Quartertones | Music from the Arab World

Breaking conventional boxes is at the core of Palestinian musician, composer, and singer-songwriter Huda Asfour’s artistic identity. This conversation delves into her rich heritage and a multifaceted career that spans from biomedical engineering to intimate live performances with her electro-acoustic oud and a looper pedal. She shares her perspective on transforming classical Arabic music repertoire to reflect raw, contemporary experiences while processing the deep emotional impacts of conflict. From discussing the complexities of cultural representation to her latest solo tour project, Naqous, she highlights the ultimate importance of fighting built-in music industry structures through community connection.

 

00:00 Introduction

01:04 Navigating Identity

08:12 Contrasting Dynamics of a Musical Upbringing

10:25 Pedagogical Pivots

13:10 Interdisciplinary Curiosity & Creative Problem Solving

15:20 Borderless Spaces

22:01 Seeking Social Connection

26:47 The Traps of Iconic Cultural Symbolism

31:12 Injecting Raw Textures into Traditional Frameworks

35:33 Cultural Metaphors & Breaking Preserved Formats

46:19 Minimalistic Gear & Finding Intimate Realities

54:02 Alternative Spaces & Fighting Industry Limits

 

Huda Asfour is a Palestinian musician, composer, improviser, and singer-songwriter based in New York City. She comes from a musical family and began formal training in music in Tunis at the age of 13. In 1996, she joined the National Conservatory of Music in Gaza. She was mentored by Khaled Jubran at the Edward Said Music Conservatory and by qanoun player Said Rajab in Cairo. In 2004, she co-founded Jehar band with Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, a musical experiment which molded Arabic folk and Levantine classical repertoire for young Palestinians emerging from the siege of the Second Intifada. She is also a biomedical engineer and social entrepreneur. Her active projects include CounterImprov, Ballando il Vento (a collaboration with Italian classical musicians), and the Huda & Kamyar project with Iranian setar player Kamyar Arsani. She has performed at the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center, and has been profiled in Al-Ahram Online and DCist.

 

Connect with Huda Asfour 👉 https://www.instagram.com/hudasmusic/

 

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf
» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts
⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra

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Starting at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music at age seven, Palestinian composer and multi-instrumentalist Wanees Zarour discusses his musical journey, he details how he fell in love with string instruments like the violin and the buzuq. The conversation explores his original music group, East Loop, and how he blends microtonal music and Arabic tradition into a jazz framework. Additionally, he shares insights on serving as the director for the Middle East Music Ensemble at the University of Chicago and the experience of Arab musicians in the diaspora.

 

00:00 Introduction

01:41 The Early Days at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music

05:41 Cultural History & Musical Underground in Palestine

08:19 Childhood Musical Influences and Repertoire

09:47 Discovering the Buzuq

13:49 Introducing East Loop & the Evolution of Silwan

21:40 Exploring Arabic Musical Structures & Form Variations

26:16 Chicago’s Arabic Music Scene

28:25 Breaking Down the Iraqi Georgina Rhythm in Festival

33:02 Challenging Jazz Boundaries with Microtonal Instruments

37:18 The Middle East Music Ensemble

40:23 The Tribute to Ziad Rahbani

42:37 Music as Expression vs. Entertainment

50:24 Connection & Separation within the Arab Diaspora Scene

 

Wanees Zarour is an award-winning Palestinian-American composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist steeped in the traditions of maqam and jazz. Born in Ramallah, Palestine, he began his musical training at age seven at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, where he studied Western classical violin and buzuq. He moved to the United States at 16. He is a faculty member at the University of Chicago and has directed the University of Chicago's Middle East Music Ensemble since 2010, growing it into an 85-piece orchestra serving as a national cornerstone for MENA music in America. He also co-directs the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, a 14-piece rotating ensemble of world music masters, with guitarist Fareed Haque. He leads East Loop, a jazz septet fusing Arabic maqam and jazz. His 2026 album Silwan (East Loop) was reviewed by DownBeat Magazine (March 2026), All About Jazz, and The Jazz Word. He received the 3Arts Award in 2024. He is a faculty member at the Arabic Music Retreat and GLOMUS, and holds masterclasses at universities across the US.

 

Connect with Wanees Zarour 👉 https://instagram.com/wanees_zarour

 

Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

 

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf
» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts
⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A deep exploration of the shifting relationship between sound, politics, and the visceral search for home with Hamed Sinno. The discussion moves from their childhood in Beirut, where they internalize a sense of being an outsider, to their time at the American University of Beirut (AUB), where they began to understand the expectations of a generation raised for export. Reflecting on the intense collaborative magic of their era with the band Mashrou’ Leila, they share the unique challenges of a musical collective coming up against governments and their eventual transition toward solitary and experimental sound work. The conversation also tackles the limits of representational politics, with Sinno explaining why they have shifted their focus toward direct political organizing outside of the arts. They examine the power of the listener, describing how an audience's perspective can transform a song into a political symbol far beyond the artist's original intent. Finally, they reflect on the recurring experience of political heartbreak, the difficulty of maintaining hope and the enduring, complicated pull of returning home to Lebanon.

