SwedenBitarMuch as I’d love to combine the day job producing videos for BBC Trending with the music discovered through the blogging hobby, the intricacies of publishing rights mean we mostly end up using production music.
Occasionally however I can get the OK from an artist directly as was the case with a recent video about Syrian refugee and social media star Mahmoud Bitar. An unlikely search for a bit of Syrian influenced hip-hop led me to the Soundcloud page of Rekta from the Orient Squad. Rekta and his coconspirator DJ Ouss who divide themselves between Syria and France.

Rekta kindly gave me permission to use “When the Arabic side takes control” & “Oum Kalthoum breaks into the house” (below) and a month or so later a couple of million people have had the pleasure of hearing his beat making skills or at least them soundtracking the BBC Trending video.

I used one piece of production music for the grand overblown opening to the video but unbeknownst to me Rekta got his hands on that and remixed it into his own beat laden version! Superb!

Listen to his mix below and watch the Mahmoud Bitar profile to hear how Orient Squad’s tunes really make the piece.

Thanks again to Rekta – Check out his music on Soundcloud.