealing under the microscope. This sparked a thought-provoking question: Could the natural contours of the earth be converted into sound?

Billboard Arabia has joined forces with a select group of scientists and audio engineers to breathe life into this vision. They meticulously analysed maps from five renowned MENA locations: Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, Tafilah in Jordan, Tinghir in Morocco, Kadisha Valley in Lebanon and Luxor in Egypt. Harnessing advanced technology like satellite imaging and topographical data, in conjunction with traditional analog tools such as synthesisers and mixers, they've managed to translate these landscapes into unparalleled sounds, thereby crafting vinyl records that echo the unique topography of each location.

Soundsoftheland.com is a dedicated website where free downloads of 20 landscape-created samples are made available. Hosted on the website is a collection of tracks, produced by artists from the region, which serves as a source of inspiration for other music producers. In an effort to foster collaboration, an invitation has been extended to all artists and music producers to compose 1-minute tracks inspired by the ‘Sounds of the Land’, with the possibility for selected tracks to be featured on Billboard Arabia. The submission for the initiative will close on Tuesday, April 30.

Furthermore, the first limited edition of ‘Sounds of the Land’s vinyl records has been released by Billboard Arabia and distributed to exclusive partners, contributors and music community leaders, thus this first edition remain exclusive and not open for public purchase at this time.

“In the beginning, we did not know if this was possible. It was uncharted territory. However, in the end, we successfully developed a concept that excited the music community and unified them around something truly unique – aligning with our mission at Billboard Arabia. With this initiative, we have had the opportunity to introduce our music, culture and heritage to the world through the sounds of our land,” remarked Rami M. Zeidan, managing director of Billboard Arabia.

Earning accolades from global music figures like the award-winning producer and rapper Swizz Beatz, to regional titans such as producer and record label executive Saud, ‘Sounds of the Land’ has swiftly carved a niche within the music sphere. In under a month, over 100 music producers, beatmakers, artists and record labels from the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas have woven the samples into their music creations.

Visit soundsoftheland.com to use the samples in your music and submit your tracks to [email protected].