RIYADH: During the loudest week in Riyadh, the XP Music Conference takes attendees on a journey through different cultures and musical styles.
The conference, held in Jax, Diriyah in collaboration with the Saudi Music Commission, aims to lay the foundations for a thriving music scene in the Kingdom, with 17 different workshops, meetings, keynotes, and discussion panels to drive cultural and economic change in the Middle Eastern music industry.
One of the showrooms showcased Arabic music and its instruments to bring Arabian heritage to the world, displaying some of the oldest music tools of the Arab world, like the oud, qanun, rubab, and tabla, .
“As Arabs, we have an original taste in music, and we are showing the world our old musical instruments here in the XP cinema showroom,” Salman Hussain, who presented the instruments to visitors, told Arab News.
He provided background to some of the instruments displayed: “The qanun is the mother of all instruments. You can get any notes you want, while the rubab is accessible to all people because it is made from cheap materials like leather and wood.”
Hussein praised the XP Music Conference, saying that he had the chance to meet many people on the occasion and get to know different cultures.
“We combined all tastes and cultures here at the XP, and we all learned about each other. We are different people from different countries, but we are all connected in the same thing, which is the music,” he added.
The XP Music Conference witnessed the gathering of thousands of music industry professionals from around the world.
Following the conference, MDLBEAST’s Soundstorm — the largest music festival in the region — is back for the second time and will offer four days of thrills.
