Muqata’a

Muqata’a (* Ramallah, Palestine) uses sampled material from records and tapes, electronic devices and field recordings, the results varying between hard beats, abstract sounds and glitches. He also composes film music and has worked on several compositions for dance theatre performances.

For Muqata’a, incorporating the sounds of traditional Palestinian music is a way of “keeping this cultural asset alive, preserving the past while also reviving it and insisting that these sounds and traditions continue to ring in the ears of present and future generations”.

His solo albums include “Kamil Manqus” (2021) on Dog Bite Records, “Inkanakuntu” (2018) on Discrepant Records, “Dubt Al-Ghubar” (2017) on Third Type Tapes, “La Lisana Lah” (2017) and “Hayawan Nateq” (2013).

He is the co-founder of the rap group Ramallah Underground Collective (2002 – 2009), which contributed significantly to the establishment of hip hop and the musical reflection of the complicated life in Palestine. Ramallah Underground also saw a collaboration with the American Kronos Quartet. Together with the artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, Muqata’a forms the artist group Tashweesh, in which the artists combine their different practices, bringing together sound, moving image, field recording, archival material and song. The trio also explores the relationship between installation and performative practice.