20
Dec
2007
13 Comments
Podcast: Saudi DJ and I discuss MTV Arabia
Not long ago, Tasnim from Libya wrote a post about MTV Arabia here and it triggered the interest for this podcast. I talk to Mohammed (DJ Momo), a Saudi DJ currently based in Bahrain, about what he feels the potential for MTV Arabia is. He is in favor of the project while I am a bit skeptical about the whole thing.
Make sure you listen towards the end for some fun stuff and funny bloopers (it’s after the short trance song in the end.) His DJ partner (an Arab Christian) was also present but was too shy to be recorded. Maybe next time, man!
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Great interview, Esra’a!
And I think your concerns unfortunately will get fulfilled, while Mohammed is a bit to optimistic in his sight on MTV Arabia.
I know German MTV, it plays relatively little music, most of this international pop and rap, but more and more so-called comedy and shows, of which a huge a part I would call disrespectful and anti-educational. The values spread by MTV are sex and money, not the beauty of good music.
Thanks Simon! I agree with you completely. I really do think that the whole “we’re doing this for cultural diversity and peace” statement is just a marketing strategy. We’re all old enough to know that it’s all about the “bling bling,” as they call it in gangta’ land.
Great and funny podcast!! It is really cool that you had someone relevant to discuss it with because he has a point when he says MTV arabia can give guys like him a platform. When we criticise MTV we don\’t take these individuals into consideration so it is good to have his input on this too.
Hilarious bloopers
Glad you found it useful! Mohammed and I disagree on a lot of things actually, within entertainment and also politics, but he’s a great person to podcast with. Too bad his friend was too shy to join us, he’s too funny for his own good. Though he’s persistent and is very pro-MTV Arabia, they both think it serves their interests, so I’m not going to say that it’s entirely a horrible idea even if I think it will be should it follow the footsteps of other MTV channels.
Well, I’ve seen MTV partnering with CNN once in an AIDS awarness campaign that I thought was pretty noble, I don’t know about advancing social justice though!!
I’m personally pro VH1, but I do watch MTV for half an hour once every two weeks maybe, used to really love their cartoon Beavis and Buthead gowing up!, though they stopped producing it!
You talked about girls wanting to beccome DJs, I happen to know a girl from Jordan named Shadia, she studied marketing at AUB, but she saw her passion in music she DJed for play 99.6 a popular english radio here in Jordan and also for radio one in Lebanon, while she was still at university, she currently works for Virgin radio, recently launched from Dubai media city.
I think she is a really good example for female DJs in the Arb world , you can check out her website (www.djshadia.com), she has a really cool personality too.
About DJ schools, there is the SAE institute here in Jordan,it offers a good selection of course on audio and music mixing,though they ae bit expensive for the average citizen unfortunately!.
Yeah, DJ Shadia played in Bahrain a couple of times. She seems cool, but her music is not really my style.
There is another fantastic DJ from Bahrain, and he is one of the people who DJ Momo was talking about (though I don’t think these two directly know each other,) he mixes old tunes with electronic sounds because he is both passionate about techno/house and proud of his culture/traditions. I profiled him before here. Fawaz was very enthusiastic about helping Mideast Youth grow once he learned about it, so that makes me an even bigger fan of his!
Anyways, female Arab DJs do exist, but like we noted in the podcast it’s not a respected profession, especially here in the Gulf, which makes them more rare to come across. I admire anyone who tries to pursue this passion as a real profession despite all the hardships.
Yeah, she told me about her tours in Bahrain, her music is more of mixing mainstream R&B and hip-hop, she’s opening for 50 Cent tonight in Dubai!
And I absolutely agree that its admirable of any woman taking up any profession normally acceptable for men, and defy the still retarded views that some of our societies still have!
50 Cent in Dubai? Excuse me while I acquire a barf bag.
Dubai should do more to bring quality hip hop talent, such as Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, Q-Tip, DJ Shadow, UNKLE, among others.
Dubai couldn’t care less about quality. Anything that is money-generating, you’ll find it there, quality or not. It’s sickingly artificial.
Well,
The thing is these concerts are organised by the private sector, so it is expected to seek whatever is profitable to do, but Dubai has a really cool and interesting weekly cultural agenda that it promotes trough i’s satellite TV, like art exhibitions, film screenings…etc
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It’s funny you should come up with this because I was just thinking about it the other day. You have depicted my thoughts exactly.