Music




		I founded the Music Lab in 1996, after many years of research and music listening: the main characteristic of the "Lab's" music is rythmical research (odd rythms as for 7/8) or composed rythms - 29/16 for example) - after a few concerts in Lebanon, the six musicians of the band recorded in a CD in 1997 with the French Bass Clarinet player Denis Colin (and myself on guitar - see "photos" hereby): the CD, called "Mouch Wadeh", was produced by Experimental Art Concept (Lebanon), a music production label I founded in 1998 that dealt with concerts, festivals, CD, etc. A version of the Gnossienne n° 1 of Erik Satie (previously unreleased) was also recorded on that occasion. Top In 1998, a Re-mix of the musical version of the muwashshah "Lamma ..." by the Music Lab was the means of producing my first single with Lebanese singer Eileen Khatchaturian: with "Lamma ...", the Music Lab went beyond the Lebanese frontiers, noticeably in the Frenchspeaking countries (press excerpts provided hereby). Furthermore I had the possibility to play or sing with a number of musical bands, using for example diphonic singing for the first time (EAC-CD-003 - KARIKA - Stroubia). Top		Flyer for "The Music Lab" concert at the French Cultural Center of Beirut - Artwork by Karine Wehbeh
				Cover of single "Lamma ..."

		As my work as the Artistic director and concert and festival organizer for EAC became more time consuming I had to momentarily abandon my personal musical activities; I also began a Phd in ethnomusicology at the University of Paris IV - Sorbonne: My thesis on "Modal Systematics" (which deals mainly with Arabic maqâm) offered me the possibility of discovering a "new" instrument, the `Ûd - It is an instrument with fascinating melodical possibilities; I tried to improve its traditional making with the Lute-maker George Bitar by reducing the body's thickness (version n° 1) and adding high-quality microphones (version n° 2) as well as modifying and broadening the neck (version n° 3), the whole process resulting in an easily played and easily held instrument with a beautiful and expressive sound (electro-acoustical `Ûd). (top) Saad Saab and Amine Beyhom playing the `Ûd (version n° 3 by A. Beyhom) `Ûd n° 1 (acoustical version) can be heard played by Saad Saab on the audio excerpts for the Modal systematics thesis; `Ûd version n° 3 can be heard by clicking the "*Audio*" button left. New `Ûd conceptions Top