No resident of Lebanon will tell you otherwise: the incessant noise of Israeli drones flying over the country – often at such low altitude that they become visible to the naked eye – is crazy.
This steady hum, day and night, often in A sharp, is hard to ignore and almost impossible to escape. Much more than a simple noise nuisance, it is a suspended threat, a (not so) subtle but relentless torture. Faced with this form of psychological harassment – which fuels anxiety, frustration, and a deep feeling of helplessness – Mohamed Choucair chooses to reverse the situation, to transform this sonic aggression into raw material, to be deconstructed and remodeled, just to regain some control and send, in return, your own message.
Mohamed Choucair at the helm of his sound projects. Courtesy of the artist.
He is a versatile artist, a jack of all trades in the arts and communication, originally from Beirut. Suffice to say that he is as comfortable behind a microphone at Radio alHara, behind the scenes of the Sursock museum, as on the turntables of a concert hall or immersed in the plans of his next sound project.
The artist thus created what he calls a unique “instrument” based on Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). Available as a free download, this “simpler” designed to make the process of sample-based sound design intuitive and straightforward – “it’s the ideal choice when you’re working with single audio clips or short loops, and you want to get quick results,” he explains – inviting users to transform the oppressive drone of these drones into unsettling music. The initiative, supported by collectives and artistic figures such as Earshot London, alHara, Ma3azef, Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Scene Noise, aims to raise awareness of the reality of permanent surveillance.
By integrating samples of this omnipresent noise into an electronic composition, the artist wanted to transform this oppression into a creative act. Users can make an optional donation in support of Dikken Mazraa, a Lebanese cooperative that powers open kitchens such as Great Oven, serving meals to displaced people across the country.
But how did the idea of this electro tinkering come to him?
It all began in Beirut, in the Ras el-Nabeh district, where Choucair grew up with a well-established sense of resourcefulness. Head to the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts to train in cinema, a choice that does not lack spice in a country where art often has the appearance of combat. If he knows Ballroom Blitz well, this alternative venue that has become cult for Beirut youth, it is because he is quite simply its co-founder. After four years of intense creativity, where he held positions as creative director, poster designer and video editor, he decided it was time to move on. Managing a concert hall in the middle of a crisis? Nothing to scare Mohamed Choucair, used to challenges… As for Radio alHara, it’s a bit of a story of friendship at the start: Palestinian and Jordanian friends, an online radio station to make yourself heard, and here is Mohamed who joins the team, then the “Sonic Liberation Front”, a show that looks like a sound manifesto. Engaged, the radio becomes a channel for relevant and political voices, and the artist, in his role within the central team, takes care to listen to everyone’s creations. Because in this world, not everyone is lucky enough to have a powerful voice, so you might as well take advantage of it.
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Then, back to Beirut, this time to the Noueiri district, after five years spent in Milan. There, a very particular soundtrack accompanies his daily life: that of Israeli drones which buzz constantly above the city, a symphony in A sharp that Mohamed Choucair knows by heart. By living with this aggressive background noise, an idea is born in his mind. He then recalls his collaboration with Lawrence Abu Hamdan on “Air Pressure”, a performance exploring violations of Lebanese airspace. Why not break down this noise pollution, transform it, make it say something else?
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So, Choucair records the drones and sets about reconfiguring them into a sound composition. Because he knows it well, art is an escape for the ears and a space of resistance. This project becomes a way of channeling anger, of regaining a little control over the unbearable. And at the same time, he continues to tour with “Air Pressure”, recently presented at the Autumn Festival in Paris. Added to this is a monthly show on Radio alHara, soon on NTS, and even an upcoming album, How to Swim in the Darkwhere drone sounds become a musical instrument in their own right. “Now your synthesizers can be as annoying as drones. As for whether they can be so lethal, it’s up to you to decide,” says the man who may not have invented “drone music” but who has certainly succeeded in softening adversity.
So, what can artists do in times like these, we finally ask him. For Mohamed Choucair, the answer is simple: focus on what they master, even if the world seems out of control. An irony perhaps, but above all a way of moving forward, again and again.
To download the musical instrument, click here.
To make a donation, here.
No resident of Lebanon will tell you otherwise: the incessant noise of Israeli drones flying over the country – often at such low altitude that they become visible to the naked eye – is crazy. This steady hum, day and night, often in A sharp, is hard to ignore and almost impossible to escape. Much more than a simple noise nuisance, it is a…
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