{"id":18730,"date":"2026-02-24T21:44:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/?p=18730"},"modified":"2026-02-25T12:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T10:20:13","slug":"fann-w-fenjein-renata-ahmad-baydoun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/fann-w-fenjein-renata-ahmad-baydoun\/","title":{"rendered":"Fann w Fenjein: Renata & Ahmad Baydoun"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Club + Listening Culture<\/span><\/i><\/p>

Even If It\u2019s Two People in a Room: Renata Sabella and Ahmad Baydoun on Collapse, Community, and Experimental Music<\/strong><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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It feels almost contradictory to call Lebanon’s nightlife prolific when every few years there\u2019s a major rupture. Thirty-year-olds still speak of nights at G\u00e4rten with a twinkle in their eyes. Grand Factory, BO18, might I dare even say Acid\u2014not a single imperial club has managed to escape its downfall with the reality of Lebanon\u2019s pace of crises and changes. This makes for an art scene that is in constant evolution, and a nightlife that can feel perpetually wounded: golden one moment, vanished the next.<\/span><\/p>

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In 2024 it was the closing of Ballroom Blitz, arguably the first space in Beirut to offer clubbers three rooms of different BPMs for the price of one, that sieved people away. In 2025, the scene lost one of its most vital experimental spaces, the off-the-map warehouse that housed Frequent Defect, where music cut across grime, post-punk, and all kinds of dance music. This conversation brings together two DJs and organizers from the teams behind both spaces, offering an instinctive perspective of feeling the death\u2014and rebirth\u2014of their dancefloors.<\/span><\/p>

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While we have developed a sensitivity to the word resilience, the truth about facing tragedy is that it forces growth, just as economic hardship forces societies to innovate, and our youth will always feel that good parties (that we can afford) remain scarce\u2014and therefore, in high demand. All right, whenever you’re ready\u2014<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/strong><\/p>

Okay. So hi, Ahmad\u2026<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/strong><\/p>

Hello! So how do you want to play guys? We\u2019re asking each other questions, yeah?<\/span><\/p>

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renata\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Yeah, they said we can just go back and forth. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What do you think is happening these days, after everything we’ve been through in the country, as the community\u2014not just in electronic music, but in the music scene in Lebanon?<\/b><\/p>

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baydoun\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

So I was talking about this a couple of days ago with a friend, trying to put the whole situation into words. We were saying that the underground scene\u2014especially that of electronic music\u2014but also the underground scene in general in Lebanon has died. I\u2019m sad to say, I think we\u2019ve experienced the death of the stuff that does not hold monetary value bil balad<\/i>. And it’s rarely looked upon in times of crisis; because first of all, as artists, it’s a way of life: it’s our lifestyle, it’s the way we breathe, the way we wake up, the way we do everything. But for other people, like a daily consumer, it’s a luxury.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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So in times of crisis, people stop looking at the underground scene the same way they did before, and people who don’t have the financial stability they once did no longer show up. And this gave the old clubs in Lebanon\u2014the whole underground scene\u2014trouble, especially financially, which led all the clubs, venues, all the groups that were together, to experience this fall. The <\/span>7arb*<\/span><\/i> was the last nail in the coffin for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Now after the death of everything, we\u2019re witnessing the birth of a new life. A lot of stuff is being planned now. A lot of people are regrouping to work on projects, which is nice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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There’s a huge lack of venues as well. And hopefully, the country is getting better financially, based on last year’s numbers, so it can mean better accessibility [to venues]. And a better performance from our end, as working artists. I think we\u2019re witnessing the rise of what the next era in Lebanon, in these terms, will shape into. And we always witnessed [the eras of nightlife].\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Pre-2019 was the highlight of the underground music scene in Lebanon. And then we saw it die slowly\u2014I hate the word die, perhaps we can use the term retract. With all that happened in 2019 and 2020, then with coronavirus, there were still attempts to unite people on the dancefloor\u2014because what it means to the people of the underground is different from the people who just want to flex and have cash. When you practice that as a lifestyle, the one who’s dancing has a yearning for that feeling. It diminished with time, and we kept seeing it, seeing attempts at it, even at Ballroom [Blitz]. Remember when I joined Ballroom post-covid and post confinement? We kept attempting for two years, which led to nothing, but it was completely wiped off the map for a while. Now I think it’s rising again, <\/span>inshallah<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Sa7<\/span><\/i>, yeah I agree, in the sense of seeing the fluctuations because of all the crises we’ve been through. 2019 was definitely a highlight for my former project Frequent Defect, where we held on and tried to power through all the crises. It was really hard to see a lot of the community that we had built up until 2019 leaving the country in 2020, and then we had to rebuild the community in 2021, and then the war came. It was super hard to function. We would also see new generations\u2014Gen Z, which I love, you know, I really do, because they are a whole generation that didn’t experience the same environment that we did. There’s a lot of changes in how they express themselves, especially because of the internet culture. They\u2019re much closer to their art than our generation was, in a different way which I find beautiful. Many have really inspired me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Anyways, going back to what’s going on now, I agree that the scene is just emerging from a dip after the war, for sure. And yes, lack of spaces; but I think that especially in times of crisis, there’s always these little subcultures, small events, and parties happening. When the venues became too expensive, or because running costs really did get more expensive\u2014I thought that we could keep the prices we started with\u201410 to 15 dollars a ticket. But we couldn\u2019t do that in the last couple of years. There was a real price rise and everything got super expensive\u2026<\/b><\/p>

