Spinning turntables and gracing the decks of renowned clubs, Arab DJs have been climbing up the rungs of the global electronic music ladder for some time now. From London to New York, a slew of Arab DJs have been making a lot of noise abroad. These are the ones currently on our radar:
Gawdat
No one can pack a room quite like “The Egyptian Brothers” Abdelrahman and Aly Gawdat, the DJ duo. For over 14 years, their sets have been played in both the regional and global clubbing circuit, raising the roof at festivals like Switzerland’s Caprice and Romania’s Sunwaves and collaborating with international artists.
Seeing how they recently joined the LA-based talent Creative Arts Agency (CAA), their presence has been blossoming abroad. Now, they have an exciting gig coming up at the upcoming Burning Man Festival taking place in Nevada from August 25.
Saliah
Repping her Arab heritage, multi-genre British-Lebanese music producer and DJ Saliah has been using house music to empower the Arab community across the globe.
Her journey started all the way back seven years ago in London, where she visited a club night called Hishek Bishek, a club that pays homage to the Middle East. Being in the club and hearing Arab tracks made Saliah very nostalgic.
Since then, she has done the same with her own acts, intertwining nostalgic Arabic music with electronic beats. Her most popular track is the UK bass remix of the Arabic classic El Hantoor by Saad El Soghayar, which she debuted during her first Boiler Room set in London. It was a massive hit.
Today, she continues to slay the global music scene with upcoming shows in Calgary on July 11 and at London’s Earth Hackney on July 20.
DJ Habibeats
Los Angeles-based DJ and founder of Habibi’s House Ibrahim Abu Ali, aka DJ Habibeats, has been bringing the same passion as Saliah to representing the Arab world in the club scene. About two years ago, he didn’t want his music to sound like everyone else’s and wanted to bring Arab music to the forefront.
That is why, for his first remix, he decided to combine Nancy Ajram’s ‘Ya Tabtab’ with Brazilian rhythms. It was an instant hit, gaining over two million views on TikTok.
He kept on at it by hosting parties in LA called Habibi’s House, blending Arabic, Hip-Hop, Latin, Indian, African, and house. You yourself can experience his set for yourself by hitting up the NYC Culture Shock event on August 17.
Nicole Moudaber
Known as “the queen of techno,” Lebanese DJ Nicole Moudaber never gave up on bringing her music to the limelight. She was badass and always pushed to achieve her goals.
That is why, back in the mid-90s, she organized parties in Lebanon when the country was coming out of the turmoil of war. The party was called Trashy Renaissance and took place in the middle of Beirut.
Fast-forward a couple of years. Today, she owns her own label called Moods in London, produces chart-topping hits, and performs at global festivals, including the Miami Ultra Music Festival and the Deichbrand Festival.
You can experience her music at Hungary’s Carl Cox Hybrid show, set on July 12.
Bedouin
Since their debut back in 2014, Brooklyn-based duo Egyptian Rami Abousabe and Jordanian Tamer Malki have been making it their mission to infuse Arab heritage into their music, just like Saliah and DJ Habibeats.
Known for their signature deep house grooves that mix in oriental flavors, they know how to get you on the dance floor.
They’ve been slaying the turntables at global festivals, including Italy’s Kappa FuturFestival and Switzerland’s Caprices Festival, with recent performances in Malaga and Mykonos.
Cosmicat
Representing Saudi Arabia, Cosmicat is the Kingdom’s pioneering female DJ and producer. Being a female Saudi DJ, she paved the way for more women to follow in her footsteps. Every time she hits the stage, you’d find her fusing together electronic music with pop, disco, R&B, and hip hop.
Throughout her career, she has graced many countries and festivals, including Serbia’s EXIT Festival. You can experience one of her gigs, which she will announce soon.
Bringing a slice of the Arab world to the global music scene, each of these DJs is making an effort to make Arab music popular and mainstream, and so far, we can say that they have been doing a great job.