ill3ab

ILL-3AB ARAB TIMING IS BACK🔁 On the 23rd of May we’re taking over @the0rangeroom 9PM-3AM for a night that feels like a world tour party under one roof ✨ Expect sounds from across the globe with line up curated by @therealloai 🕺🌎 @bigsizer @nora.abbs @dj.atee @mrsajmusic you will hear music that goes from Shaabi to Afro-Desi, Hip-Hop to Amapiano, Arabic edits, bass blends and everything in between 🎶 Tickets available now on DICE and in bio🎟️

📣ILL-3AB - Britain’s #1 Arab Magazine📣 We are back with Arab Timing at The Orange Room in London on Saturday 23rd of May, from 9PM-3AM with a line up fully curated by @therealloai ‼️✨ This month we’re bringing together another genre-bending lineup bringing together sounds from across cultures🌍 Jordanian powerhouse @bigsizer , Moroccan genre-bender @nora.abbs , Ghanaian selector @dj.atee we will have @mrsajmusic bringing us a global mix of sounds, and last but not least @therealloai - all under one roof!!! Join us for a night of Shaabi, Hip-Hop, Bass, Afro-Desi mixes, Arabic pop, Afrobeats, Amapiano, and many surprises in between🌟 Tickets now available in bio and on DICE🎟️⏳

💿ARTIST INSIGHT FT @sheisnisy 💿 NISY’s new single BENT NAS ft @kartman_bellyboy out now on all streaming platforms🌟🤍 📸shot by : @connie__swift 💫styled by: @floraisabelscott 🧍🏻‍♀️wearing @andywahloo_apparel

ILL-3AB YA DJ! S03 E02 - LANA BAYBIE (FULL SET IN BIO)

☕️SPILL THE شاي☕️ WHICH DABKE ARE YOU? Dabke is a form of folk dance originating from the Levant region and is often performed at celebratory events such as weddings. Dabke is believed to have started amongst the villages of Lebanon. During snowy seasons, the roofs of many houses were at risk of cracking due to being made from mud and straw. Villagers would come together and stomp in unison on these flat roofs to compact them. Eventually, what was once a necessity became a dance form. Dabke has many variations across the Levant and even has its own versions in Iraq and Kurdistan. Dabke has found a revival and isn’t just confined to wedding culture, with classes sweeping across diasporic communities. Many want to reconnect to an ancient dance form rooted in collective movement. ✍️ @smizzowrites

@therealloai is curating our Arab Timing night at @the0rangeroom on May 23rd 9PM-3AM with a crazy lineup 🕺🌟Tickets are out now on DICE +linked in bio. Loai’s full set is also up on our YouTube channel ‼️👀

🎤3AL SHARE3🎤 hidden gem spots in London👀❓

☕️SPILL THE شاي☕️ THE EGYPTIAN QUEENS WHO DEFINED BELLY DANCE The 1940s–70s marked the golden era of belly dance, with Cairo at the epicentre — behind it all was Badia Masabni. Inspired by European cabarets, Badia opened her first nightclub in Cairo, Casino Badia. It became an institution frequented by Europeans and upper-class Egyptians, where local dancers, comedians, actors and musicians performed. In the 1920s, belly dancing was usually performed in private, segregated settings, a dance used to allure mothers of eligible bachelors to show readiness for marriage. This form, however, was far more subdued and restrained. Masabny believed the dance needed to be altered for the stage, employing choreographers who introduced elements of ballet and ballroom. The costumes also differed, influenced by venues like the Moulin Rouge to appease Western audiences who felt the outfits were not “revealing” enough. Masabny became known for platforming some of Egypt’s most famous belly dancers at her world-famous Casino Opera. Tahia Carioca first started there, learning the samba dance “Carioca, ” which later became part of her stage name. She went on to become a vital figure in Egypt’s golden-age cinema. Samia Gamal also started under Masabny as her star dancer, later being crowned the “National Dancer of Egypt” by King Farouk of Egypt. Masabny helped create some of Egypt’s biggest stars, including Naima Akef, Hagar Hamdi, Nagwa Fouad and Hoda Shams El Din giving them all their first platform. ✍️ @smizzowrites

@chebmoha brought all the vibes🌟🕺(full set found on youtube channel linked in bio!)

‼️LATEST NEWS‼️ @sheisnisy dropping BENT EL NAS ft @kartman_bellyboy this week👀🌟

☕️SPILL THE شاي☕️ MET GALA: THE ARAB NAMES WHO DEFINED THE RED CARPET As the first Monday in May rolls around once again, the Met Gala police (aka the internet) have turned their eyes to the red carpet, ready to unpack and unpick the haute couture looks on ‘fashion’s biggest night out. ’ This year’s theme is Fashion is Art, open to vast interpretation as the fundraiser raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute. The Met Gala has become a quintessential pop culture event, a fashion spectacle consumed by the masses, where every outfit is dissected and critiqued, leaving us either in awe, indifferent, or immortalised in the gallery of memeology. Arab designers have made their mark in previous years, with designers such as Elie Saab, Georges Chakra and Zuhair Murad. However, this year it appeared that Mohammed Ashi’s Ashi Studio (@ashistudio ) made big waves on the red carpet, dressing Emily Blunt, Jen Rubio and our favourite Sabine Getty in a stunning painted corset. Samar Hejazi (@samarhejazi ) also had a huge influence on the Met this year, attending in a gown by Zaid Farouki (@zaidfarouki ). Hejazi was commissioned by the Met to create over 200 bespoke reflective mannequins. The heads were designed to reflect the viewer back at themselves, a form of art she has been working on since 2014. For this year’s Met, Ill3ab takes a look at the defining Arab moments on the Met steps, from the designers to the celebrities who have left their mark on fashion’s most important Monday. @smizzowrites ✍️

@nora.abbs will be joining us in @the0rangeroom on May 23rd 9PM-3AM alongside a line up curated by @therealloai (Tickets on dice and linked in bio)🕺🕺 Nora’s full set available on our YouTube channel linked in bio👀🌟