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baydoun\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Global inflation happened as well\u2026<\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Ehh<\/span><\/i>, from electricity to rent, anything you want to do or need, is super expensive. One of the reasons we had to close down the venue was because we couldn’t make ends meet\u2014we lost a lot of money during the war. In 2020, during the financial crisis, we didn\u2019t have the stable team, salaries, and expenses yet. Sustaining this during the war broke us\u2014you can’t just leave everyone, and we essentially went bankrupt.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

This is what I appreciate about you. What you guys did at Frequent [Defect] amazes people, you always refused to do half-ass shit, and you stand for something. You stand for culture. You were still fighting till the last breath for it, to establish the way you view it, which is highly respectable in our times, and no one was working like that, you were the only people going against the stream in the most genuine way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Thank you so much <\/span>hayati<\/span><\/i>. What I really value from when I worked with these people and this community that I was part of, is that sense of community that I don’t see anymore now. People still try to group themselves together, but I feel the war was really\u2014for everyone I think\u2014the biggest crisis of all.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Yeah, I come from a village on the [southern] border, so yeah, it was heavy\u2026<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Shit. I mean, I would say that the war, and then maybe the [August 4] blast, were moments of mass destruction. Destruction of everyone’s vision, even regrouping again, having that feeling of wanting to go out.<\/span><\/p>

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After the war, I felt something different. People wanted to come, but couldn\u2019t fully let go anymore. When you enter a space where release once felt natural, suddenly those deep wounds reopen. During Covid, a lot of people wanted to regroup, or during the revolution, we were always considering whether to open or close, but people wanted to group up. After the war, I didn’t feel the same. And I felt there were deep wounds in everyone’s psyche that shattered something, and that made the regrouping harder.\u00a0<\/p>

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baydoun<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

