Bahrain-based record label sheds light on experimental music through digital releases
Sound art and experimental music from Bahrain and the region has never had its fair share of attention, but it most certainly is gradually on the rise in recent times.
So there’s no surprise to see a new initiative focused on that niche coming to the fore. Qarar is a record label based in Bahrain that is interest in “sound art and music culture” and has already dropped two release online.
The label, started by Bahraini sound artist Hasan Hujairi, will aim at releasing works that reflect the region, and specifically Bahrain, and its ever changing sound landscape.
Hasan Hujairi’s own 2020 “rehash” of his first field recording titles ‘Manama and Other Spices’ recording in the capital’s souq over ten years ago, which he considers as a “sonic map”.
“In the 2009 edition, I divided the album into 15 tracks, with only 3 of them actually including my improvisation on the oud,” Hasan describes in his album description. “Those improvisations in themselves were an attempt to challenge the classical way of improvising on the instrument, particularly in phrasing and the narrative arch.”
The other record under the label is by Battlefield Detectives, a project that explores sounds of the hyper-personal, with six tracks that combine elements of field recordings and various instruments.
Both records are available to stream through the label's bandcamp link.
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