Deeb Relives Al Ahli Hospital Tragedy in ‘Talk About What’

Berlin-based Palestinian-Egyptian producer Deeb relieves the Al Ahli Hospital Tragedy in his new hard-techno single ‘Talk About What’.

More than a mere song, ‘Talk About What’ serves as an art piece documenting the genocide that has been unfolding for over 75 years in Palestine. Having experienced the loss of three family members in the catastrophic attack on Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, and being forced to stay silent due to the ban on pro-Palestine protests in Berlin, Deeb turned to music to express his sorrow and frustration and raise awareness about the situation in Palestine.

In the track, the rising Palestinian-Egyptian artist incorporates excerpts from an interview with Palestinian writer and spokesman of the Palestinian Liberation movement, Ghassan Kanafani in 1970, in which Australian journalist Richard Carleton asked him ‘ Why won’t your organisation [the national liberation movement] engage in peace talks with the Israelis’.

As the track unfolds against the backdrop of hard-hitting and aggressive kick patterns and war-inspired sounds, comes Kanafani’s bold answer ‘Talk about what?’ following a prolonged debate with the interviewer. “The reason I selected these specific excerpts of Kanafani’s interview is that his responses to these absurd questions reflect the prevailing mindset of every Palestinian asked such questions from the Western media nowadays,” Palestinian-Egyptian producer Deeb tells SceneNoise. “I also named the track ‘Talk About What’ to highlight the absurd irony of the situation, signifying that there is no point in talking, it’s too late.”

By weaving various sounds of rockets and airstrikes with his distinctive stripped-down repetitions and blaring hard techno soundscapes, Deeb offers a glimpse of the daily auditory experiences of Gazans under the Israeli occupation. “There are no traditional lyrics in the track, it’s purely a sonic experience. So, I tried as much as I could to make it understandable by anyone, even those who don’t usually listen to techno,” Deeb says.

The track reaches its climax with the chilling sound sample of the Israeli missile that hit Al Ahli Hospital, claiming the lives of more than 500 Palestinians. “I wanted to document it in an artwork, as a perpetual reminder to the world of the atrocities committed and still being committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine,” Deeb shares. “So, even if they try to erase all the traces of that rocket from the internet and media outlets, we retain the evidence.”

All profits accumulated from ‘Talk About What’ will be donated to support orphaned children in Gaza.

Listen to the full track here: