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@scenenoise: In our exclusive interview with GreenTea Peng, the London artist reflects on Cairo, motherhood, and her politically-charged new single ‘Helicopters’.

Speaking to ScenNoise’s Kaja Grujic, she opens up about working with the NGO, Refugee Biriyani & Bananas, during her time in Egypt and supporting displaced Sudanese and Palestinian communities. That same empathy anchors her into her current musical world: the story behind her new single ‘Helicopters’ with Ezra Collective, released as part of the War Child album, her emotional relationship to songwriting, and the way motherhood has deepened the rawness with which she moves through both music and life.

Watch the full conversation on Youtube to dive in with Greentea Peng at her most reflective, politically present, and creatively unguarded.

🖋️Kaja Grujic
🎥@SceneNoise

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

@SceneNoise: Secluded in a rehearsal studio days before a major concert, wrapped in a cocoon of half-finished harmonies, inside jokes, and the quiet tension of something about to come alive, Aswat Al Madina, Sounds of the City, had no sense that the rising noise outside would soon drown out everything they had built.

They never made it to the stage.

Instead, they found themselves hurrying to the rooftop, watching their hometown of Khartoum burn down in flames. The performance never happened, and the city was denied its spring in April, 2023. The members of Aswat Al Madina have since fractured and sought refuge wherever they could: south to Nairobi, east to Riyadh, and north to Amsterdam and Cairo.

And yet the music didn’t stop.

Across time zones and unstable connections, the band continues to write, record, and produce together, virtually reconstructing a shared space they no longer physically inhabit. Songs are created in pieces, uploaded to a chat and then exchanged among them, transformed within their absence. “We’re working online now, but it isn’t like being in the same room. You send a track and wait for it to be processed. It’s completely different, there’s no magic anymore,” they explain.

Still, their process continues to be driven by intuition and memory as much as technology, and what once depended on proximity now relies on intention.

For the full feature on Aswat Al Madina, visit www.SceneNoise.com (link in bio) or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

🖊️Hanya Kotb

أطلق الفنان الصاعد وينجي أحدث أعماله “الجن”، مصحوبًا بفيديو كليب يعتمد على رؤية بصرية معاصرة تميل إلى البساطة الحادة، في خطوة تعكس تطورًا ملحوظًا في هويته الموسيقية والبصرية.

يعتمد التراك على مزيكا تراب تقوم على المساحات الصوتية الواسعة والإيقاع الثقيل، ما يمنح الأداء مساحة أكبر للظهور بشكل خام ومباشر.

ويأتي التوزيع بسيطًا في طبقاته، لكنه مشحون بالتوتر، حيث تُستخدم الفراغات كعنصر أساسي في بناء الإحساس العام للعمل، بدلًا من الاعتماد على التكديس الموسيقي.

ويعكس أسلوب وينجي هذا التوجه من خلال أداء بارد ونبرة ثابتة، تعتمد على الجُمل القصيرة والحادة، ما يعزز من حضور شخصيته داخل التراك دون اللجوء إلى استعراض تقني مباشر.. كما تلعب اللازمة المتكررة دورًا محوريًا، حيث تتحول إلى عنصر إيقاعي ونفسي يرسّخ حالة التوتر والضغط التي يقوم عليها العمل.

أما على المستوى البصري، فيأتي الفيديو من إخراج مروان حسن، مبتعدًا عن السرد التقليدي، ومتجهًا نحو بناء عالم تجريدي قائم على الأبيض والأسود، مع استخدام لافت للضوء والظل والمساحات الفارغة.

ويضع هذا التوجه وينجي داخل حالة أقرب إلى تجربة نفسية مكثفة، بدلًا من تقديم أداء تقليدي أمام الكاميرا.

ويعتمد الكليب على تكوينات بصرية بسيطة لكنها مشحونة دلاليًا، حيث يظهر وينجي في مساحات معزولة تعكس إحساسًا دائمًا بالضغط والصراع الداخلي، وهو ما يتماشى مع طبيعة التراك، خاصة مع تكرار اللازمة التي تتحول إلى ما يشبه رسالة أو “كود شخصي” داخل عالم الأغنية.

أطلق الفنان الصاعد وينجي أحدث أعماله “الجن”، مصحوبًا بفيديو كليب يعتمد على رؤية بصرية معاصرة تميل إلى البساطة الحادة، في خطوة تعكس تطورًا ملحوظًا في هويته الموسيقية والبصرية.

يعتمد التراك على مزيكا تراب تقوم على المساحات الصوتية الواسعة والإيقاع الثقيل، ما يمنح الأداء مساحة أكبر للظهور بشكل خام ومباشر.

ويأتي التوزيع بسيطًا في طبقاته، لكنه مشحون بالتوتر، حيث تُستخدم الفراغات كعنصر أساسي في بناء الإحساس العام للعمل، بدلًا من الاعتماد على التكديس الموسيقي.

ويعكس أسلوب وينجي هذا التوجه من خلال أداء بارد ونبرة ثابتة، تعتمد على الجُمل القصيرة والحادة، ما يعزز من حضور شخصيته داخل التراك دون اللجوء إلى استعراض تقني مباشر.. كما تلعب اللازمة المتكررة دورًا محوريًا، حيث تتحول إلى عنصر إيقاعي ونفسي يرسّخ حالة التوتر والضغط التي يقوم عليها العمل.

أما على المستوى البصري، فيأتي الفيديو من إخراج مروان حسن، مبتعدًا عن السرد التقليدي، ومتجهًا نحو بناء عالم تجريدي قائم على الأبيض والأسود، مع استخدام لافت للضوء والظل والمساحات الفارغة.

ويضع هذا التوجه وينجي داخل حالة أقرب إلى تجربة نفسية مكثفة، بدلًا من تقديم أداء تقليدي أمام الكاميرا.

ويعتمد الكليب على تكوينات بصرية بسيطة لكنها مشحونة دلاليًا، حيث يظهر وينجي في مساحات معزولة تعكس إحساسًا دائمًا بالضغط والصراع الداخلي، وهو ما يتماشى مع طبيعة التراك، خاصة مع تكرار اللازمة التي تتحول إلى ما يشبه رسالة أو “كود شخصي” داخل عالم الأغنية.

أطلق الفنان الصاعد وينجي أحدث أعماله “الجن”، مصحوبًا بفيديو كليب يعتمد على رؤية بصرية معاصرة تميل إلى البساطة الحادة، في خطوة تعكس تطورًا ملحوظًا في هويته الموسيقية والبصرية.

يعتمد التراك على مزيكا تراب تقوم على المساحات الصوتية الواسعة والإيقاع الثقيل، ما يمنح الأداء مساحة أكبر للظهور بشكل خام ومباشر.

ويأتي التوزيع بسيطًا في طبقاته، لكنه مشحون بالتوتر، حيث تُستخدم الفراغات كعنصر أساسي في بناء الإحساس العام للعمل، بدلًا من الاعتماد على التكديس الموسيقي.

ويعكس أسلوب وينجي هذا التوجه من خلال أداء بارد ونبرة ثابتة، تعتمد على الجُمل القصيرة والحادة، ما يعزز من حضور شخصيته داخل التراك دون اللجوء إلى استعراض تقني مباشر.. كما تلعب اللازمة المتكررة دورًا محوريًا، حيث تتحول إلى عنصر إيقاعي ونفسي يرسّخ حالة التوتر والضغط التي يقوم عليها العمل.

أما على المستوى البصري، فيأتي الفيديو من إخراج مروان حسن، مبتعدًا عن السرد التقليدي، ومتجهًا نحو بناء عالم تجريدي قائم على الأبيض والأسود، مع استخدام لافت للضوء والظل والمساحات الفارغة.

ويضع هذا التوجه وينجي داخل حالة أقرب إلى تجربة نفسية مكثفة، بدلًا من تقديم أداء تقليدي أمام الكاميرا.

ويعتمد الكليب على تكوينات بصرية بسيطة لكنها مشحونة دلاليًا، حيث يظهر وينجي في مساحات معزولة تعكس إحساسًا دائمًا بالضغط والصراع الداخلي، وهو ما يتماشى مع طبيعة التراك، خاصة مع تكرار اللازمة التي تتحول إلى ما يشبه رسالة أو “كود شخصي” داخل عالم الأغنية.

@SceneNoise #NoiseSets: For Select 389, Tunisian DJ, producer, and label head Hamdi Ryder shares a recording of his Sandbox 2026 set from the GrooveBox stage.

The set is a club-ready mix that bounces between acid-licked house grooves, funky textures and disco flourishes, featuring some of his own productions like ‘Dr White Cuts #2’ -featuring samples of Tunisian cult-classic series ‘Choufli Hal’ - alongside refreshing, deep cuts like DX by Etienne, You Kinda Get it by Pierre Marty, and Home Wreckers by Heavy Hitters.

Listen to the full set on www.scenenoise.com [Link in bio]

@SceneNoise: Ahmed Eid has built a reputation as one of the most incisive voices in Palestine’s alternative music scene, treating music less as expression than as a form of communication. Across his work, he threads together stories of resistance, memory, and longing, set against the backdrop of ongoing violence in Palestine, crafting a distinctive musical language rooted in unfiltered, politically charged lyricism and groove-driven, psychedelic textures.

His latest album, Min Ghazzeh Labaghdad, Min Haifa La Beirut, pushes that language further into a genre-blurring mix of funk, alternative pop, and rock. Written between Ramallah and Berlin, it is shaped by what Eid describes as a reality where politics is not a choice but a condition of existence. At its centre, the ten-track record reads as a reflection on displacement, collective memory, and the promising possibility of liberation.

The album shifts between tones and registers: from the quiet, almost surreal exchange with a bird on “Bukra Kawkab,” to the directness of “Ba’boos,” a rock track channelling frustration and refusal. “Ashiqeen” leans into tenderness with Gaza at its centre, while “Ihku Ilkusas” draws from testimony and loss. Spoken word and poetry sit alongside layered acoustic and electronic arrangements, giving the record a fragmented but deliberate shape.

In SceneNoise’s latest #AlbumSpotlight episode, speaking from Marseille aboard a flotilla heading to Gaza, Eid reflects on writing the album during the ongoing violence in Palestine. He traces its emotional range, anger, grief, and moments of hope, and expands on the stories behind key tracks like “Ba’boos” and “Ihku Ilkusas.” For him, the record also reflects a broader responsibility: to speak about injustice and the systems that sustain it, through music.

For more episodes of Album Spotlight and other in-depth interviews, head to SceneNoise’s YT or www.scenenoise.com [Link in bio]

🎥@SceneNoise

@SceneNoise #NoiseNews: London-based, US-born DJ/producer Manuka Honey is set to make her Egyptian debut at Dhamma’s season-closing party in Cairo on June 4th.

Co-founded by Egyptian DJs Yas Meen Selectress, Rajia, Maria Saba and MARTINA, the collective has carved out a space for more experimental and alternative sounds within Cairo’s club scene. Through carefully curated events spanning drum & bass, jungle, dubstep and UKG, the collective has become a platform for regional voices, genre-fluid programming and dancefloor experimentation.

Manuka Honey has been commanding dancefloors across Europe with her unruly blend of Latin club sounds - from reggaeton to baile funk - fused with darker strains of UK bass, industrial textures and experimental electronics.

Joining her on the lineup are Egyptian producer Hassan Abou Alam, Maria Saba, and a B2B set from SAREENA and MARTINA, alongside a special guest DJ.

Location will be revealed to guests upon reservation. For ticket booking, DM Dhamma on Instagram.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.

@SceneNoise #NoiseNews: London-based, US-born DJ/producer Manuka Honey is set to make her Egyptian debut at Dhamma’s season-closing party in Cairo on June 4th.

Co-founded by Egyptian DJs Yas Meen Selectress, Rajia, Maria Saba and MARTINA, the collective has carved out a space for more experimental and alternative sounds within Cairo’s club scene. Through carefully curated events spanning drum & bass, jungle, dubstep and UKG, the collective has become a platform for regional voices, genre-fluid programming and dancefloor experimentation.

