News - Page 2 - Mixmag MENA

Wave of sexual misconduct allegations sees multiple hard techno DJs removed from festival and club line-ups

Shlømo, Odymel, CARV, Basswell and Fantasm removed from multiple line-ups amid an outpouring of allegations, which is being dubbed as the genre's "#MeToo" moment

Toka Musik appoints YokoO as Head of A&R

The MENA grounded platform expands its global outlook as YokoO steps into a key A&R role

Desert rave film Sirāt arrives in UK cinemas after Cannes success

Set in southern Morocco, the film follows a father searching for his missing daughter within a desert rave community

Dwson’s sixth studio album ‘Nothing To Lose’ is streaming now

Listener response grew early with the release of the album singles ‘New Day’ and ‘Can’t Wait To See You’ in 2025

DJ GAWAD links up with James Massiah for new ‘Contact High’ EP

The four-track EP represents the first official collaboration between the pair

SoundCloud shares 2026 Music Intelligence Report on emerging music trends

In 2025, uploads hashtagged “#DJSET” on the platform increased by 39% year over year

Winter Is Coming brought electronic music to Turkiye’s high-altitude Erciyes across two weekends

The gathering took place at Mirada del Lago Erciyes over January 30-31 and February 1 and 6-8

Palestinian-founded ticketing platform Tzkrti opens fund for artists, collectives and organisers

Focusing on projects in SWANA and the Arab diaspora, the biannual initiative awards two $3,000 microgrants per cycle

Freaks of Nature opening week cancelled after approval delays

Alesso, ARTBAT, Hot Since 82, Eric Prydz, MEDUZA and MORTEN were due to headline the first week, while the status of the second-week programme on February 12-13 remains unclear

Abdullah Miniawy reunites with Simo Cell on new album, ‘Dying Is The Internet’

Abdullah Miniawy describes the album as “a playful prophecy about the triggers of a new global revolution”

Darius Syrossian pulls out of US tour plans citing Trump’s “race and nationality-based” travel restrictions

He shared concerns around current travel restrictions, which "target, exclude, and marginalise people based on who they are and where they're from"

Deezer demonetises 85% of AI-generated music following fraud detection

Saudi Arabian businessman Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud is among the company’s investors through Kingdom Holding Company and Rotana Audio Holding

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

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

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

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

lylla shares ‘FUGITIVE’ video shot in Moroccan desert

The video features Farsi subtitles and carries strong Arabian driftcore and Tumblr-era aesthetics

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

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

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

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