One hundred percent. I always say, whatever we see now is only a reflection of who we are at this point, like where we are at as a country, as people, as youth. If we look into the micro and macro, the rollercoaster of life on us as individuals, we have our ups and downs that also translate into the macro scale. You also see it in terms of communities and projects, the rise and fall, the healing that needs to be done, especially with the reality of a very dystopian life we live in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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It can be hard on people, especially people of the subculture. Because the reason and intention behind every why we group, why we go and practice this, is very deep and personal. Yes, we go by ourselves, and on the dancefloor you know everyone. But it’s also a place where you can be on your own, with your thoughts, and I think, a lot of friendships and and a lot of healing happens on dancefloors. I met most of the people that I love on dancefloors.<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I love the first thing that you said, it’s a representation of whatever is happening. It’s a representation of us, and in the community-driven collectives. I’m not talking about big clubs where people don’t know each other. You can see it reflected on the dancefloor, for sure, who we are and what we are at this moment in time. This is definitely something to dig into.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Yeah, it’s only a reflection, and it really shows the power of the underground, of the subculture scene, and what it stands for. It’s a type of refusal, a self expression that can happen within the music, a thought process that you can share with the group, not feeling alone in this lonely world sometimes. And it’s crazy what we’re seeing nowadays. Having people that align on many things, especially when it comes to the approach towards life itself, is very beautiful and is very important in community building. Sharing these laughs, moments, tears, and appreciating the artists and what they’re presenting, it\u2019s what we stand for on so many layers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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As an artist you could choose many other ways that could be easier\u2014yet, everyone still believes in this form of self expression, even if it comes at the expense of financial and mental security, paying the bills and all of that. Being that artist behind the booth, or on stage presenting something, and having the audience that share one big group setting and experience is very important, I believe, for the soul of the people that attend\u2014especially for the types of gatherings that we have around our community. And yeah, I believe the only way is up from here. We\u2019re at rock bottom, so the only way is up. Hopefully this year will be better.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photo courtesy of Ahnad Baydoun<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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renata<\/b><\/p>

Everything happened with a lot of changes around us. I don’t want to be talking about my spiritual journey haha\u2026<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/span><\/p>

La<\/span><\/i>, please do\u2026<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b><\/p>

You know, 2025\u2014the \u201cyear of the shed\u201d and all these things, I think it’s a very specific moment where everyone has to reflect on themselves\u2014and they actually got to do that this year. In the scene and in Lebanon in general, or from all the people around me, whether they understand what’s going on or not, I feel that this will only make way, because Lebanon\u2014as we know, even after the worst thing that could have happened\u2014will never die. Like you said, you don’t like the word death\u2014I don’t think it ever dies, even if it gets small, retraction is as good a word, but it never actually dies.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

Even if it was two people at home doing it <\/span>ya3ni\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>

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renata<\/b><\/p>

Totally, the fire is still there! It’s just that people recalibrate. It was so nice to see things change this year! Because sometimes, we need that. Okay, definitely, it was forced upon us, especially after the war. But then better things can come out of this. I’m also very excited for whatever is to come, and I see a lot of work in collectives, events that they do in different locations outside of the city, bringing people together on the dancefloor at venues. I agree totally with you, Ahmad, that whenever the price becomes too expensive\u2014I have not seen a lot of people that I used to see around a few years ago\u2014and this pains me, but it is what it is.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

The inability to share the experience because of financial status, I get you.<\/span><\/p>

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renata\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

But it also brings a kind of spirit to the dancefloor, that a person is annoyed to be paying so much to dance and listen to music\u2014he still hasn\u2019t paid for a drink and feels robbed\u2014there\u2019s many factors as why it\u2019s expensive, partly understandable; but when events are super expensive I can see the changes in peoples\u2019 intention around why they are doing the event. It all shows in the intention.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

It reflects and filters out at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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renata\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

So I met you, Ahmad, a few years ago when you worked at Ballroom, and it\u2019s super rare but I felt you\u2019re the only one I felt this way toward\u2014I knew that you were an OG legit kind of guy. I swear, I remember thinking to myself <\/span>wow where was this guy<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>this is exactly who I want to work with<\/span><\/i>. I think I told you, and I\u2019m not sure if you understood what I meant, but I was genuinely sincere. It came from gut instinct, <\/span>anjad<\/span><\/i>. When these things happen I know for sure that we\u2019re going to meet again, and especially during my journey right now\u2014my shift in my artistic life\u2014you\u2019re one of the people that I enjoy playing with the most. We meet musically, and have such a rapport.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

One of the things I always say is if you really want to tell a lot about a person, play with them.<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Yes, totally. I knew, but it surpassed my expectations\u2014it was magic! Two souls meeting that is beyond the music, when there\u2019s a good vibe between people you can do whatever you want. It\u2019s rare, I don\u2019t have this with a lot of people.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

