Sunday 12 October 2025, 7.30pm
Exploring time, space and unhealthy obsessions with authenticity and “untouchable sounds” in maqam-based music, Kareem Samara explores how sound, rhythm and harmony can be manipulated using amplified Oud with live and electronic percussion. His one-hour performance is separated in different sections that explore how Sultanah, a state of ecstasy and loss of self, can be achieved through sonic manipulation. The act of delaying, processing, and interacting with voices and speeches from ancestors across time, his soundscapes connect historical imaginations and research-based practices of Arab Futurism to create new narratives on traditional Arabic music.
The residency series is organised by Dr Rim Irscheid, practice-led researcher at King’s College London. The Beyond 1932 project is funded by the EPSRC via the UKRI/EC HE Guarantee ERC scheme (funder Award Reference: EP/X022749/1).
Kareem Samara is an improviser and composer from London. Combining the Oud and Arabic percussion with loopers and samplers, he creates a new dialogue between himself and technology, between traditions and the future. He pushes the limits of what is expected of an instrument weighed down by generations of expectation, exploring every inch of the Oud to create a modern soundworld; a soundworld where archival interviews and field recordings connect struggles and timelines, interweaving with melodies that strive to be free of borders. He has performed and collaborated with Nadah El Shazly, Ayman Asfour, Goat Girl, Ryan Harvey, Tom Morello, Tashi Dorji, Kinn, Matt Cargill, Fatima Laham and Bint Mbareh.
https://kareemsamara.bandcamp.com/
Dr Rim Irscheid is a curator, artist, and postdoctoral fellow at King’s College researching curatorial activism across sound art, experimental music and diaspora archival projects from Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt. Combining textual elements (felt, leather, chalk, steel), notes, and field recordings, her artistic practice explores the paradox of German 'Leitkultur' and ambivalent feelings of alienation, belonging, and lived experiences of German citizens of Palestinian heritage. She holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology & Curatorial Practice from King's College London, a Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Oxford and a joint honours BA in Musicology and Psychology from the University of Heidelberg.
