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Monday Mixtape: On the Aslan Media iPod

Music hardly exists in a vacuum. Like an interconnected web, each tune, each track released to the world both came from somewhere and leads to something else. At Aslan Media, we recognize that very few albums come to us without influence, and it’s those artists that walked the road before who helped shape the styles and expressions of the music artists we profile in this website today.

To show that music, in its purest form, is an expression that knows no physical, cultural, societal or economic boundaries, Aslan Media is beginning a new monthly series called Monday Mixtape, in which profiled artists on this site share with us the tracks that inspire and influence who and where they are as music artists. The genres covered by these playlists are limitless, as are the artists they include, which can include those from countries outside the Middle East that carry universal messages found in every region of the world.

Yet artists aren’t the only ones who find musical inspiration in their work. To get to know us better, here’s a sampling of the artists and tracks that inspire the Aslan Media team in our daily commitment in covering the Middle East and its diaspora communities:

“Beni Beni,” Azam Ali and Niyaz

Watch the video here

“I’ve always loved this song… its haunting nature and rhythm speaks to my inner gypsy”

- Roshi Pejhan, Aslan Media Executive Director

“A Night in Tunisia,” Dizzy Gillespie

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“I'm a jazz lover and during summertime, this piece always seems to be on low in the back of my mind. Though I play the piano, Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet playing influenced me greatly. I also get a kick out of the lyrics, most often sung by Ella Fitzgerald:

The cares of the day seem to vanish

The ending of day brings release

Each wonderful night in Tunisia

Where the nights are filled with peace

“Sadly now, in light of the continued chaos over the changing political scene, the lyrics may not be so fitting.”

- Nathan Lean, Aslan Media Editor-in-Chief

“Faker,” Elissa

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“Elissa sounds like summer to me.”

-Areej Noor, Aslan Media Women’s Editor

“I Love You My Country”

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“This track summarises the January 25 revolution for me which inspired me to fulfil my journalism aspirations. I believe this track represents the Egyptian citizens, Unity and hope.”

- Eman Jueid, Aslan Media Content Manager & UK Coordinator

“Mammad Naboodi Benini,” Kafaran Bi Nam

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“It is a remix [for the Green Movement] of an old war song called Mammad Naboodi Bebini from the Iran-Iraq war. The original is about an Iranian commander who died before his city, Khoramshahr, was liberated from Iraqi forces. The title of the song is basically, ‘Mammad, you were not here to see (the freeing of the city).’

“I guess this song makes me feel like this generation of young Iranians are fighting for their freedom in the same manner that the generation before them did during the Iran-Iraq war. The martyrs of the Green Movement lay with all the martyrs who have fought and died for the freedom of Iran and though they may not be there to see it, Iran will be free.”

- Farhang Karaji, Aslan Media Team Member

“Hard Times,” John Legend & the Roots

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“I actually love every song on this entire album, and the concept behind it: adapting classic songs that still hold meaning in today's political and societal context. It reminds me that no matter what decade it is, political expression has consistently been intertwined with the arts--and all forms of it, from literature to music.”

- Jafreen Uddin, Aslan Media Book Salon Editor

“Kelmti Horra” (My Word is Free), Emel Mathlouthi

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“I chose this song because of Emel's choice to sing as a channel for the Tunisian people. She gives a voice to the voiceless, and believes it is her responsibility to stand for what she knows is right in her heart.”

- Laila Ashaq, Aslan Media Multimedia Editor

“Seasons of Love,” Rent (Jonathan Larson)

Watch the video here

“Musicals were my first lesson in cultural diplomacy. This song, from one of my favorites musicals Rent, never leaves my YouTube favorites list – I play it that often. The lyrics, which ask what the proper way of quantifying the value of a year of someone’s life, speak to me on so many journalistic levels."

“In news coverage, we’re constantly taking others’ narratives, contextualizing them, and eventually we quantify these stories in some manner so that they can be relevant and accessible to readers. It’s a depersonalizing process if you think about it enough. According to this song, the best way to measure a person’s story is through love, or in journalism’s case, humanity, and the lyrics constantly remind me that journalism isn't about perpetuating ideologies - it's about bringing readers lived, human experiences in eloquent but easily understood writing."

“More than anything, this song reminds me of how crucial it is to be present in storytelling, the very foundation of news coverage."

- Safa Samiezade’-Yazd, Aslan Media Arts and Music Editor

“Bad Girls,” M.I.A.

Watch the video here

“It's a catchy song, and I like the witty element of the video. Not a big fan of M.I.A, but this song feels self-empowering to me. As an arts and fashion contributor at Aslan Media, I am always on the lookout for unique artwork and artists from and related to the greater Middle East region. And this song is a reflection of a unique "need-for-speed," extravagant subculture in the Middle East.”

- Alnas Zia, Aslan Media Multimedia Assistant

*Photo Credit: Tim Geers

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