Artist description Alfanan, who is a Composer and Producer, was born and raised in Manama, Bahrain, located in the Arabian Gulf. He showed an interest in the arts at a very young age. He learned to play the piano by ear at the age of 6. Alfanan’s schooling and love for music eventually led him to the United States, where he studied Business and Computer Information Systems. All the while, his focus turned more and more toward realizing his dream of creating a musical bridge between the western and eastern cultures. Alfanan’s early musical experience was centered in the Bahrain area and included performances in various talent shows, performing with the school band on National holidays and for various events, and playing the nay with a local band. Upon moving to Texas in 1996 to further his studies, he began constructing his first in-home studio. In late 1999, some of Alfanan’s musical dreams quickly became a reality when he finished composing and producing his first album, Desert Beat. He was also given the opportunity to produce a demo CD for a local singer, which started him down the path of realizing his desire to become a Producer. This period of intensive development, including an extremely rigorous regimen of oud and nay studies, served to not only solidify Alfanan’s dreams of creating a musical bridge between all cultures, but also expanded the range of his techniques. After the release of Desert Beat, Alfanan gained critical acclaim in the Gulf States, where he sold over 6,000 copies of his CD. During this same timeframe, he established a presence on both IUMA.com and MP3.com and became an instant sensation when his music consistently maintained a high ranking on the top 40 charts in both the world music and ambient genre classifications. In May of 2000, one of Alfanan’s songs from Desert Beat was featured on NOWTV, which helped to propel him in to the music mainstream over the Internet. Sada Al Osbou Magazine (an Arabic magazine) included an article about him in their November of 2000 issue, and Electronic Musician magazine included an article about him in their February 2001 issue. After expanding his studio in November 2000, Alfanan was given the opportunity to begin fulfilling his dream of becoming a Producer when a local band asked him to produce their first album, Shedding Leaves, which was released in July 2001. Also, during this same timeframe, he was asked to compose multiple original scores for a documentary called Muslims in Appalachia – Islam in Exile, which was aired on PBS and other local broadcasting stations around the United States in July 2001. This documentary reached an amazing 17.8 million households nationally. Alfanan also started composing and producing his second album, Theraputica, in November 2001, which was released in March 2002. Because of the success of the documentary Muslims in Appalachia, Alfanan was asked to compose original scores for a second documentary currently entitled Islam in America and the War on Terrorism, which is currently in production.

Music Style Ambient, Electronic, World, Trance, Arabic Trance, ACM (c) (Arabic Contemporary Music)

Musical Influences Enigma, Yanni , BT, Deep Forest, Delerium, Jesse Cook, Massive Attack

Similar Artists Enigma, Ian van Dalhi, B Tribe, Paul Okenfold

Artist History "Desert Beat" is Alfanan's first album. He produced Paradogs' first album entitled "Shedding Leaves". He composed multiple scores for a documentary entitled "Muslims in Appalachia - Islam in Exile" which aired on PBS all around the U.S. (clips from the video can be seen at (www.vitalvisuals.com)). Alfanan recently finished his second album, Theraputica. He is also in the process of composing new scores for a second documentary with the Producer of Muslims in Appalachia. Alfanan is also working on a joint project called Alfanan & The Beast, which is located at www.mp3.com/a&b. He has also started work on a third album, and has finished one track so far.... with a sample of the song to be uploaded soon!

Group Members Alfanan - Producer/Engineer/Vocals; Tania Al-Alawi - Personal Manager/Vocals/Artwork

Instruments Nay , Oud , Keyboards , Piano, Vocals, and Guitar

Albums Desert Beat, Theraputica

Press Reviews "This music is deep and rich, often morphing Middle-Eastern themes and traditional instrumentation with modern electronics and effects. Alfanan is a producer and musician with a magnificent ear whose music creates multiple moods and dazzles the spirit. Get comfortable and listen with patience, you are certain to be satisfied. " Riffage.com" Alfanan makes his Arabic melodies accessible to Western listeners of Ambient and New Age by adding thick veneers of smooth, down-tempo beats and blissful keyboard washes. Flute and oud melodies accompany his emotive singing. " Listen.com Other press releases/reviews can be seen on Alfanan's official website (www.alfanan.com).

Additional Info Both CDs can be purchased through CDBaby or by emailing Alfanan.

Location Denton, Texas - USA

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