Arab British Centre host talk with Iraqi-British musician, composer and researcher Khyam Allami

This Friday, the Arab British Centre are hosting a talk with Khyam Allami, the Iraqi-British multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, researcher and founder of Nawa Recordings. With the Oud as his principal instrument, Allami’s artistic research focuses on the development of contemporary and experimental practice based on the fundamentals of Arabic music, with a focus on tuning and microtonality.

Allami recently developed two free programmes which aim to challenge the Western biases of music production software by allowing users to explore tuning systems from around the world, beyond the default options of the likes of Ableton and Logic. In turn, Allami hopes musicians can create digital sounds that authentically replicate their origins, in an accessible and inclusive way.

The talk forms part of the London charity’s Friday Hangout series – a free online programme designed to encourage a sense of cultural community throughout the pandemic. Run in partnership with MENA Arts UK, this week’s event will offer a space for Allami to discuss the experiences of MENA+ professionals and the importance of community, as well as his new software and tools to decolonise the production of music.

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