Dandin has been anglicised (and other things)

We’re pleased to be rolling out a new iteration of our website. Chief amongst the changes is that Dandin can now also be perused in English, and you can navigate the site in the language of your choice. This is to ensure that the music and other audio formats we host can be accessible to as wide…

Terez Sliman and Mina Music

A terrific artist who has recently appeared on our radar is Palestinian indie singer Terez Sliman. An exceptional voice and talent which she puts to use in a variety of ways, through her solo work or in plays, or with accomplished Portuguese musicians as part of the project Mina WorldMusic. Qasida Fi Zujaja (Poem in a Bottle)…

Dandin’s Top Ten Albums of 2015

Following on from the artists of the year list, it’s time for the top ten albums of the year, as decided by our users.  One important caveat before proceeding though; the albums need not have been released in 2015. This is a list of  – through a combination of actions on the Dandin website  – the most popular…

Dandin’s Top Ten Artists in 2015

It’s been a fruitful year for independent and quasi-independent music in the Middle East. It has seen a spurt in budding genres making headway across the region, such as Hip Hop and Electronic music. But when it comes to what listeners on Dandin are checking out, Tarab, Pop and Arabic Rock still rule the roost. Here are the ten…

Good to be Blu

It’s been a bit of a breakout year for our chum Blufrank, the man behind the music we turn to whenever we want to know what it would be like to party in outer space.  Futuristic retro is what best describes our friend – taking from the old and new alike with equal relish – and…

Distorshy in full effect

Do you fancy your fuzz a little pickled? A question no one would have thought to ask before but when Egyptian musicians Youssef Abouzeid, Ismail Seleit and Farid El-Sehrawy decided to create and build their own brand of pedals, with the first off the conveyor belt a fuzz/oscillator number called the Distorshy (a pun on the Arabic…

الإسكندرية، وجه آخر من الموسيقى البديلة

يوجد لدى الإسكندريّة ما يمكن أن أصفه بسلاح ذو حدّين، و هو نوع من الإنقطاع الزمني عن العاصمة، ففي حين أجد -و في رأيي الشخصي- أن الإسكندرية تعاني من شكل من التأخر في الحقبة الزمنيّة، مما يعطي لها ملمساً في المزج بين عناصر تتواجد في زمنين مختلفين، و ليس كأن الفنّان يعيد إحياء تراث مثلاً،…

The rap music of You Stink

Ever since a garbage crisis lifted the lid on a myriad of longstanding grievances brought about by endemic corruption and ineptitude, Lebanon has been in a whirl of mass movement and mobilisation reminiscent of those early, heady days of the Arab Spring. Through its ebbs and flows, the turbulence has provided a platform for Lebanese citizens to express their…

Dandin Weekly Chart Kicks Off

Today we launch the very first Dandin Weekly Chart, which will be coming out every Friday from here on in. Every week on our Facebook page we will list the top 5 most listened to tracks, albums and artists on Dandin as picked by our listeners. We will also be including two separate playlists, one that lists the…

PanSTARRS – Anything But Stupid

Youssef Abouzeid’s new PanSTARRS EP ‘Ghaby Ghaby Ghaby’ (Stupid, Stupid, Stupid) is a sonic and stylistic departure from the band’s previous releases, while still maintaining the echoey feedback-laden reverb-drenched hallmarks of the band’s signature indie-rock sound. The changes are derived from the introduction of a heavier bass synth sound to anchor the album alongside Abouzeid’s customary guitar work, and a change in…

Object Obscure – أوبجت أوبسكيور

عبدالرحمن أبوشلوع حين بدأت حديثي معه، أوضَح لي أن المشروع الموسيقي هو ثناءي روك -Rock Duo-، و بالرغم عن إهتمامي بمشاريعه الفنّية عموماً و دروبه المختلفة، وَجِب عليْ أن أسلط الضوء على أوبجت أوبسكيور –Object Obscure– كفريق روك بدلاً من مشروع فردي أو ثنائي، ملفتاً أهميّة لعمليّة العرض الحي على الرغم من خبرته كمهندس صوت…