A Bahraini Techno, House, and Electronica Producer, DJ, and Live Act, Ahmed Zainal (QWRK, Ed Buzzerk) have been delving into the underbelly of the Bahraini music scene for over 20 years.

His productions, DJ sets, and live performances roam in the spectrum between minimal, funky bassline Deep House, and dark, pounding Techno grooves, with various transits around hip-hop and left-field Electronica. Inspired by artists and DJs the likes of The Prodigy, Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, Dr. Dre, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Soulfly, Pantera, Green Day, Ed Real, Dave Clarke, Derrick May, and Chris Liberator (to name a few!), Ahmed’s music is a binding mesh of elements drawn from his inspirations and surroundings.

Under the artist name Ed Buzzerk, Ahmed became a familiar face in the underground House night “art.haus.” His radio show series “Rumble in the Depths” is a plunge into the deeper and darker sides of House and Techno, highlighting forgotten gems from the Bahraini nightlife scene, with exclusive interviews with local DJs and artists from Bahrain.

Ahmed prides himself as a collaborator and has had the pleasure to work with numerous local artists and up-and-coming talents in many styles, one of which is Slimfit Tea, a guitar-based Techno/Electronica duo created with 7MND (Hamad Ebrahim). His latest project, entitled XO, is a collaborative improvisational electronic dance music platform for artists with noise-making machines. It has so far featured Bahraini and Bahrain resident artists such as Na Der (Nader Ameeruddin), Rashed AlDhaen, Papa Push (Fadal Nazir), HSE Vogue (Hasan Ebrahim), as well as Saudi talent Spceboi (Adnan AlSanaa). Post pandemic, the plan is to take the project out of the studio and onto public spaces and dance floors.

Ali Abdul Razzaq is a talented percussionist based in Bahrain.

Anastasia is a talented pianist, based in Bahrain.

Ann Nazimova is a talented Cellist, based in Bahrain.

Betty Estrella is a highly talented Singer, based in Bahrain.

It is in November 2019 during his first visit to Bahrain that he found the inspiration for his first solo album and where most of the titles will be composed. Moved by the warm welcome of Bahraini, Bino Bah decided to add « bah » to his stage name « Bino la Menace », Bino Bah was born!

Later on, the flags of his home country, Burkina Faso and of Bahrain will be painted on his guitar. Back home in December 2019, Bino.bah began the recording of his first solo album of 8 titles AURORE (Sunrise). An engaged opus, symbolising both the beginning of his solo career and the ray of hope and renewal brought every morning by the sunrise.

CJ Smoov is a talented Hip Hop artist, based in Bahrain.

DJ Eric Enuff is a talented DJ currently based in Bahrain.

Bahraini-Portuguese DJ Ricardo M was born in the capital city Lisbon, Portugal and raised in The Kingdom of Bahrain and he’s no stranger to Bahrain’s gorgeous nitelife.

Driven by the desire to discover the world Ricardo was blessed by an early exposure to Europe’s & UK’s late 90’s electronic sounds which contributed to the awakening of his thirst for cutting edge music and influenced his artistic direction…

The intensity of his performance helped him build an impressive following on the island and it didn’t come as a surprise to any of his fans when he was crowned Bahrain’s number one DJ in the 2005 Heineken Thirst Contest. The rest is now history, Ricardo was flown to Dubai to perform and represent Kingdom of Bahrain @ Thirst Regional Final where he shared the stage alongside Sander Klieneberg & Tiesto In Concert…

In 2006 Ricardo won the Heineken Thirst Studio Gulf Heat held in Bahrain and was flown to Dubai to represent Kingdom of Bahrain for the 2nd time @ “Thirst Studio” Regional Finals, he was given a production course with S.A.E Institute Dubai and Studio Time with Groove Armada to remix their classic track called “ Superstylin “

