TootArd
Photos: Montecruz Foto, Philipp_Reinhard
2009 - present
TootArd, a genre-fluid duo comprising visionary brothers Hasan and Rami Nakhleh, is celebrated for their boundless creativity, consistently reshaping their musical landscape with each new release. Their artistry is a fusion of global pop hooks and quarter-tone melodic lines, crafting a distinctive blend of disco and dance music that draws inspiration from the rich musical traditions of SWANA (South-West Asia, North Africa) and beyond.
TootArd effortlessly melds retro funk elements with a contemporary, high-sheen sonic palette, resulting in a captivating and boundary-pushing musical journey. Their music transcends geographical borders, captivating audiences worldwide and solidifying their status as a dynamic force in the global music scene.
Hasan Kai
Photo: Alex Anderfuhren
2020 - present
The past year has been one of global darkness and isolation. Where companionship flickers through a screen rather than a human touch. It’s been a time to dive deep, to create and express those feelings bubbling up inside, to discover all the longing and the hope. For Hasan Kai, the months have brought the inspiration to define his guitar playing and compose the music on the EP Salma Sunshine (Carpet Ride Records).
From the first notes of the opening track, “Dance Of The Horses,” the lush blend of American guitar and West Asian microtones sets the record’s tone. The melody glides effortlessly, soaring and swooping as it carries the listener along.
The title track, named for the heroine of Khalil Gibran’s novel Broken Wings, captures the warm romance and endless stars of long, calm summer evenings. It’s a balm for the senses. Although everything flows so naturally, it took long periods of thought and experimentation for the melodies to arrive. Once they did, however, “just after the beginning of 2021, the recording was very quick.”
As we slowly come out of the darkness that’s covered the last 12 months, Salma Sunshine brings the promise of warmth and light and a hopeful future.
traces of the organ from aleppo to leipzig to cairo
Photo: Hiromi Gut
2024
embarking on a musical journey, this concert traces the melodic scales of ancient syrian churches, meandering through the harmonious depths of johann sebastian bach's organ-music, and reverberating back to the enchanting sounds of cairo's 60s and 70s arab-electric organ tunes. the electric organ became very popular in the middle east during this time and was altered to play quarter tones which allowed it to play most arabic maqam scales. this eclectic voyage serves as a testament to the interplay between diverse musical traditions, weaving a tapestry of cultural exchange and artistic evolution. hasan nakhleh from the band tootard will be leading the journey, accompanied by singer lynn adib, organist antonio garcía and percussionist rami nakhleh.
lynn adib (vocals/flute), antonio garcía (organ), rami nakhleh (percussion) &
hasan nakhleh (curation/electric organ/synthesizer)
location: chiesa evangelica at zwinglihaus, Zürich (https://guerillaclassics.org/)
Disco Said
2024 - present
disco said unearths hidden musical treasures, blending the charm of vintage Arabic melodies with contemporary sounds. Said's sound bridges eras, drawing inspiration from the soulful tones of retro Arabic organs and guitars while reimagining them with modern and trendy aesthetics. Through highly entertaining live performances, Disco Said crafts a unique auditory and visual experience, delivering nostalgia with a fresh twist. Whether evoking memories of decades past or introducing audiences to rare, timeless gems, Disco Said tells a story that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.
Photo: Baha Suliman
Peter and the Wolf
2025 - Collaboration with Swiss Symphony Orchestra Musikkollegium Winterthur
Sergei Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf
(Arabic narrator Hasan Nakhleh)
It's a globally successful children's concert classic: Sergei Prokofiev's musical fairy tale "Peter and the Wolf." It's probably thanks to its ingenious music that adults enjoy the story of brave Peter and the Big Bad Wolf just as much as children do.
By 2029, the 400th anniversary of the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the musical fairy tale "Peter and the Wolf" is to be translated into 29 languages.
A Bernese German version with TV presenter Kurt Aeschbacher and a French version with French-speaking Swiss singer Henri Dès were released on CD in 2021. The Musikkollegium Winterthur has also secured prominent narrators from the respective language regions for other foreign-language versions, including the Albanian-Swiss jazz singer Elina Duni, the Turkish world music star Burhan Öçal, and the Brazilian actor Jefferson Schroeder.
The versions are available on Spotify and iTunes and are continually being expanded with new translations. "The fact that this musical fairytale is now being translated into so many languages spoken in Switzerland is a living example of integration," says TV presenter Kurt Aeschbacher about the project.