0:00 Introduction

2:05 Finding Refuge: Distance and Identity in Transit

6:52 The Limits of Representation and the Function of Art

9:00 Bullying and the Seattle Grunge Escape

11:23 The Classed Bubble of Beirut

13:06 The Search for an Authentic Voice

15:58 Injecting Politics into Popular Discourse

18:22 The Magic of Collaborative Music

20:42 The Radical Intimacy of a Collective

23:54 Negotiating Worst-Case Scenarios

26:15 The Political Act of the "We"

27:31 Coming Up Against Governments: When Sound Meets Power

30:24 Solo vs. Collective

32:12 Surviving Political and Personal Heartbreak

35:13 Political Reality in an Undemocratic Time

38:45 Organizing Outside the Window Dressing

41:40 Popular Culture as a Strategic Tool

43:18 No-Input Mixing: Feedback Loops as a Physical Experience

44:40 Student Organizing and the Rhetoric of Palestine

49:23 Taxpayer Complicity and the Pull of Home

51:00 The Dream of Returning

53:50 Disassociating from the Beast

56:32 How a Cover Becomes a Revolution

58:42 Becoming a Meme: Intention vs. Cultural Resonance

59:40 Current Musical Resonance

Hamed Sinno is a writer, musician and activist born and raised in Beirut, and currently living in New York. They have an MA in Digital Musics from Dartmouth College, and a BFA from the Department of Architecture and Design at the American University in Beirut, where they founded and fronted Lebanese indie band, Mashrou Leila, until the group disbanded in 2022. Their song-writing leverages rhetoric, poetry, and social justice to weaponize popular culture. With a fatwa and multiple bans under their belt, Sinno moved to the US, and is currently exploring narratives of estrangement, while centering their research on vocality, and voice synthesis as sites of political negotiation.

 

Connect with Hamed Sinno 👉 https://instagram.com/hamed.sinno

 

Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

 

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf
» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts
⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Zeyne joins Quartertones after her performance at XP Air and discusses her journey from being too shy to share her voice to becoming an artist who finds empowerment in letting her art out. She reflects on the influences of her family who instilled in her a love for music, Arab culture, and the Palestinian cause. Growing up taking vocal and piano lessons Zeyne shares that she only recently started writing lyrics, having previously focused on composing. The conversation delves into the unique power and cultural significance of Dabke, which she considers underrated. She asserts that her generation of Arab artists is more daring and edgy in delivering messages, marking a new wave in Arabic music that is honest and empowering. She speaks about the importance of reclaiming the Arab narrative and using art as a form of social justice. Finally, she shares the story behind her song "Bali" from her album Awda, a track that was intensely personal and helped unlock a creative block.

 

This episode was recorded on December 4, 2025

 

Explore XP Air 👉 https://www.instagram.com/xpmusicfutures/

 

0:00 Introduction

1:35 Sharing Her Voice Pre-COVID

3:27 How An Early Producer Encouraged Her To Write Her Own Music

5:17 From Composer to Lyricist: Finding Her Voice in Writing

6:57 Why She Hid Her Singing Talent Growing Up

7:31 Vocal Lessons as a Holy Place

8:45 Parental Influences: Music, Culture, and the Palestinian Cause

11:22 Dabke: Underrated, Essential, and Rich in Culture

13:42 Reclaiming Our Narrative

14:39 Navigating the Music Industry's Reputation

16:56 Family Support

17:55 Camaraderie and the New Wave of Arab Artists

19:49 The Story Behind "Bali" and the Awda Album

 

Zeyne first burst onto the music scene in early 2021 with her debut single "Minni Ana" and two years later, her body of work has garnered over 48 million streams. As an ambassador for Equal Arabia, her influence extends beyond music, lighting up Times Square and championing important causes through her artistry and public presence. Her groundbreaking debut on the renowned COLORS show with "Ma Bansak" marked her as the first female artist from the Levant to appear on this global platform. In 2025, she went on The Golden-Hour Run, which included a landmark performance at OffLimits Festival in the UAE, as well as two major stadium appearances as a special guest on Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour in Qatar and Bahrain with a total number of attendees of 65,000.

 

Connect with Zeyne 👉 https://instagram.com/zeyne

 

Hosted by Mikey Muhanna

 

Connect directly with Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

 

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns

 

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES:

» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556

» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf

» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

 

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK

Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh 

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf
» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts
⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tunisian artist Soudeni joins Quartertones recorded live at XP Air and talks about her musical journey and the influences that shaped her sound. She introduces the idea of Harissa Pop – her playful way of describing music rooted in Tunisian culture but open to contemporary sounds. The touches on nostalgia, identity, and the challenges Tunisian artists face when trying to be heard beyond their borders.

 

This episode was recorded on December 4, 2025

 

Explore XP Air 👉 https://www.instagram.com/xpmusicfutures/

 

00:00 Introduction

01:06 The Absence of Tunisia in the Music Scene

01:35 The Fairuz of Tunisia: Lotfi Bouchnak

02:30 Nostalgia as a Creative Tool in Music

03:00 Soudeni’s Musical Journey and Influences

09:30 Introducing Harissa Pop

10:56 The Feeling of Forgetting Tunisia

11:35 Breaking the Algorithm with Tunisian Music

16:00 Two Different Artists

17:30 The Story Behind the Name “Soudeni”

 

Soudeni is a Tunisian musical artist known for her unique musical style often described as "Harissa Pop". She is recognized for blending traditional Tunisian and Arabic music with contemporary genres like disco, funk, electronica, and new wave.

 

Connect with Soudeni 👉 https://instagram.com/soudenimusic

 

Hosted by Mikey Muhanna

 

Connect directly with Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

 

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns

 

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES:

» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556

» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf

» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

 

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK

Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh 

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf
» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts
⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.