Demand for Ricardo’s sweaty sets never faded as he continued to spread his Sessions across a multitude of the Best venues around the Island such as BJ’s, LIKWID, LEVEL (Stereo), CLUB7 (FLIRT), AQUA FUEGO, MIRAI Lounge, Al DAR Islands to name a few and has shared the Booth/Stage along with some of the best local & Intl DJ’s such as Mellow X, FawazO, Mr K, Dj Miled, Salime, UpTown, Baloo, DeeP Motions, Martina Kaiser, Dj Josh, Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Fred Numf, Skank Sinatra, Rachael Starr, Paul Mendez, Sandy Rivera, David Vendetta & Micah and so on….

His sets also depend on venue, event & time slot but u can expect anything, to put it in his own words: “Just good Musik” Pushing musical boundaries is very much part of his outlook as a DeeJay and he’s not one to be pigeonholed into one style, he’s also able to play sets of Lounge, Deep House, Prog/Tech House with a dose of Tekno and is at ease playing in front of a crowd of 3000 or in intimate lounge atmosphere.

Today the name Ricardo M carries all the fine qualities that encompass the realms of accessibility, class, consistency, enthusiasm, experience, sensuality and most importantly sheer pleasure.

Many a dj, punter, promoter, music enthusiast or non-believer has been inspired or even downright intimidated by the finesse and ease at which Ricardo M applies his trade.

It is his unique and intuitive ability to select music that entices one to give their undivided attention to a true master at work. .

His gracefulness and a considerable technical evolution made him achieve a reputation which allows him to join the group of the best Dj’s around the World…

Elena Anatolieva has been professionally practicing the piano since the age of 5. As the daughter of a family of musicians, she developed a profound interest in music and various instruments at a very early age and began playing the flute with her mother. Elena graduated from the National Musical School “Panayot Pipkov” in Pleven, Bulgaria, majoring in piano and viola. She then went on to study at the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Musical Pedagogy – Piano.

Having performed at concerts and creative appearances both in Bulgaria and abroad, she is particularly passionate about performance artistry, artistic accompaniment, piano pedagogy and chamber music. Elena enjoys playing modern and classical pieces and experimenting with various styles.

She has participated in a festival in Grenada, Spain, as both a performer and organizer for an international foundation. Later, she took part in a European program in Ferrara, Italy.

In Sofia University, she obtained a master’s degree in Creative Communication, which broadened her scope of expertise to include aspects such as PR and the influence of music, as well as an in-depth exploration of the narrative aspect of mythology and its interpretations in marketing communication.

Eman is a talented singer, based in Bahrain.

My love and passion for electronic music genres started at a very young age, spending the majority of my time at the studio, and the Algerian electronic scene.

I’m sharing an eclectic vision that pulls from diverse influences owing Moroccan, Arabic & African culture from my country Algeria and from the whole world.

Fawazo

Underground Techno DJ & Producer

Techno Is Love

Biography

Fawaz Al Alaiwat AKA FawazO is the leading artist in Bahrain’s quiet but vibrant underground music scene. His name precedes his DJing skills, and his artistry in techno knows no bounds. With a career spanning decades, countless hours of exploring music, performing across Asia and Europe, his passion for music has been creating a welcoming, safe and care-free aura for different crowds to both enjoy and lose themselves in.

“Music to me is about lifting the crowd to a higher state of being, And a positive connection between races and cultures...”

The local techno DJ and producer plays his own unique style of synth-heavy, Banging, melodic techno. With the creation of his label “Da BassO'' is an electronic music label that aims to promote and provide a platform for local Techno artists. Da Basso now is known for popular events like “Melodika '' The one-day festival on AlDar Islands where he has played alongside international artists like Steve Mulder, Drunken Kong, Jewel Kid, Matt Sassari. “Amplified” is another event that hosts international rising stars and talented artists like Onyvva, Minitech Project, Ruiz Sierra, Diatonik. Also “Native” and intimate techno night feat. local Bahraini artist.

