SONDUKE launches as an independent music magazine in the Arab Gulf

SONDUKE — or صندوق — has launched as an independent magazine in Arab Gulf and broader South West Asian/ North African (SWANA) region aimed at shining a global spotlight on Arab talent and exposing the region to experimental music from abroad.

SONDUKE is an Arabic word that means a vault or safe, which reflects the brand’s ethos of not just being a curated music platform but also creating an archive of data, contemporary art and design. Alongside artist interviews and mixes, they will also be putting a focus on photography and graphic visuals. Eventually, they would also like to host events and live shows.

The first trickling of content comes via an exclusive digital conversation with London-born Chinese-Malaysian experimental artist and DJ Flora Yin-Wong. Slikback, Mars89 and estoc also appear.

While the magazine is currently only publishing in English, the founders — Hamad Al Mujeem and Malak Al Suwaihel — are working towards a bilingual version in hopes of promoting the experimental art and music scene in Arabic too.

The site itself is visually driven, and impressive. The first thing one would notice is that the mouse icon has been replaced with a grainy yellow dot, creating an interactive feeling while browsing through the different sections of the site. When viewing the artwork from different artists, you can also click on the artwork and drag it around the page, placing it wherever you want. Instead of images, the background for each section is either atmospheric, dark or a futuristic-looking video or animation.

See a teaser from SONDUKE below:

SONDUKE is live now. Browse the website here.