Sonic Localities in the Gulf

FROM CIFRA: Here, music merges with the natural sounds of the Arabian Gulf. When the hum of the streets, the roar of an engine, and the buzz of an air conditioner blend with electronic melodies, whole stories about culture and identity are born. From Safeya Alblooshi: This playlist explores the diverse sonic landscapes of the Arabian Gulf through works by regional artists that merge field recording, live composition, and visual narratives that reflect the Gulf’s cultural diversity, engaging with themes of personal storytelling, environmental resonance, and artistic experimentation. Beginning with Sukatoyo’s Ephemeral Echoes, a collaboration with visual artist Beverney Shane that blends field recordings and live improvisation to create a sonic portrait of Dubai’s neighborhoods, followed by Hasan Hujari’s Four Nonnarrative Scenes which incorporates traditional Bahraini pearl diving music with AI-generated visuals and digital sound.
 After 12 Collective’s Mutrah Fort reconstructs Oman’s Mutrah fort through field recordings and realtime improvisations on modular synthesizers, merging ancient sounds with modern atmospheres.
 Next, Mirroring the Sky by Erika Tsuchiya and Josh Rodenberg offers an ambient soundscape inspired by Qatar’s landscapes, creating a meditative dialogue between sound, light, and space. 
Lipad by WYWY explores themes of love and sacrifice through atmospheric synths and emotive lyrics that resonate deeply with the UAE's multicultural and emotional landscape. This contrasts with TWSTD’s VORTex, which uses IDM, ambient, and modular synths to create a visceral, transformative sonic journey.
 Finally, Julfar by Katia Krow blends drone, field recordings, and industrial sounds to evoke the tension between tradition and modernity in the UAE, recorded in Ras Al Khaimah and reflecting the region’s evolving landscape. Together, these artists offer a sonic journey through the Gulf, blending styles and cultural narratives to explore the region’s ever-changing identity.