It\u2019s very important to me to play back-to-back with someone and it\u2019s meeting at a transcendental level <\/span>yaani<\/span><\/i>, it\u2019s like telepathy sometimes\u2014when you know what\u2019s coming next when you just look at the person, it\u2019s super cool.<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

So, Ahmad and I are playing a back-to-back set on March 6, right?<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

Yeah, at Internazionale.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photo taken by Walid Nehme<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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renata<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

And I know that you\u2019re in the process of opening Headshell, which is a record shop.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

A record store, and we also sell accessories of artists that we know and admire. It\u2019s going to be based on rotation\u2014we want to support the people around us so we offered part of the space for many artists to display their artwork, ceramics, lights, paintings, prints\u2014to showcase and sell.<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

That\u2019s so cool, it\u2019s also one of the community-driven spirits that we want to see around, right? Because in Lebanon, the idea of merging different artistries together and not just music is what we want to experience.<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

We all stand for the same thing <\/span>yaani<\/span><\/i>, regardless of the medium.<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Is it a coffee shop?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

We\u2019re going to be open during the day, where you can chill, have a beer, I\u2019ll be selecting my vinyls\u2014in a cool, nonchalant place. For example, I love Bikini Wax in Berlin, because I used to experience this chill vibe at the place. Hopefully, we\u2019ll be launching Headshell on March 22, which you\u2019re going to be part of! How about you, anything new?<\/span><\/p>

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renata<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

At the moment I don\u2019t have any projects in store to announce yet, but hopefully this year something will come up with the right people, wink wink!<\/span><\/p>

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baydoun<\/b><\/p>

Hahaha<\/span><\/i> for you I\u2019d do it for free babe!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photo courtesy of Ahmad Baydoun<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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*7arb or harb translates to war. The intensified 2024 war on Lebanon began in earnest with a massive escalation in attacks by Israel on September 23, 2024, following months of lower-level border fighting since October 8, 2023. A full-scale ground invasion of southern Lebanon was launched on October 1, 2024.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Biographies<\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Renata Sabella<\/strong><\/p>

Renata is a Lebanese DJ and live performer based in Beirut. Her art draws vision and inspiration from the quirky edges of sound, taking shape as a manifestation of dissent through her ever evolving modus operandi. Her approach sees her grow beyond styles and genres, with narratives speaking truth to her beliefs. Renata has been performing since 2010 in renowned stages globally. During her stint in London in 2012, she branched out through residencies within the local scene alongside launching her own series under \u201cThe Calling\u201d banner. She then returned to Beirut in 2016 and joined the Frequent Defect team as a co-director, venue manager and program curator, and with whom she shared a similar drive to address collective issues through multidisciplinary art forms. She left the project in 2025 along with the closure of Mkalles Warehouse venue.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Ahmad Baydoun<\/strong><\/p>

Ahmad Baydoun is a Beirut-based creative and DJ known for his refined taste and deep connection to vinyl culture. He has performed at prominent venues such as The Ballroom Blitz, Frequent Defect, The Grand Factory, and Club der Visionaere in Berlin. Ahmad has cultivated a platform that celebrates analog sound and community-driven music experiences. He co-founded For the Record with Alain Khawam, a Beirut-based vinyl event and pop-up market, and the duo often perform together. The duo are currently working on “Headshell,” a new record store in the heart of Beirut with a deep focus on electronic music. Baydoun has shared the stage with acclaimed artists including Lenny (Zendid), Andrea Ferlin, Clovis, and Doubting Thomas. With an ever-evolving sound rooted in groove and subtle emotion, Ahmad continues to explore and shape the textures of underground music.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Club + Listening Culture Even If It\u2019s Two People in a Room: Renata Sabella and Ahmad Baydoun on Collapse, Community, and Experimental Music It feels almost contradictory to call Lebanon’s nightlife prolific when every few years there\u2019s a major rupture. Thirty-year-olds still speak of nights at G\u00e4rten with a twinkle in their eyes. Grand Factory, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[322],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fann-w-fenjein"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-2-e1771962224133.png?fit=1080%2C690&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18730"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18762,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18730\/revisions\/18762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}