Soundbath explores the potential for electronic music to be healing. Audiences were invited to a multi-sensory evening to experience the power of sound to uplift as well as calm you.

Performed live in collaboration with My Panda Shall Fly and Alaa Kassim.

Soundbath - Live (London)

Excerpt from a live performance in Tehran.

Bedoon pt. 2 - Live (Tehran)

Intrigued by pearl diving music of the Arabian Gulf, Zahed Sultan embarks on a journey to explore its roots and discover musical bridges between past traditions and present trends through a collaborative residency and live performance program entitled ‘Hiwar’ (Arabic for dialogue).

Music by
Ali Al Ishr Band - Vocals, Percussion
Aaron Kim – Modular Synthesizer, Keyboard
Cromwell Ojeda – Electric Guitar
Shadi Megallaa – Percussion, Melodica
Zahed Sultan – Percussion

Salam Salam (Qadri)/ Live @ HOS Sharjah

Ala Warjn (Mkholif)/ Live @ HOS Sharjah

Ya Dhaym Lowmak Gadara (Basta) / Live @ HOS Sharjah

Kawkab Nabat (Mkholif)/ Live @ HOS Sharjah

Dalal (دلال) is Arabic for fondness, passion. I started writing this song late into the pandemic. The process is very near to me because I had started taking piano lessons a few months earlier to be able to read and write music for orchestra / film one day. This is the first song that I write by hand, sitting at a piano playing chords and working out melodies / arrangements and then sharing the song with highly talented musicians to take it a step further. Releasing the song has been a struggle. It was originally just vocals and piano. I went around in circles until I realized what was missing. Adding orchestral arrangements gave the song a cinematic feel. It was able to rise and fall now, like taking in and letting out deep breaths and feeling grounded.

Dalal is a reimagined version of ‘Asho,’ an iconic 90’s party song from Kuwait by Miami Band. In the song, I reframe the lyrics and melody of ‘Asho’ into an intimate piano / orchestral ballad that explores themes of loss and separation from loved ones.

Dalal is available on all digital music platforms (Link in bio).

Zahed Sultan - Vocals, Producer, Mixing, Arranger
Sanaz Sotoudeh - Piano, Arranger
Martin Ash - Violin, Viola, Arranger
Natalie Morgan - Cello
Tristan Butler - Timpani, Percussion
Neil Pickles - Mastering

Dalal (Instrumental)

Dalal

About The Album
Over the span of five years, Zahed Sultan wrote, arranged, and produced a debut musical album that promises to evoke. Hi Fear, Lo Love builds on his mixed cultural heritage and worldly experiences. Zahed Sultan fuses the local with the global to tell the cyclical story of intimate human relationships.  The result is a dynamic amalgamation of sounds for the musical enthusiast of tomorrow.  

Zahed Sultan’s debut music album Hi Fear, Lo Love is available for download on all major online music stores: iTunes, Amazon mp3, mySpace Music, shockhound.com, Thumbplay, emusic, Zune, IMVU, Nokia Music Store, Spotify, Napster, and Medianet.


I Want Her But I Don't Want Her

Layl is Arabic for night. In this remix of my original song with the same name, I layer contemporary cinematic strings on spiralling vocals, deep synths, and rich dance rhythms to give greater meaning to the song’s themes of love and loss.
.
Layl is a reimagination of a famous Lebanese disco song from the 70’s by the Bendaly Family ‘Do You Love Me.’

Layl (Remix)

Save on Spotify

Hindi Majnoon loosely translates to ‘Crazy Indian.’ In this remix of my original song with the same name, I layer pulsating South Asian / Arab percussions on a chunky dance beat driven by grooving synth keys and an unexpected ending with uplifting strings and lush melodies.
.
Hindi Majnoon is a song about me being bullied for being half Indian while growing up in Kuwait and how it became my superpower!

Hindi Majnoon (Remix)

Dalal (Remix)

Available on iTunes http://bit.ly/1qYJ6yR

Buy on iTunes

Ghazi غازي

From the upcoming album 'eyeamsound' due out 2015.