Manuka Honey has been commanding dancefloors across Europe with her unruly blend of Latin club sounds - from reggaeton to baile funk - fused with darker strains of UK bass, industrial textures and experimental electronics.

Joining her on the lineup are Egyptian producer Hassan Abou Alam, Maria Saba, and a B2B set from SAREENA and MARTINA, alongside a special guest DJ.

Location will be revealed to guests upon reservation. For ticket booking, DM Dhamma on Instagram.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.

#NoiseNews: Lebanese indie rock outfit Adonis are set to make its Iraq debut at Baghdad’s Nakheel Baghdad Entertainment Theatre on June 5th.

Over the past decade, Adonis have been a pioneering force at the forefront of reshaping the Levantine alternative scene, developing a distinctive sound that blends elements of rock with dance-pop aesthetics and oriental instrumentation.

The highly-anticipated Baghdad show will arrive just days after the release of the band’s new single, ‘Hlemt’, slated to drop on June 3rd.
Tickets are currently available via Ticket Zone’s official website.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.

#NoiseNews: Lebanese indie rock outfit Adonis are set to make its Iraq debut at Baghdad’s Nakheel Baghdad Entertainment Theatre on June 5th.

Over the past decade, Adonis have been a pioneering force at the forefront of reshaping the Levantine alternative scene, developing a distinctive sound that blends elements of rock with dance-pop aesthetics and oriental instrumentation.

The highly-anticipated Baghdad show will arrive just days after the release of the band’s new single, ‘Hlemt’, slated to drop on June 3rd.
Tickets are currently available via Ticket Zone’s official website.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.

#NewNoise: Berlin-based group, Jamila & The Other Heroes, have released one of their most emotionally charged singles yet with ‘Hijarna’, or ‘Our Stones’. Blending the band’s signature psychedelic desert rock sound with a powerful meditation on grief, resistance and collective memory, the track arrives as both a political statement and an emotional release.

Built around the metaphor of stones, ‘Hijarna’ reflects on the emotional weight carried across generations while also highlighting the resilience that emerges through solidarity. Driven by soaring guitars, hypnotic rhythms and Jamila Al-Yousef’s intense vocal performance, the song transforms mourning into movement, balancing sorrow with moments of catharsis and release.

The accompanying music video pushes those ideas even further. Directed in Berlin by Elisa Ward and Laura Schramm, with Palestinian cinematographer Abdallah Milhem, the visual follows Jamila carrying a kuffiyah bag filled with stones through a surreal space between the living and the dead. Along the way, erased Palestinian narratives begin resurfacing through encounters with musicians, journalists, mothers, medics and artists.

Featuring more than 70 participants from Palestinian, Syrian, Lebanese and Tunisian communities, the video gradually shifts from personal grief into collective resistance. Its final moments unfold as a music protest and communal dance ritual around an olive tree, where stones are laid down in remembrance of those killed.

Coming from Berlin, the project also arrives in a politically charged climate, where Palestinian voices and solidarity movements have increasingly faced censorship and police crackdowns.

Named after Jamila Al-Yousef’s Palestinian grandmother, Jamila & The Other Heroes continue to carve out their own lane between psych rock, diasporic storytelling and politically rooted live energy, creating music that feels both deeply personal and openly confrontational.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

#NewNoise: Berlin-based group, Jamila & The Other Heroes, have released one of their most emotionally charged singles yet with ‘Hijarna’, or ‘Our Stones’. Blending the band’s signature psychedelic desert rock sound with a powerful meditation on grief, resistance and collective memory, the track arrives as both a political statement and an emotional release.

Built around the metaphor of stones, ‘Hijarna’ reflects on the emotional weight carried across generations while also highlighting the resilience that emerges through solidarity. Driven by soaring guitars, hypnotic rhythms and Jamila Al-Yousef’s intense vocal performance, the song transforms mourning into movement, balancing sorrow with moments of catharsis and release.

