Arab News sat down with Thamer Farhan, head of the musical talents management at Libra Productions, along with Al Farabi band members to answer some questions about their unique style.
It has always been a dream for me to support the music industry in all genres and help provide a unique taste of music that proves the quality of local talents. They are no less than others around the world, if only they received the support needed. Therefore, I joined Libra Productions, which provides audio engineering and music composition services and is owned by my friends Eng. Diya Azzony and Emad Mujallid. We created a new section called “musical talents management,” and I was appointed head of it. Al Farabi is our first project in terms of management and full productions. It was initially formed by Mothanna and Diya, who launched a demo of “Story Of A King” on YouTube under the name of Mothanna. Later, they decided to go more into experimental and fusion music, which led to a search for the best artists with different backgrounds, like Ahmed and Saher, who come from an oriental, Arabian, and Gulf musical background; and Emad and Ghassan, who have a metal and rock background. The others, Anas, Mothanna, and Diya, have musical backgrounds varying from rock to Arabian, and from fusion to experimental. In addition, Diya has a degree in sound and audio engineering, and I come from a hip-hop background. All of this has helped us into creating a new blend of music that satisfies many different tastes.
The type of music that Al Farabi is producing focuses on different elements when structuring the song. The lyrics are extracted from ancient Arabian poetry, we use a fusion of oriental and western instruments, the vocals are genuine, and we also focus on the flow and mode of every song. For each element, you usually find an audience. Therefore, focusing on choosing the best of it all has helped Al Farabi to gain respect as well as attract a wider range of music lovers. The Saudi audience consists of people who love music and have been waiting for something that represents the sound of their generation, something new that speaks to their souls, hearts and emotions — a major change in the common music in the area. I believe Al Farabi has proudly served that. Moreover, out of our believes in music as a science, Al Farabi has launched a series of musical workshops to introduce and lecture fusion and experimental music in addition to introducing a variety of instruments with tips on how to use them. We believe such workshops will engage audiences more by increasing their knowledge.
Uniqueness is always the best choice.
The idea for the song came from Al-Mothanna, who is a fan of King Faisal and thought of what lyrics should be chosen to represent his character best throughout a song. Al-Mothanna’s knowledge of Arabian poetry helped him choose some lines of Al-Mutanabi’s poems, one of the most famous poets in the history of Arabs. Later on, a basic musical structure of classic and electric guitars was added alongside a bass guitar and a basic beat by Al-Mothanna and Diya, and the first demo had become a reality. After forming Al Farabi, different instruments were added, such as oud (a form of lute) and piano, and performed live at TEDx Arabia in Jeddah and in the royal residence palace and congress hall in Salzburg, Austria.
Ted talks about “ideas worth spreading.” Al Farabi is an idea, something new that holds many messages in between the lines and rhymes of each song — a new theme and a new direction. Of course, it was very important for us to perform at TEDx. To be honest, we were surprised of the crowd’s response to our music, since it’s new and usually new is known to be unwelcomed. That was the greatest surprise for us and has been motivating us to produce even better music, as we owe it to those who support us.
Honestly, for the time being, no. Naturally, experimental music always leaves us the choice to try and experiment different blends, but we don’t believe it will be any time soon.
Yes, hopefully we will release an album by mid-2012 in the Kingdom.
World-wise, we get inspiration from Taksim Trio, Anathema and Yanni. As for the Arabic side, there is Souad Massi and Dhaffer Yousef.
At every spot where music is highly appreciated and loved.
They give us a shy support.
We want to value the quality of Arabic language and the strong effects it leaves on the listener. We also wish to reintroduce the forgotten heritage of poetry among the new generation in a modern way. Another aim is to revive the legacy of some of the Islamic legendary scientists in different fields, such as philosophy, medicine and music, like Ibn Sina, Ibn Fernas and Al-Kendi. With our music, we hope to reduce the musical gap between the previous generations and the current ones by inventing ‘a music for every ear, a music for every age, and a music for every soul.’
Your type of music represents you. Choose your music right.
For more information and to listen to their music, visit Al Farabi’s official Facebook page:
