From the Bottom of a Reactor

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From the Bottom of a Reactor
From the Bottom of a Reactor

In this diaristic essay, Majd Shidiac conjures up his affecting responses to the sounds and compositions of musicians and practitioners that register the systemic violence the country has seen in the past few years.

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Beirut in the Belly of the Whale

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Beirut in the Belly of the Whale
Beirut in the Belly of the Whale

Jad Atoui’s sound piece is a composition rife with electromagnetic frequencies, hums, and other machine sounds which continue to envelop the city of Beirut and its sleepless residents.

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Not All Things that Shine Are Beautiful

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Not All Things that Shine Are Beautiful
Not All Things that Shine Are Beautiful

Filmmaker Nour Ouayda dwells on the details of the city of Beirut, Lebanon that she encounters on her walk toward the sea. Instead of looking upwards, her camera turns to the fast pace of her walking feet until she arrives at her destination.

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Dissonant State

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Dissonant State
Dissonant State

How can sound permeate an image? With her wandering lens, Caroline Tabet portrays the sounds of the city of Beirut still reeling from the compounding crises that have dulled it.

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Sound: Jad Atoui

Soothing Apocalypse

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Soothing Apocalypse
Soothing Apocalypse

The Indonesian summer is very hot. It’s when our writer shelters at home listening to music, only to realize that the state between slumber and consciousness can not be as innocent as it used to be.

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Design: Ali Sayah

Norient Playlist 08/22: Durham

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Norient Playlist 08/22: Durham
Norient Playlist 08/22: Durham

Listen to this playlist of artists from Durham and their current releases. This selection by Durham-based artist Debt Stalker is a collection of tracks that compliment both the physical terrain of the city and the ever-changing DIY electronic music scene in the region.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Sound: Suzi Analogue, ZenSoFly

Under Clear Starry Nights

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Under Clear Starry Nights
Under Clear Starry Nights

Listening to live music outside can be a life changing experience. For our author, it set nothing less than the pathway of his life.

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Design: Ali Sayah

Norient Playlist 07/22: Montevideo

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Norient Playlist 07/22: Montevideo
Norient Playlist 07/22: Montevideo

Listen to this playlist of artists from Montevideo and their current releases. With his selection of talented artists, Montevideo-based music producer and DJ Pobvio attempts to show the diversity of the Uruguay underground music scene.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Sound: Ojosfinos

Norient Playlist 06/22: New York

Norient Playlist 06/22: New York
Norient Playlist 06/22: New York
Norient Playlist 06/22: New York

Listen to this playlist of artists from New York and their current releases. It’s a selection of things that NYC-born and based sound practitioner Geng PTP has been returning to, over and over again.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Sound: Chynna

Origin Is Not a Shallow Part of Identity

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Origin Is Not a Shallow Part of Identity
Origin Is Not a Shallow Part of Identity

With the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, our Poland-based writer realized that much of her favorite experimental music that was considered Russian is actually from Ukraine. Did she unwittingly practice «musical imperialism»?

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Design: Ali Sayah

Making Persian Music More Accessible to Outsiders

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Making Persian Music More Accessible to Outsiders
Making Persian Music More Accessible to Outsiders

The audiovisual artist Shaahin Peymani and his family share a long history of migration from Iran to Germany and back. Here he maps the route from his German grandmother’s migration diary alongside one of his own compositions.

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Design: Maria Uthe