كويتي صدق يا رجال

ما الذي يدفعنا
ان نتقبل الوضع
... هكذا

يا اصحاب الحب
و كاره الحقد
ارقصوا
... هكذا

يا اصحاب الودّ
ألقوا اسلحتكم
ولملموا اخوانكم
... هكذا

امضوا سوياً في سبيل الحق
رافعي رؤوسكم
... هكذا

ولا تخشوا ما لا تعرفون
وكونوا دوماً صابرين
... هكذا

... هكذا... هكذا

يا اهل الخليخ العربي
شدوا ازرة بعضكم بعضاً
... هكذا

يا اهل العروبة
توحدوا جميعاً معاً
... هكذا

حركوا انفسكم
... هكذا

حركوا طزطوزكم
... هكذا

واستمتعوا بأوقاتكم
... هكذا

Hakatha هكذا

INTI (Arabic for 'You') is a crossover song that brings together contemporary AfroBeats and Dancehall fused with traditional sea music percussions from the Arabian Gulf layered with nostalgic 80s synths and playful Arabic trap/melancholic vocals. The song explores themes of love and loss which is highlighted in the chorus by repeating the phrase 'You & Me' in Arabic.

INTI means so much to me because I have grown so much from the process of writing, recording, and releasing it. It took me months of trial and error to be able to create a song that binds Western and Eastern vocal melodies together harmoniously.

The most beautiful part of INTI (in my eyes) is the breakdown at 1min. 55 sec. in which I sing the word ‘you’ repeatedly to reinforce my feelings. Singing in Arabic carries a different feeling for me. And expressing emotion through intricate Arabic words and melodies pushes the expression to indescribable heights.

INTI is a new path for me musically. I hope you find connection and beauty in the song in the same way that I did creating it.

Production / Arrangement / Mixing Zahed Sultan
Additional Mixing Clinton McCreary
Mastering Neil Pickles

Lyrics (Arabic)

انتي، انتي

ما كنت اقول الي فيني من خوفي الي صار صار
وانتي قلت لي العيوب الي فيني ما ترحم
الفرقة تدوم ودموعي تلوم القربة
غيوبك سكون وفي عيني غيوم يا ويلا

اخفيت الهموم مهما كانت تكون في اماكن لا توصل
من قمة الخجل وفقدان الامل جسدي اه
ودمرة هالعروق اصبغت هالروح بألوان لا تُشرح
نسيان الحياة هو ظل الوفاة ما هو الآخرة

انتي، انا وانتي
انا وانتي، انتي انتي
انتي، انا وانتي
انا و... انتي

غابت الشمس واختفت اللمسة الى خلتنا سوا
واشعة القمر اغرقت العمر في محيط مخفي محاط
هزم الغين ونقل العين الى فاء قاف كاف
لمن هو هاء هاء، هاء واو ياء

العادة تنعاد وحزني يزداد معزول في الرباب
ينقال الشرف هو تهدئة الشغف ودفنه سراب
انتي الشين وانتي الزين يا عين يا ليل
انتي السؤال وانتي الجواب وانتي في كل ما بين

انتي
انتي
انتي،انتي
انتي
انتي،

انتي، انا وانتي
انا وانتي، انتي انتي
انتي، انا وانتي
انا و... انتي

انتي،انتي

INTI

From the album 'eyeamsound', available worldwide 02.06.15

أنا بدون من أنت تكون
أنا بدون لست العدو

فاقدون نفسهم 
غارقون في نقودهم
كثيرون يقولون لي عوم
و كيف أعوم و أنا المظلوم
و من سجون عيونهم 
أنا منكم أنا فيكم
و احذروا لا تسمعوا
غافلون يوسوسوا
ناظروا في ضعفهم
من عموق قلوبكم
و قولوا

