Majzara Blues—the second vinyl release from L316 Records—assembled in Dubai, mastered in Beirut, and pressed on 12-inch vinyl in Berlin.
While the live performance brings new collaborators to the work, this record holds its original form—composed and recorded by Karim Atari, in its studio version.
Copies of the vinyl will be available at the Bayt AlMamzar show this Sunday.
#MajzaraBlues #L316Records #KarimAtari #IndependentLabel
ASWAT ABU ARAB out now link in bio (English in comments)
أصوات أبو عرب هو عمل مبني حول كاسيت قديم عمره اكثر من ٥٠ سنة وجدته عند والدي. الكاسيت فيه تسجيل نادر من حفلة حيّة لأبو عرب، وهو من أهم الأصوات بتاريخ الموسيقى الفلسطينية. المرحوم ابو عرب كان معروف ب”صوت المخيمات” و”شاعر الثورة”. عاش النكبة، واستشهد أبوه فيها ،١٩٤٨، وبعدها استشهد ابنه بالغزو الإسرائيلي للبنان سنة ١٩٨٢. أغانيه كانت دايمًا حاضرة بالمخيمات ومع كل حركات المقاومة، وبكل مكان فيه فلسطينيين بالشتات.
الكاسيت نفسه فيه خشونة ودفا طبيعي من السنين. الكلمات بتحكي عن الحب ،الغربة، فلسطين والثورة. كنت شايله معي سنين، دايمًا بفكر أعمل فيه إشي، بس ما كنت عارف كيف ولا متى. كل شي تغيّر لما لعبت عرض موسيقي بمهرجان جبلي بالشمال هنا بالإمارات.
بهداك العرض، شغّلت كاسيت أبو عرب مع لوبز كاسيت أنا عاملهم بإيدي. استخدمت أجهزة تسجيل مختلفة ،وكنت أتحكم بالنغمة بإيدي عشان أخلق تناغم بيناتهم. كل شي مرق من خلال مؤثراتي الخاصة بالموديولار ،بتأخيرات بتتكرر وطبقات ممدودة بتغيّر الإحساس بالزمن.
اللي بتسمعه بهالإصدار هو نسخة ستوديو من هداك الأداء نفسه. هو تحيّة لأبو عرب وتخيُّل جديد. طريقة نرجّع فيها صوت لسه إله وزن اليوم لنحافظ عليه
Mixed by: @kiracoustic
Mastered by: @firasfarah
Together with the compositions of @atarisounds and the multidisciplinary methods of @l316records , I created the visual expression of Majzara Blues - a project born from Karim Atari’s sonic modular transmissions, now compiled in an album of the same name.
The video is available on my YT account (link in bio!), here are some snapshots. But before you rush to the video I want to share some reflections on this project.
Through intensive research on archival material representing the Is/raeli colonization of Palestine, I sought to expose
•the realities of the Nakba as an ongoing present,
•reveal the horror of Isr/aeli war machinery &
•scorch the promise of liberation as an inevitable force.
Some of these archives were produced by the Isra/eli propaganda machine and have been extracted and inverted to reveal the realities they sought to obscure - including material from zionist Steven Spielberg’s productions - turning instruments of narrative control into a medium of truth transmittal and resistance.
فلسطين حُرّة
It was an absolute pleasure to host our friends from @l316records to perform the finale of @atarisounds “Majzara Blues” alongside @kindamusique@robertocassar . A massive thank you to eveyone who showed up. Shout-outs to our @selectadjs fam as well. There are only about 6 copies left of “Majzara Blues” instore. Grab them before they’re gone🚨
Reflections from Karam Toubba on Majzara Blues—L316 Records’ second vinyl release by Karim Atari—shared ahead of its final live presentation.
“This record is a vigil, shaped through sound to hold memory. As long as it exists in the world, these stories remain eternal. Assembled under conditions of ongoing violence in Gaza and Lebanon, Majzara Blues stands as an act of remembrance.”
The final live presentation of Majzara Blues takes place at The Flip Side this Saturday, with the performance carrying the essence of the record, alongside collaborators Kinda El Atrach and Roberto Cassar.
#MajzaraBlues #KarimAtari #L316Records #IndependentLabel #TheFlipSide
Behind-the-scenes photographs from our rehearsals, ahead of Saturday’s performance at The Flip Side.
Our event is free of charge and can be RSVP’d through the link in our bio and here: /e/i0nlEgpCQKSdQUpErPvS
The Flip Side welcomes L316 Records for the finale of Majzara Blues, this Saturday, marking the closing live performance of the project in this form.
The evening brings together Karim Atari and L316 Records, with its two core collaborating artists, Kinda El Atrach and Roberto Cassar.
Saturday, 7 February
At The Flip Side (@flipsidedxb )
Three hand-stitched books with painted plates, made for Majzara Blues, shown here through a selection of images.
Produced alongside the music and wider visual work, these pieces emerged from the same period and process.
The finale of Majzara Blues will take place at @flipsidedxb on Saturday 7 February, with the three books and their fifteen painted plates presented as part of the evening.
Majzara Blues grew from a record into a live performance, a series of paintings, a body of video art, and two printed volumes—a curatorial framework and a book of prose poetry—forming a single multidisciplinary body of work.
Images 1–4 are drawn from the curatorial framework for the Majzara Blues live performance. Images 5–7 are taken from the prose poetry book. Both books were written and designed by L316, with an afterthought by Roberta Casar.
Produced alongside the music and visual material, the texts run parallel to the compositions and reflect on the recent events in Gaza.
The finale of Majzara Blues will take place at @flipsidedxb on Saturday 7 February. Further details to follow.
2025 ended up being my most active year musically:
- I began experimenting with cassettes more, playing a whole tape set at the first @anaminfest , then again at @by.jello before releasing the recording as Aswat Abu Arab
- Recorded a live experiment with @cvd_productions & @kiracoustic using the Solar 42F
- Dropped Majzara Blues with @l316records on vinyl
- Toured around the UAE with the @l316records crew @kindamusique and @robertocassar , playing an experimental live set to promote Majzara Blues
- Played Anamin Festival a second time, Saeed The Donkey showed up
- Closed the year playing a noise set with @catnipkilledthecat for Kitschmas at @kitschradio and @theworkshopdxb
- Sold out all copies of Majzara Blues within 2 months of release
I made a lot of new friends, travelled a good amount, and got much healthier too
Alhamdulilah and InshAllah 2026 is even better