The accompanying music video pushes those ideas even further. Directed in Berlin by Elisa Ward and Laura Schramm, with Palestinian cinematographer Abdallah Milhem, the visual follows Jamila carrying a kuffiyah bag filled with stones through a surreal space between the living and the dead. Along the way, erased Palestinian narratives begin resurfacing through encounters with musicians, journalists, mothers, medics and artists.

Featuring more than 70 participants from Palestinian, Syrian, Lebanese and Tunisian communities, the video gradually shifts from personal grief into collective resistance. Its final moments unfold as a music protest and communal dance ritual around an olive tree, where stones are laid down in remembrance of those killed.

Coming from Berlin, the project also arrives in a politically charged climate, where Palestinian voices and solidarity movements have increasingly faced censorship and police crackdowns.

Named after Jamila Al-Yousef’s Palestinian grandmother, Jamila & The Other Heroes continue to carve out their own lane between psych rock, diasporic storytelling and politically rooted live energy, creating music that feels both deeply personal and openly confrontational.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android.

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

Snapshots from SceneNoise’s #SelectBox at Egypt’s Sandbox Festival 2026 in El Gouna. To everyone who danced, screamed, and willingly sweated it out with us on the dancefloor - we couldn’t have done it without you (and your stamina).

#NewNoise: Are You Alien, the independent electronic label co-founded by Tunisian DJ/producers HearThuG, Briki, and Frigrepublic, has released its first vinyl-only compilation. Titled ‘Transmission Signals’, the four-track record spotlights Tunisia’s burgeoning underground electronic scene through a project produced entirely in Tunisia.

Built on deep grooves and late-night atmospherics, the record opens with HearThuG’s ‘Relax’, a hypnotic fusion of guitar-led basslines and timeless house influences that unfolds into a trippy, acid-tinged journey. The second track on the A-side is Light Blue File’s ‘Guante en el Mic’, a playful yet immersive cut driven by a rolling bassline, manipulated reverb-soaked vocal samples, distorted synths, and fractured breaks that give the track an off-kilter, interstellar feel.

On the flip side, Briki delivers ‘Dropping the Pleasure’, a tightly wound tech cut anchored by sci-fi-leaning grooves and his signature palette of electric zips, sharp breakbeats, rolling 808 hi-hats, and layered rhythmic textures. Closing the record is Ahmet Mecnun’s ‘Funky Fossil’, propelled by a grimy funk-infused bassline, alien-like vocal chops, and sparks of acid licks woven through a hybrid IDM-minimal framework.

Since its launch in 2019, Are You Alien has released over a dozen of albums, spanning a myriad of electronic subgenres and sounds, giving a platform to some of the region’s most inventive electronic producers. With ‘Transmission Signals’, the Tunisian label is entering a new chapter, tapping into the culture of intentional listening -which has long been tied to club music - while also signalling a growing infrastructure and confidence within Tunisia’s electronic community to produce physical releases on its own terms.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.

#NewNoise: Are You Alien, the independent electronic label co-founded by Tunisian DJ/producers HearThuG, Briki, and Frigrepublic, has released its first vinyl-only compilation. Titled ‘Transmission Signals’, the four-track record spotlights Tunisia’s burgeoning underground electronic scene through a project produced entirely in Tunisia.

Built on deep grooves and late-night atmospherics, the record opens with HearThuG’s ‘Relax’, a hypnotic fusion of guitar-led basslines and timeless house influences that unfolds into a trippy, acid-tinged journey. The second track on the A-side is Light Blue File’s ‘Guante en el Mic’, a playful yet immersive cut driven by a rolling bassline, manipulated reverb-soaked vocal samples, distorted synths, and fractured breaks that give the track an off-kilter, interstellar feel.

On the flip side, Briki delivers ‘Dropping the Pleasure’, a tightly wound tech cut anchored by sci-fi-leaning grooves and his signature palette of electric zips, sharp breakbeats, rolling 808 hi-hats, and layered rhythmic textures. Closing the record is Ahmet Mecnun’s ‘Funky Fossil’, propelled by a grimy funk-infused bassline, alien-like vocal chops, and sparks of acid licks woven through a hybrid IDM-minimal framework.

