Hi there, we are the music band Al Ázar and we are going to record our first album.
Be part of our story. Support us in bringing to life what we've been creating in our Arabic Music Lab.
We create songs that reflect the images and emotions of an era marked by oppression, injustice, and the televised genocide of the Palestinian people.
In 2024, we decided to create Al Ázar: Arabic Music Lab, beginning with our own process of experimentation and sound creation, presenting Arab and Palestinian folklore in a contemporary way, and adding our diverse identities to it all.
After almost two years of refining our sound, performing concerts in various cities, and participating in numerous solidarity events for Palestine, it's time to capture all that work in an album that brings together our songs in Arabic (accompanied by their translation for a wider audience), our message, images, and illustrations created from the songs. A music video will also accompany the album's release.
Al Ázar: Arabic Music Lab showcases original compositions created by its members, offering a fresh and personal perspective on their musical art.
Objectives:
- To finance the recording of our first album.
- To finance the recording of the music video that will accompany the album release.
- To promote our mission of historical and cultural documentation.
- To register our digital work under a Creative Commons License, thus facilitating collaboration with other artists, building upon our work, and the exchange of art and culture.
- To spread a clear message that transcends borders, languages, and creeds.
- To highlight values such as solidarity, humanity, respect, dignity, the struggle of peoples, and the denunciation of injustice.
- To reimagine musical tradition and add an experimental sound that uses modern codes.
* To denounce occupation and other forms of oppression of peoples.
- To create community and promote our work within the current music scene.
- To support the Palestinian struggle through art and culture and to say aloud, no to the genocide of a people.
We want Rawán's voice to be heard, for her message to reach the world clearly and strongly, for people to find an emotional connection with her, and for the songs we create to reach audiences wherever they are well received.
Al Ázar (in Arabic, الأثر) stands forfootprint in the sand, the impact, the legacy, the monument... The serendipity of it being a word similar to "azar", Spanish for chance, the chance crossing of our paths, and our shared determination from the beginning to create music that leaves no one indifferent, gave rise to the group's name. This was completed with a brief statement about our roots and intentions: sound creation based on a folkloric DNA. We present to you Al Ázar: Arabic Music Lab.
Tony Cabo is a multi-instrumentalist, guitar teacher, and musicologist. He participates in various musical and performing arts projects, including LÓVA, a volunteer project with a group of prison inmates who create their own musical theater piece. In Al Ázar, he plays guitar, beatboxes, and brings freshly baked homemade bread to rehearsals.
Rawan is a lawyer, composer, and singer. She is interested in reviving Palestinian folklore and traditional Arabic music in a contemporary way, adding her own character and personal experiences. In Al Ázar, she sings, writes the lyrics, and opens for us a window into the day-to-day lives and experiences of the Palestinian people.
El Zuri is a doctor, singer-songwriter, and performer, influenced by rock and Latin American folk music. He is part of projects such as Arroz con Mango and La Enigmática Banda (an experimental and improvisational group), in addition to his own solo project. In Al Ázar, he plays bass, sings, and makes everything work.
aQo is a physicist, saxophonist, and composer of little songs that sound like they belong in a video game. He began his career performing in classical bands and then moved to more modern styles. His influences range from jazz to J-pop, including Afro-Latin rhythms and progressive rock. In Al Ázar, he plays the electronic saxophone and votes for the most unusual ideas.
Team:
- Design: Bayan Nairat
- Videography: Jaime Gutiérrez
- Music Producer: Gabriel Vidanauta
- Photographer: Carlos Medina