أنا بدون من أنت تكون
أنا بدون لست العدو
أنا بدون من أنت تكون
أنا بدون لست العدو

آن الأوان يالعاقلون
أن تجلبوا حلول
على الذين ينكرون
إني كنت إنسان
عازليني من تاريخكم
غارقيني في سواد نفطكم 
فأرا أنا في الظل
أحيا على التسمم 
و ما ذقتم التسمم 
هالفساد يبغى تهدم
فقولوا معي لا تخجلوا
أنا بدون لست منكم

أنا بدون من أنت تكون
أنا بدون لست العدو
أنا بدون من أنت تكون
أنا بدون لست العدو

واللي يقول إني العدو
أنا أقول إني بدون
أنا أقول إني بدون
أنا بدون لست العدو


Bedoon  بدون

No Me Canto

Stay

Hurt

A collection of unreleased works-in-progress from my archive.

Ihsas (WIP 2005)

In celebration of its five-year anniversary, this is an unreleased version of 'I Want Her But I Don’t Want Her' from a live performance in Tehran (Iran).

I Want Her But I Don't Want Her - Live (Tehran)

Acrobatic Heirs
Lead The Way
To God Knows Where
Boxers In The Ring
Cinematic _________
Strings
Diamond Crusted Pearls
Worn By
Erotic Go Go Girls
Pollen In The Air
Leads the Way
To God Knows Where
Knows Where, Knows Where

She Brings Me Cake & Butter
She Wants To Meet My Mother
But I Can’t Get Myself to Tell Her
That I Belong To Another

Trailers On The Beach
Passers By
Wrinkles On Their Feet
Ladies Debonair 
Fur Coats
To Warm Their Derriere
Playgrounds In The Street
Scarecrows
Cartoons On TV
Knockin On The Door
God Only Knows, Who Calls

My Mother
My Mother
You Can't Meet
My Mother

She Brings Me Cake & Butter
She Wants To Meet My Mother
But I Can’t Get Myself to Tell Her
That I Belong To Another

She Brings Me Cake & Butter
She Treats Me Like No Other
But I Can’t Get Myself to Tell Her
I Still Belong To Another

Cake & Butter

Intrigued by pearl diving music of the Arabian Gulf, Zahed Sultan embarks on a journey to explore its roots and discover musical bridges between past traditions and present trends through a project entitled ‘Hiwar’ (Arabic for dialogue).

This remix is 1 of 4 created from a series of collaborations with producers from various cities to re-imagine pearl diving music through Jamaican Dub music.

The 'Hiwar Sessions' EP is available worldwide on iTunes & Spotify.

Remixed by Muqata'a
Performed by Ali Al Ishr Band
Produced by Zahed Sultan
Mastered at Soup Studio (London)

Awal Ma Nabdi (Muqata'a's Ramallah Dub)

Intrigued by pearl diving music of the Arabian Gulf, Zahed Sultan embarks on a journey to explore its roots and discover musical bridges between past traditions and present trends through a project entitled ‘Hiwar’ (Arabic for dialogue).

This remix is 3 of 4 created from a series of collaborations with producers from various cities to re-imagine pearl diving music through Jamaican Dub music.

The 'Hiwar Sessions' EP is available worldwide on iTunes & Spotify.

Remixed by Etyen
Performed by Ali Al Ishr Band
Additional Production by Muqata'a
Produced by Zahed Sultan
Mastered at Soup Studio (London)

Ya Dhaym Nawma (Etyen's Beirut Dub)

Recorded in Bob Marley’s legendary Tuff Gong Studio, I journeyed to Kingston, Jamaica to shoot a documentary and collaborate with emerging musicians on a new sound. 'Mama Bamba' is the first single from the upcoming Vibrations EP due for release this summer.

Mama Bamba

Like This

In the Spring of 2017, Red Bull Music Academy brought 7 events and over 30 artists to Dubai for the city’s first ever Red Bull Music Academy Weekender. For the opening night, I was invited to present my project 'Hiwar' which re-imagines the musical heritage of traditional pearl-diving music from the Arabian Gulf through audio, visual, and dance.

This song is a recording from the live performance.