Since its launch in 2019, Are You Alien has released over a dozen of albums, spanning a myriad of electronic subgenres and sounds, giving a platform to some of the region’s most inventive electronic producers. With ‘Transmission Signals’, the Tunisian label is entering a new chapter, tapping into the culture of intentional listening -which has long been tied to club music - while also signalling a growing infrastructure and confidence within Tunisia’s electronic community to produce physical releases on its own terms.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.

@SceneNoise #NoiseFeatures: Long before she became one of the region’s biggest popstars, in 2001, a 17-year-old Myriam Fares stepped onto the stage of Studio El Fan, Lebanon’s legendary star-making singing competition, ready to prove herself.

In this edition of Retro Noise, we revisit a clip of Fares taking on Najah Salam’s beloved Levantine folk classic ‘Barhoum Hakeeni’ (برهوم حاكيني). Competing in the traditional Lebanese song category under the exacting eye of the late Simon Asmar, the show’s legendary creator, she walked away a winner with a launchpad into the pop stratosphere.

Years before the signature curls, the high-energy choreography, and the global sync deals, here we see Fares just as a teenager tackling some serious tarab.

Do you have a memorable music moment from the past you think we should feature? E-mail info@scenenoise.com | Subject: RetroNoise.

@SceneNoise #NewNoise: Over the past few months, Egyptian producer Omar Keif has been steadily building anticipation for his debut album 001 through a run of singles featuring collaborators from across the regional scene, including Ziad Zaza, Hleem Taj Alser, ZAD and, most recently, Mousv.

Now, Keif has unveiled the final track from the album’s first instalment, ‘Mafhoom’. Featuring Egyptian rapper, singer-songwriter and producer Lege-Cy, the track is a poignant fusion of rap and R&B, anchored by Lege-Cy’s signature introspection and understated melancholia.

Exploring themes of anxiety, discipline and creative obsession, ‘Mafhoom’ stands as one of the most vulnerable cuts from 001 so far. The track traces the psyche of an ambitious young artist caught in a relentless cycle of self-criticism while trying to carve out space within an increasingly oversaturated industry.

Sonically, the song expands on Keif’s minimalist production style, layering mellow guitar riffs and sweeping strings over pulsating 808s and crisp drum patterns. The instrumental carries a quiet sense of optimism that sharply contrasts the emotional heaviness of the lyrics and Lege-Cy’s deeply affecting performance.

Directed by Omar Donga, the accompanying music video unfolds like a short film starring rising Egyptian actor Hassan Malik. Through intimate close-up shots and restrained pacing, the visual captures the protagonist’s internal conflict, mirroring the song’s tension between ambition and emotional exhaustion.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.

@SceneNoise #NewNoise: Over the past few months, Egyptian producer Omar Keif has been steadily building anticipation for his debut album 001 through a run of singles featuring collaborators from across the regional scene, including Ziad Zaza, Hleem Taj Alser, ZAD and, most recently, Mousv.

Now, Keif has unveiled the final track from the album’s first instalment, ‘Mafhoom’. Featuring Egyptian rapper, singer-songwriter and producer Lege-Cy, the track is a poignant fusion of rap and R&B, anchored by Lege-Cy’s signature introspection and understated melancholia.

Exploring themes of anxiety, discipline and creative obsession, ‘Mafhoom’ stands as one of the most vulnerable cuts from 001 so far. The track traces the psyche of an ambitious young artist caught in a relentless cycle of self-criticism while trying to carve out space within an increasingly oversaturated industry.

Sonically, the song expands on Keif’s minimalist production style, layering mellow guitar riffs and sweeping strings over pulsating 808s and crisp drum patterns. The instrumental carries a quiet sense of optimism that sharply contrasts the emotional heaviness of the lyrics and Lege-Cy’s deeply affecting performance.

Directed by Omar Donga, the accompanying music video unfolds like a short film starring rising Egyptian actor Hassan Malik. Through intimate close-up shots and restrained pacing, the visual captures the protagonist’s internal conflict, mirroring the song’s tension between ambition and emotional exhaustion.

For more noise-making people and movements from across the region, visit www.SceneNoise.com or download the SceneNOW app.