Islam Chipsy at Beirut & Beyond International Music Festival 2014

Beirut & Beyond is the first independent annual showcase festival in Lebanon that promotes young music talents from the Arab World and beyond.

Created in partnership with the Oslo World Music Festival, Beirut & Beyond is more than a series of concerts. It’s about exceptional musicians, a celebration of diverse musical genres, (folk, acoustic, alternative, jazz, hip hop and much more). It’s about the on-stage, the back-stage, and every stage in between. It’s about workshops, talks and opportunities to network and meet great people who are shaking and reshaping the music scene in Beirut and beyond.

Islam Chipsy
In a dark club, a shorthaired man stands in front of a synthesizer, bashing his arms about as if he was playing the drums. Flanked by two drummers, it is the synth which dominates the sound.

The wretched instrument squeaks, screams, howls, accompanied by a rhythm felt like repetitive blows to the belly. Getting over the initial shock and making sense of the melodies, you’ll find them Oriental – still they are warped in a way that make them more similar to an old Commodore 64 game.

Islam Chipsy represents the avant-garde of a new wave of Egyptian electronica where classical Arab music and shaabi folk tunes are shaped into an uncompromising sound referred to as mahraganat. He should not be taken for an amateur, however – he is a classically trained musician with unbelievable precision and energy. This is guaranteed to be the festival’s most danceable gig.

Cost
15,000 LL

Tickets on sale at any Ticketing Box-Office branch.