The Ruptured Sessions

Ziad Nawfal, the mastermind behind the “Ruptured Session“ started mixing music in Beirut’s government radio station, Radio Liban, in the early 1990′s. Early on, his eclectic music programming took in such different genres as indie rock, alternative pop, 60’s and 70’s psychedelia, dance music and electronica, with little care for political correctness or ‘proper’ merging of styles. Nawfal’s thirst for sharing musical oddities and discoveries saw him branch out from the confines of radio waves, and he started deejaying in the late 1990’s in local Beiruti bars, restaurants and clubs, as well as private parties and large-scale musical events.

In addition to his regular duties as DJ and radio host, Nawfal worked for a number of years in Beirut’s top-notch alternative record store, La CD-Thèque, and its sister label Incognito. Nawfal’s post as music buyer allowed him to introduce the Lebanese public to a constellation of underground, revered leftfield artists, and to come in contact with various musicians from Beirut’s alternative music scene.

In 2006, Nawfal started flirting with music production and management, producing albums for Lebanese rock trio Scrambled Eggs and electronica outfit, Munma, as well as concerts for both bands, locally and abroad. Between 2007 and 2010, Nawfal produced three more albums for Munma.

In 2008, Nawfal started hosting live shows on Radio Liban, which featured interviews and live performances by local Lebanese bands and performers, encompassing such various genres as folk, rock, electronic, noise, and freeform experimentation. These “Ruptured” sessions were subsequently edited and compiled onto CD form; the first volume was released in April 2009, with an emphasis on folk and psychedelic rock, and the second, more experimental volume will see the day in August 2010.

In 2009, Nawfal launched a series of live events in various venues in Beirut, including famed Lebanese club The Basement and art-house cinema Metropolis; first among these events were two cine-concerts by Lebanese experimental band XEFM, set to Russian art-house film ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ and early German animation feature ‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed’. These were followed by successful concerts by several Lebanese groups, including funk/hip hop collective Fareeq el Atrash, dubstep duo Index/Left, and rock bands Scrambled Eggs and The Incompetents.

In March 2010, in collaboration with photographer Tanya Traboulsi and editor Ghalya Saadawi, Nawfal published a book documenting Beirut’s alternative music scene, entitled ‘Untitled Tracks: On Alternative Music in Beirut’ (Amers Editions). In April of the same year, he also contributed to the organization of the 10th edition of the Irtijal Festival, Lebanon’s renowned, annual improvisation celebration.

Text taken from Ruptured Online

Image: Marc “One Man Nation” Chia at the Ruptured Session and its host Ziad Nawfal. Image courtesy of Tanya Traboulsi