With Saudi Arabia encouraging various new forms of cultural expressions, a new Indie record label is developing a home ground for local artists. Despite a global struggle for record labels, the Jeddah based Saudi label, Wall of Sound, is benefiting from a momentous cultural shift in the Kingdom.
The man behind the label is Ahmed Shawly, an industry professional who sought to help his fellow musicians. Before establishing Wall of Sound with three other partners, Shawly spent time managing record stores, working in distribution and sales, and eventually overseeing label releases and signing artists.
“That helped me to know what people what really want and what’s trending or not...At the end of 2019, I felt it was time to do my own thing. I’ve been in music for the past 14 years so I wanted to use my experience, especially now that the country is opening up. You can sense a whole scene coming alive. We wanted to create a place that musicians would love. A place they want to record in, a place they can release their music through.”
Shawly says that there are many tools and platforms available online to artists. He believes that guidance and support can help a record label succeed in pushing artists forward. Wall of Sound brought in experts from Germany to ensure that the quality of acoustics and sound treatment.
“The whole principle of Wall of Sound is to support local artists that we believe have potential and an original sound that can be taken to the next level. We want to support the local scene.”
There are currently eleven artists singed after three months of opening. These include the 20 years old artist known as EON and the alternative rock band, Skeleton Crowd, who will release their debut album later this year.
Shawly says that the label is a long term project with the aim to support original artists and help them build a fanbase. Creativity and teamwork are other qualities they look for in any artist they sign.
Source: commonspace.eu with Arab News (Riyadh).
Picture: View from the Studio of Wall of Sound (Source: Wall of Sound).