INTHEMIX

“I am very energetic. I love playing very long sets, which are a mix of the different styles of techno from deep to hard. It takes me days going through hundreds of tracks to select the few epic ones. My music collection spans more than two decades, I started in 1996. Then in 2000 I discovered vinyl and in 2008 I gave in to the digital world, now I have an arsenal of techno that can shake any dance floor. “

Johanna Roldan, was born in Colombia, Professional singer, Saxophonist and flute player, who has a long artistic career, performing around the world, in Latin America countries, Asia and Arab Emirates. Nowadays living in Bahrain for more than 8 years, working as freelancer musician, singing as a soloist and forming musical groups, playing Latin music, international music, jazz, Latin jazz, Funk, many other types of music, in diferent languages also, saxophone show with Dj. Vocalist, Saxophone player, flute player.

Julieta Minkova (born in 1981)took her first cello lessons at 12, after which graduated from Secondary Music school in Stara Zagora. From 1999 studied with Prof. Zdravko Yordanov , Magdalena Doikova and Seta Baltayan and graduated bachelor degree in National Academy of music Sofia, Bulgaria with Ani Atanasova in 2004.

In the summer of 2003 participate in Masterclasses under the supervision of Professor Stefan Popov (professor for violoncello in Guildhall School of Music and Drama and holds the post of cellist-in-residence at the City University) and professor Lubomir Georgiev (professor Directing Treatise in The Florida State University school of music)

“A Cello is a beautiful and versatile string instrument with a very distinctive sound. A Cello player is a popular form of event entertainment, adding class and sophistication to the occasion. Cello Players have a wide repertoire, from popular classical pieces to modern songs, making them a perfect musical choice for all types of occasions. A talented Cello Player can take any style of music and give it a special twist to suit the instrument. Keep the Champagne and Caviar flowing, the night is just getting started! ”

Julieta cellist has attracted widespread attention worldwide for her combination of natural virtuosic command and technical precision with impassioned musicianship. The intensity of her playing has regularly been lauded, as has the spontaneity and sensitivity of her interpretations.

Majed Eid is a talented Rapper and Music Producer, based in Bahrain.

Maram Al Hashimi is a talented Oud player, based in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Mesut Kutbay is a talented DJ and producer, based in Bahrain.

Mohammed Saleh is a talented Pianist currently based in Bahrain.

Rudii, also known as Rawad Alameh, is one of the DJ/Producer pioneers in the Dance, Nu Disco, Deep, and Future House scene in Lebanon back in the 2000s. As a self-made man, Rudii has earned the respect of the clubbing audience through his effort and dedication, resulting in wide expertise of over 22 years.

In 2019, his first solo album was released with Manaina Records, “Coming Home”. The main track, named after the album, made it to the Beatport Top 100 Indie Dance in the 30th place. Since then, Rudii has released tracks on labels like Sensoria Records, Sugar Style Records, Call Me Retro, Round Trip Bus Records, Road Story Records, Natural Deep Records, Music Makes You Feel, and many more.

His credentials include DJ residencies in some of the most glamorous places in the scene, such as Club 7 (Qatar) Grand Hyatt Hotel (Muscat, Oman), Armani Privé Club in the luxurious Burj Khalifa (Dubai), or his new residency in Bahrain at Icon Lounge.

Salvi Zuazo Rivera is a highly talented flamenco guitarist based in Bahrain.

Silvia Saad is a professional Egyptian harpist and harp teacher based in Bahrain.

"Live music for any event from solo acoustic guitar gigs and piano bars to bands for corporate events and private parties. Stefan is the wildcard, whatever is needed to complete a line up, with an easy style and an enormous, eclectic musical repertoire of old favorites and current hits.

Available as a solo act or with one of many flexible band line-ups, Stefan is also the Gulf's only Sting Tribute act."

Victoria Peter is a highly talented Pianist currently based between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.