Amidst the noise of end-of-year lists and Bandcamp Friday, here are two compilations rooted in the music scenes of Lebanon and Palestine and diaspora and allies, as well as organizing aid there and for Sudan and Congo.
First, we go to Lebanon. In the final hours before a fragile ceasefire agreement, Israel actually stepped up bombing campaigns. That meant countless members of the music scene there spent the night with their homes and neighborhoods under threat. The ceasefire seems to be holding as I write this (I’ll refrain from going into that), but the displacement crisis remains, impacting not only Lebanese but migrants, as well. Lebanon’s music scene, like the rest of the country, is picking through the pieces of over a year of war and still trying to provide volunteer aid.
Land 01 is a must, then – a sprawling 41-track compilation that doubles as a guide to electronic/experimental/ambient Lebanese artists. It’s a project of Tunefork Studios, which has been on the ground trying to provide relief to everyone alongside Beirut Synthesizer Center – so again, you’ll see a lot of those names. As they write in the description, “Despite the ceasefire, many people are still displaced, and even those who returned home are living in damaged spaces with no electricity, water, heating and broken doors/windows.”
There’s actually a whole lot of exceptional music from Lebanese artists, who I would be writing up regardless of this situation – so I’ll give them the attention they deserve separately. But with the compilation in mind, here’s an update on the situation on the ground for aid:
The same story is true at Nation Station, who have been feeding folks in the community since the port blast and continue to provide meals daily.
From Barcelona, Zizal’z Sonic Ceremony VA/0 001 is also vital – a who’s who of artists, especially those from Lebanon and Palestine and aligned with the region, banded together for those struggles and those in Congo and Sudan, as well.
Theirs is another example of music that can be a profound emotional expression and also closely aligned with work toward liberation. I’ll just reproduce their statement, so I let them speak for themselves:
Music and art play a vital role in shaping and reflecting cultural identities by creating a collective understanding that transcends language barriers. It can open up avenues to talk to people and bring awareness to topics of importance.
In May 2024, Zilzal hosted its first sonic ceremony close to Barcelona. Over the course of three days, 30 artists embraced experimental soundscapes with dj sets and live shows influenced by a wide array of different genres, spanning from breaks, drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, ambient, hip hop, beats and more.
This compilation is the last puzzle piece of our sonic ceremony and features many artists who participated in it.
Mastering: Alexandros Papamarkou
All funds will be donated to the organizations supported:
Sudanese Diaspora Network
The Gaza Sponsor an Orphan Initiative
Save The Children – DR Congo
Lebanese Red Cross“It’s either freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody” (Malcolm X)
End colonialism. End capitalism. Free Palestine. Free Congo. Free Sudan. Free Lebanon and Free oppressed people everywhere.
Zizal also has a monthly show on Bethlehem, Palestine’s Radio Alhara, and so this expands on that collaboration with music as rich and varied as you’d expect:
If you’re in Barcelona, they have a massive release party, including not just the artists from this lineup but also other active collective actions, artists, and more:
We’re not talking anywhere near about Sudan, which this week reached the unimaginable state of the worst humanitarian crisis in history, with 30 million people in need of aid (yes, million) and 14 million displaced. That this milestone comes in the same week that Amnesty International released a damning report accusing Israel of genocide of Palestinian people is hard to even fathom. And the growing human catastrophe is less and less the focus of international news, even as it means the collapse of a lot of how we define our civilization and humanity.
There’s too much more to say, too much more music. But I think the crunch of things like Bandcamp Friday do sometimes make us lose focus. So I’m going to leave it with these two – it’s more than enough to digest. You can buy these today with Bandcamp waiving its fees, and you can and should give to these fundraisers directly.
More soon. Feel free to provide feedback or other ideas. Nothing about this is intended in any way to be comprehensive.
And thanks to a lot of dear friends for continuing to make music even with the threat of despair.
A reminder – for supporting Palestine, consider HEAL Palestine.
And for some context on Beirut Synthesizer Center, let’s go back to their new space opening:
Read up on the aid efforts in the last piece, including an interview with Hussein at Nation Station Beirut – I’ll try to check in with them in the next days to provide a clearer sense of where they’re at now.
These struggles all interconnect. I can’t recommend enough the new podcast by From The Periphery Media – they link to Spotify, so I’ll do the same.
I’ll talk more about this, as it’s a must that we talk about this in music, so – be warned, expect to see this again. Meanwhile, links from that episode (which includes some voices I’ve featured here before):
Gaza Relief Mutual Aid
https://www.instagram.com/ibrahimforgazamutualaid
https://www.liberationthrumutualaid.com
Queer Mutual Aid Lebanon
https://www.patreon.com/qmalebanon
References:
https://www.thepublicsource.org/charity-mutual-aid
Peter Kropotkin – Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution
Dean Spade – Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis (and the Next)
David Graeber – Debt: The First 5000 Years
Cover art credits: for Land 01 (above and top/featured), Limb.00. Zilzal’s Sonic Ceremony, above middle, unidentified; courtesy the label.