Simsima (Basta)/ Live @ RBMA Wkndr Dubai

Ya Ghazal (Mkholif) / Live @ RBMA Wkndr Dubai

In a follow up to his Summer 2017 release Mama Bamba, Zahed Sultan returns with a Tribal-Reggae track ‘Monkey Riddim’ which he recorded at Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston, Jamaica.

‘Monkey Riddim’ was recorded as part of Zahed’s debut documentary film, VIBRATIONS and features the vocal talents of Chedda and Bugzy from Jamaica. The song fuses typical percussions from Kuwait and Jamaica to create a modern Tribal-Reggae sound which is reinforced by vibrant samples of jungle ambiance and hard-hitting verses in Patois.

Monkey Riddim (feat. Chedda & Bugzy)

Kawkab Nabat (Basta) / Live @ RBMA Wkndr Dubai

A live audio-dance performance of unreleased and reimagined recordings from my Hiwar project which explores traditional pearl diving music from the Arabian Gulf.

Live @ La Bellevilloise (Paris)

Recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown in London, ‘Layl’ is a reimagination of a famous Lebanese disco song from the 70’s by the Bendaly Family ‘Do You Love Me.’ In this song, I reframe the original version as a contemporary classical piece; placing it in a more melancholic and sad space. With spiraling vocals, deep synths, and rich violin textures, I give greater meaning to the song by expanding on its themes of love and loss; particularly fitting in light of the tragic explosion in Beirut and the crippling of its creative community.

I found a personal connection in ‘Layl’ through the original version’s music video which was shot in Kuwait on the Waterfront, a project designed by my late father Ghazi Sultan. The release of ‘Layl’ marks a new path for me as I dedicate myself to rethinking Arab culture through music and multimedia performance.

CREDITS

Composing, Arranging: Zahed Sultan
Vocals: Zahed Sultan
Violins: Martin Ash
Keys: Al MacSween
Mixing: Toni Economides, Zahed Sultan
Mastering: Neil Pickles

Layl

'Ana' is a reimagined version of a famous protest song 'Arrabi al Arabe' by Mariem Hassan, the iconic voice of the Sahrawi people. Sung in Hassaniya, I add beats, percussions, and synths and sing with Mariem in Arabic to build on calls of freedom and unity.

'Ana' is available on all digital music platforms.

LYRICS (Zahed Sultan)
همي يزول آمين آمين
والحلم يفوق فوق المدين
ما لي مردود ما لي ما لي
انا المحظوظ اعفي قلبي

روحي مظلومة تلالي تالي
جسدي مسدود من غياب نفسي
الزين شالو والكوابيس تمضي
انا كاف العيوب عاطفي آدمي 

CREDITS
Composing, Arranging: Zahed Sultan
Vocals: Zahed Sultan, Mariem Hassan
Samples: Mariem Hassan 'Arrabi al Arabe'
Additional Keys: Al MacSween, Mike Patto
Mixing: Toni Economides, Zahed Sultan
Mastering: Neil Pickles

Ana (feat. Mariem Hassan)

In a follow up to Ana, a folk-pop song taken from the protest tune Arrabi al Arabe by Mariem Hassan, I'm releasing Hindi Majnoon, a pop-nostalgia song about being bullied for being half-Indian while growing up in Kuwait and how it became my superpower!

Sung in Arablish (Arabic and English) with hints of Hindi, I introduce a new sound I call Pop Nostalgia which reshapes the past in a contemporary way. Hindi Majnoon features chunky rhythms and playful retro synths driven by textured vocals. Through tactful wordplay, I reclaim my power by taking ownership of all the tropes that I and my family have been mocked for. Through the release of Hindi Majnoon, I continue to shape a crossover sound of my own.

Hindi Majnoon is available on all digital music platforms.

CREDITS:
Composing, Arranging: Zahed Sultan
Vocals: Zahed Sultan
Additional Keys: Al MacSween, Mike Patto
Mixing: Toni Economides, Zahed Sultan
Mastering: Neil Pickles

Zahed Sultan

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks