How Music is Breaking Borders – Palestine Underground X Boiler Room

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palestine underground boiler room

Music is a global language and artists in Israel are using it to transcend the borders keeping them apart and stirring up a revolution of sorts to bring the musical community together across the government imposed borders within the country.

With the very first Boiler Room event on Palestinian territory taking place in Ramallah in June 2018, they found hope and motivation to make it work and come together. In an effort to document the resilience and dedication of this burgeoning music scene, Palestine Underground by Boiler Room, 4:3 and Ma3azef came through with a 27-minute documentary bringing to light their struggles and efforts. Remaining undeterred in an environment fuelled solely by political restrictions, the artists share their journey of building bridges, collaborating on music and coming through on the brighter side together.

Following the life of these artists and their endeavours for a week prior to the event, they found how Jazar Crew, a Palestinian music collective have for the past ten years been fostering a vibrant party scene in Haifa, as an alternative to the mainstream club scene in Israel.

Through the mammoth realm of the internet, the crew came in contact with a number of artists from Ramallah, Palestine and defied the wall restricting their travels to and from the West Bank. They eventually began to organise events with Techno DJ’s Sama and Oddz as well as talent from the hip-hop and trap scene including collectives like Saleb Wahaj and Bltnm across the walls.

Ending on an apt note, Sama says Palestine isn’t on the tourist map for its music scene inspite of being so vibrant since, “It’s not Berlin.” But this new era of resistance by way of the arts has been made loud and clear by these talented artists and collectives given a voice to the global music community by way of Boiler Room.

While the Palestine Underground documentary has brought the issues to light since some time now, A part of Contemporary Scenes, uncovers the underground collectives, artists and subcultures from across the world.

Akshay Bhanawat

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