header and second photo by Greg De Wode

“Ya Rayt is a love song and means “If Only”. The song is for the loved one that is gone. In a deeper meaning you could say it is about the things you regret that you did or didn’t do in the past.” explain Ameen and Thorben, better known under the artist name Shkoon about their remix of Raghab Alama´s 1986 Arabic Pop classic Ya Rayt. When they got approached by Ragheb Alama they felt really honoured and they suceeded in creating an amazing modern track while also building bridges between Middle Eastern tradition and modern club-culture.“The opportunity to fuse club culture with more conventional sounds is incredibly exciting for us, as it facilitates a cultural dialogue between generations.”

Also Ragheb Alama speaks enthusiastically about the collaboration: “Ya Rayt was my first hit back in 1986. It’s my baby. To this day, it’s still on my setlist and people love singing Ya Rayt with me at my shows. My son Khaled and nephew Jad are also big fans of Shkoon and I know they are a future talent in the Arab world so I was happy for them to rework the track with their modern touch”. 

Since we have been listening to the track on continuous loop for the past days, we were curious to find out more about the talented artists, therefore we asked Armeen and Thorben for an interview and chatted to them about why they believe that a track is  never really finished, how they both got into music and about their belief that art can not change the world.

Hey dear Ameen and Thorben. First of all, congratulations to your remix of Ragheb Alama – Ya Rayt. I absolutely love it and immediately got caught by its very unique atmosphere. I would love to know what Ya Rayt means and what the lyrics are about?

Ya Rayt is a love song and means “If Only”. The song is for the loved one that is gone. In a deeper meaning you could say it is about the things you regret that you did or didn’t do in the past.

How long did you work on the remix to be all set and ready? And do you both always agree when a track is „finished“?

This remix was quite a journey for us, from the first idea to the final mix it took us almost a year. When we decided to remix Ya Rayt, a song from the 80s, we didn’t consider the fact that we wouldn’t be able to get the recordings of each individual instrument and the vocals separate, as only the mastertape of the song exists nowadays. In the end we choose a new attempt to remix the song and it is I guess very different to what people would have expected us to come up with.

“Finishing” a track is always a difficult part. We believe that none of our tracks are ever really finished, it’s always just a temporary version. That makes it a lot easier for us to literally release music.

Lebanese born Ragheb Alama is one of the most successful artists in the Arab World – was it difficult to actually contact him in order to ask him if he would be up for a remix?

To be honest, we never thought of asking Ragheb to rework one of his songs, it was him asking us to remix his work and we feel honored that he gave us the trust and opportunity to do so.

I love that the track combines cultural diversity as well as connecting two different generations. What do you think are the biggest challenges for our generation?

Honestly, to stop this whole fuckup. No idea how this is gonna happen though.

“Let’s face it, there was no “fascination” about each others cultures initially. It all came by getting to know each other as humans more and more.”

What have you learned from and been most fascintated about each others cultures?

Let’s face it, there was no “fascination” about each others cultures initially. It all came by getting to know each other as humans more and more.

You two initially met in Hamburg in 2015 – can you tell us more about your first encounter and also the moment when you decided – ok, let´s do music together?

Well, our first intense encounter was connected to music already. We were sitting in the kitchen with a few friends having drinks and were talking till late at night. We got to know each other and were of course listening to music as well. At a certain point we started to show each other music that we were doing and Ameen was asked if he could show us something that he would sing with his friends back home. From that night we had the idea of doing something together, but none of us had an idea, where we could end up.

Do you think art can change the world?

No, we don’t believe art itself can change the world. Art can reflect situations and structures or enhance certain dynamics. Change always has to come from people and society itself.

How did you both actually get into music in the first place?

Thorben: Since I was 3 years old I was fascinated by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. That drove me to learn piano and is probably still a big influence on me today.

Ameen: I have listened to music my whole life already, but never got in touch with doing music except from singing with friends, like we all do. I guess the rest of the story started once I met Thorben and we started doing music together.

“We don’t believe art itself can change the world. Art can reflect situations and structures or enhance certain dynamics. Change always has to come from people and society itself.”

Your role models in life? 

We find it pretty hard to name role models, but I guess most of our close friends take a big part here.

The meaning of „Shkoon“?

Shkoon is a word in the arabic dialect of Deir Ezzor, Ameens hometown, and means “What?”

The most important thing in life is…

To quote the German entertainer and actor Harald Juhnke: “Meine Definition von Glück? Keine Termine und leicht einen sitzen.” ( “My definition of luck? No appointments and to be soozled.”)

www.instagram.com/_shkoon
www.facebook.com/shkoonmusic

www.facebook.com/RaghebAlama
www.instagram.com/raghebalama

Pre-order for the release: bfan.link/ya-rayt-shkoon-remix