26-year-old Samer Eldahr has revolutionized the music industry by introducing a new music genre to the world.
Electro-Tarab, as he dubbs it, is the art of "bringing two different aesthetics together," merging electronic sounds and tools with Arabic music.
Known in the field as Hello Psychaleppo, the young Syrian is creating beats and rhythms that are taking both the East and West by storm.
StepFeed talked to Eldahr about his music, the Arab music scene, and what he has in store for his fans.
"Hailing from one of the most mystical and musically rich cities in the Levant, Hello Psychaleppo is deeply rooted in oriental music tradition. He uses melodies of the Arab bedouin 'Mawwals' and the ecstatic strains of tarab, and threads it through convoluted, industrial structures made from dubstep, drum & bass, electro and trip-hop. He creates a journey away from boundaries of style, engaging souls into letting go while experiencing a new dimension of sonic blends," his Facebook bio reads.
Eldahr was born in Aleppo, a "traditional music city" as he puts it. At a young age, his uncle - a music shop owner at the time - exposed him to modern Western music which would immensely influence his own tunes.
As a teenager, his passion for music grew. He would learn to play the keyboard, guitar, and even sing in multiple bands that he joined along the way.
It wasn't long before he discovered his homegrown experiments would become a new genre of music with a name as inventive as its content: "Hello Psychaleppo."
After graduating art school, he moved to Beirut. Unable to move back to Aleppo, he remained in the city for 3 years before flying to the U.S.
"Beirut was my motivation to work harder. It has a very hospitable artistic scene and I owe a lot to the artists and my audiences there," Eldahr told StepFeed.
Having already released 3 albums - Gool L'ah, HA! and Toyour - his interest in the Arab music scene has only grown.
"It is getting more vibrant and richer day by day. We're definitely observing a turning point in the Arab alternative music scene.
More venues and festivals are adopting [indie] artists and adapting to their needs. Things are looking hopeful!" he said.
Having spent most of his life in the Middle East, Hello Psychaleppo believes that living in the U.S. for two and a half years has opened his eyes to different social and political topics and has allowed him to see the world from a global point of view.
Regardless, he still longs to go back home.
"I hope I am able to go back to Syria sooner than later. I miss my family so much," he said.
With an optimistic point of view toward the future and his first baby boy to take care of, Hello Psychaleppo has quite the busy schedule.
He'll be performing a bunch of gigs including a show with Mashrou' Leila in Minneapolis.
In the meantime, besides planning a tour in the Middle East and Europe, he is focusing on expanding his merchandise to reach a wider audience.
"My main focus now is designing and working more on merchandise to be sold online on the HP [Hello Psychaleppo] shop. Some new screen-printed t-shirts, posters, socks, totes, lighters etc.," he said.
Having overcome many obstacles before finding his own voice, Hello Psychaleppo knows how hard it is to make it in the music industry.
He advises Arab youngsters who are aspiring to become musicians/DJs to "work hard and find the purpose behind the music" they plan on making.