{"id":30411,"date":"2013-12-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/30411\/return-of-the-owl-acousmatik-system-makes-its-comeback"},"modified":"2023-08-30T07:10:53","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T07:10:53","slug":"return-of-the-owl-acousmatik-system-makes-its-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/30411\/return-of-the-owl-acousmatik-system-makes-its-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Return of the Owl: Acousmatik System Makes Its Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"Take a stroll through Hamra street, and you\u2019re sure to notice one peculiar owl<\/a> glaring at you from just about every wall. That owl is the logo of Acousmatik System, a local collective of electronic music artists and enthusiasts who for five years held a tight grip on Beirut\u2019s nightlife by organizing events centered around alternative electronic genres, showcasing local and international talents in the process.

However, Acousmatik\u2019s reign would come to an end in 2012, as each member of the crew departed to pursue their own personal ventures, leaving a great gap in the scene they had invigorated for so long. Earlier this month, an announcement many had been waiting for was made: Acousmatik System is returning on December 29<\/a> for a pre-launch party for local electronic producer Jad Atoui\u2019s upcoming debut album, Black Sea Series<\/i>.


(Photo via Facebook<\/a><\/small><\/small>)<\/i>

Acousmatik System first saw life in 2008 as the product of a group of close friends with a shared passion for art, culture, and music. \u201cWe wanted a change; we were bored of the routine, of the same Lebanese clubs, the same bars. We wanted to present an alternative to the Lebanese art scene<\/i>,\u201d says Acousmatik System co-founder Hadi Saleh, 25.

After multiple events, word of Acousmatik\u2019s nocturnal exploits had spread, earning them a devoted following and quickly making them among the major organizers of electronic and experimental music events in the country. \u201cOur logo, the infamous owl, was on every laptop, every car and every wall in the city,\u201d says Saleh.

Acousmatik\u2019s events served as platforms for all kinds of local artists, such as Munma, OkyDoky, RadioKVM, Jad Atoui, Mocques, Osman Arabi, The DnB project and many more, as well as international artists, mainly from major German Berlin-based label Ad Noiseam, who included Igorrr, Niveau Zero, Matta, Broken Note, One Man Nation, C-drik andEnd.user, among others.

In 2012, Acousmatik would host what would be their final event at the time. As part of Irtijal, the annual Lebanese festival dedicated to free improvisation and experimental music, Acousmatik were given their very own night on the program to do with as they pleased; and so they did, taking over Yukunkun for a night of abstract electronica and experimental noise.

After that, the system dissipated. Saleh explains: \u201cIt was the time to focus on each of our personal lives. Most of the crew left Beirut and started a new life and a new story.\u201d He continues, \u201cWe felt Beirut was limiting our development at some point and we wanted a change for ourselves and our future.\u201d


(Photo via Facebook<\/a><\/small><\/small>)<\/i>

Now, more than a year later, the system will be making its long-awaited return to Beirut to celebrate the impending release of Jad Atoui\u2019s debut album Black Sea Series<\/i>, with a live show featuring an all-star cast of local producers, some of whom have not graced a Beirut stage in years. The lineup includes: Liliane Chlela, Radio KVM, OkyDoky, and of course, Atoui.

Atoui, 20, started working with Acousmatik System in 2010, contributing both as a member of the crew and a featured artist. Feeling dissatisfied with the graphic design education he had been pursuing here, he moved to New York in August 2012 in order to further his studies in sound production. The move brought with it a whole new approach to his audio work.

Black Sea Series<\/i > sees the young producer examining the effect of the sounds of nature and the city on the perception of music. Atoui elaborates: \u201cThe idea of Black Sea Series<\/i >started with simple recordings of waves and stones in Lebanon. So in 2011, I came up with the first track of my series, Black Sea<\/i>. Then I decided to work on more tracks that suit the concept.\u201d