The Arab spring, once a sign of great, imminent and inevitable change,
quickly turned into a cold, brutal winter. Syria and its people have borne
the brunt of the frost. Arab people's’ optimistic outlook towards anti-
government uprisings decayed as the movement, once so full of energy
and hope, seemed to dissipate. But the voices of those who wish to see a
change, even in the face of insurmountable odds, have not completely
died out. One place this is evident is in the musical and cultural
productions flourishing in the underground scenes of the region. I
interviewed Dr. Ramzi Salti, Lecturer in Arabic at Stanford University, and
host of the podcast Arabology, based in the Bay Area of California, about
this emerging subculture.
Arabology is devoted to centering, discussing and investigating the world
of Arabic indie and alternative music. During its five years of airing, Dr.
Salti has interviewed and introduced his listeners to the music of many
alternative musicians from the Middle East-North African region.
What makes Arabic indie music stand out from the mainstream music of
the Arab world are three significant elements. This music is usually
characterized by its incorporation of different Western musical styles, the
musical innovation, and the progressive social and political content of the
music. Futurism in Arabic music is about pushing beyond comfort and
complacency in the way things are; confronting ugly realities, corruption
and discrimination. It’s about imagining a better future of peace and
equality for the region, where all marginalized peoples are accepted. And
its success, on its own terms, not only challenges listeners, but also defies
the government’s censorship and suppression of dissenting voices in
these regions.
THE EMERGENCE OF ARABPOP
Dr. Salti discussed how mainstream Arabic pop music was once the voice
of the revolution and the site of experimenting with one’s cultural
heritage. From a local point of view, Arabic pop arose in a climate of
rebellion against the guardians of high culture.¹ The first wave of Arabic
pop was an explicit rejection of the standards of the “golden age” of the
20th century (1920s-1960s), set by the cultural elite who favored Umm
Kalthoum’s elaborate love songs over simple, colloquial, but powerful
shabbi songs.¹ These shabbi songs of the 70s and 80s “addressed the