A Journey Through Arabic Percussion | Karim Nagi

In this episode of Quartertone, Karim Nagi takes us on a journey into the world of Arabic percussion and rhythm. He talks about his experience as a musician and how the arts – and percussion in particular – have helped him embrace and grow into his own Arab identity. He shares his advice for musicians who are just embarking on their own journeys, and his top recommendations for albums and musicians to listen to.

Karim gives us a fascinating lesson on various aspects of Arab music, walking us through the different iqa’at’, maqamat and taqaseem, and explaining the four levels of mastery of the daff or riq. Finally, he gives us a preview of his latest album Karama which celebrates different styles of music from the Arab world.

Karim Nagi is an Egyptian musician, composer, folk dance artist and DJ. His music is influenced by both Arabic traditions and contemporary music from around the globe. He specializes in Arabic hand percussion and music ensemble performance. In 2001, he launched the Arabiqa program which educates children and adults on Arabic culture through music and arts rather than through religion and politics.

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK

QuarterTones is afikra’s music podcast which hosts current Arab musicians from different geographies who play contemporary and modern music, including alternative scene or hip-hop, electronic, classical music, among other genres. The guests are invited to talk about their work and play their music – whether live or recorded – in three segments. The audience gets a chance to listen to some of the most interesting work from across the region and genres, and understand the music that these musicians and musicologists perform or study.