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We will now keep on talking about music and move from eastern music, to western music
with the musician Rabih Salloum. Rabih, welcome to our show.
Rabih, you're a Lebanese musician living in France, and your first album is written in English: how do you link all of that together?
What's the concept behind this?
It's not about any concept, and I don't have to have a concept.
For instance, we're in Beirut now, and when I entered the studio, everyone greeted me saying "Bonjour" (in French)
even though we're in Lebanon
So I can't tell you why exactly,
but probably because I grew up listening to American and English music, more than French...
And that's the main reason - it's more natural for you in English
That's it
When i write a song, I see it in English. - Let's mention that you wrote all the songs on the album
And the musician Nabil Saliba is the one who worked more on the music and the sound production
Indeed, but there some of them that we wrote together too - So it was a collaboration
and each one had a specific role - Exactly
Now let us talk about how you started the project, Rabih
It started in 2006, Nabil was in Beirut and you were in France - Indeed
Tell us more about the context
Okay, in 2006 I was involved a band in France and Nabil was involved in another band here
And we met on the internet through a website
that gathered many Lebanese underground musicians
and when I came to Lebanon
we met up and became friends
and by the end of summer we decided to work on a song, it was a joke more than anything else.
So we did it
and then we put it on the internet and it created a huge buzz
and we started getting a lot of messages from people saying that it was a great track.
So we decided to work together and so...
each time I came to Lebanon we worked together on a song or two,
every few months, a song or two... and that's basically it.
And that's why it took you some time to release this first album - True
Between you living in Paris and recording in Lebanon... Who sponsored the project?
It started a self-produced project, I'd just come to Lebanon every now and then to do it
and then a record label based in London, Ringside, showed some interest in working with us,
and they produced this album.
That's how it happened.
And that's how Slutterhouse's debut album was born, we'll now listen to an extract from this first record.
We just saw a few band photos, what can you tell us about them?
These photos were taken by a very talented Lebanese photographer called Tanya Traboulsi
It's the last series we've done..
We've done a lot of photos during these past 3 years, and we decided to show the latest ones today.
And the album cover was taken from these photos, right? - Exactly, it was that photo with the title Slutterhouse
Let's inform everyone now about the album launch party, it's going to be at the Basement (Beirut)
this Friday, followed by a concert. - True
It'll start at 9pm, at the Basement, next Friday the 11th of September.
The doors open at 9pm, the concert will start at 10pm,
and each person who will come to the gig will get a copy of the album,
and after that we're just going to hang out and meet everyone, sign the records, etc.
And when will the album be available in stores? - The next day...
if all the people who are working on this are doing their job properly, then it will be in stores the very next day.
Ouch, who are you targeting there? Anything we need to know? - No of course not, but...
you never know... - Hopefully it will be out on time,
meaning this Saturday then, right? - Indeed
This will be your first concert in Lebanon, though you've already toured the world!
- we've toured in Europe, yes - How were you received?
- The reception were great, that was the reason why a British record label got interested in signing us.
We played everywhere from Paris, Milan, Copenhagen, Stockholm, even Ibiza...
People started to talk and write about us in Europe...
That's how it started, and it's our first concert in Lebanon indeed.
During these European concerts, you and Nabil performed songs from this album, right?
How were the reactions of the fans?
The reactins were very positive, of course, I mean
anyone who wishes to produce and album and finance it, the first thing they look at is the reaction of the people.
And the reactions were great...
And that's it... which is why, we believe that it's going to work out here.
Was the album released in Europe, Rabih? - No, not yet...
we're going to release a 5-tracke EP in November,
and we're hoping that the album will follow 3 months later, maybe the start of 2010.
- So you must have started working on the 2nd album... - Indeed
- Is it all going to be in English too? Or will there be some songs in French, Arabic...?
- No it's all going to be in English, just like the first album.
- The first album "Made in Dance". - Yes, this same "Made in Dance" that's later being released in Europe.
Hopefully by 2010 like I said.
I was asking if you think about writing songs in Arabic... - No, mmm. No.
I don't think so at all... - That's a very clear answer!
- I do listen sometimes to Arabic music, but no.
- Because a lot of people are now mixing Arabic lyrics with Western electronic music...
- That's right, but that's if your main target is Lebanon, or the Middle East...
but this is not our case at all... - It's not your goal? - Not at all no.
We're just releasing the album in Lebanon first because this is where we come from, but...
But you are Lebanese, shouldn't Lebanon be your main target as well?
- Well this is where we're starting but Lebanon's very difficult, because there aren't any... Lebanon is difficult because...
- Maybe do you think that the electronic music scene in Lebanon is too small to be taken seriously?
- No it's not that small, I mean it definitely isn't as small as we think it is, but they make us believe that it's tiny.
And there are mistakes from both the people and the media, for instance,
people who are into this music never watch television because to them,
television doesn't have the necessary culture for this kind of music, while it should!
- You mean nothing to please them? - Exactly
On ther other hand, the media itself doesn't care nor is it curious about what's going on in that scene...
By the way, I'm not criticizing anyone, I'm just describing to you how things really happen, it's normal.
So the media isn't interested because it believes that this scene is too small, and it's not...
it's not profitable enough and doesn't let them make as much money as Arabic pop music does.
- So which Arabic music do you listen to? Do you follow the new artists coming up
and who, like we said, mix Arabic music with Western electronic music, or do you prefer older music?
- No it's mainly old music because...
I don't really have time to watch TV especially because I don't live here...
and when I do come here I'm always too busy and don't really have time to discover new things...
so no I'm not really up-to-date with what's going on with Arabic music today...
so I was more thinking about Feiruz for example, and other older artists like her.
Thank you for coming Rabih, so to all of you who are into this kind of music, don't miss Slutterhouse this Friday
the 11th of September at the Basement, at 9pm. Thanks again for coming Rabih and good luck with everything.
-Thank you