Performing on Saturday 4

Saudi Arabian singer and producer MSYLMA brings the poignant sounds of his debut album to Rewire 2020. Released on the progressive electronic music label Halcyon Veil last year, ‘Dhil-un Taht Shajarat Al-Zaqum’, which translates as “a patch of shade under the zaqum tree”, is a coming-of-age allegory, sung in classical Arabic over a production palette of chilly grime and moody electronica. Influenced by pre-Islamic and Quranic poetry, ‘Dhil-un Taht Shajarat Al-Zaqum’ connects ancient existentialism with modern day anxieties as MSYLMA charts a life from childhood naivety to cynical adulthood. A collaborator of Zuli, who also features on the album, MSYLMA is a rousing new voice to emerge from the Middle East.