Ali Hasan
Urban Rhythms: From Traditional Beats to City Streets
Block workshop, English/Deutsch, 2 SWS, 2 ECTS
Saturdays/Sundays, 10-17 h, at 18./19.1. and 25./26.1.2025, Hardenbergstr. 33, room 201

Registration on Moodle starts 14.10.2024 / Anmeldung auf Moodle beginnt am 14.10.2024:
https://moodle.udk-berlin.de/moodle/course/view.php?id=2470
Moodle Enrollment Key / Einschreibeschlüssel: streets

INFOSESSION: Thursday, 17.10.2024, 19 h: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71437568609?pwd=9XDRbJDHFsns8CDQPKvlsBnbnOTuWV.1   
Meeting ID: 714 3756 8609, Passcode: UDK25

This course aims to bridge traditional oriental percussion with the everyday sounds of Berlin, transforming the city's soundscape into an immersive auditory experience that allows us to be both aware of the here and now, and to experience shifts in time and space. By integrating traditional oriental percussion into city sounds, we will explore the resonances of urban life through a non-Eurocentric lens. We will investigate the interplay between the social and cultural aspects of the city through sound art, exploring themes like movement, time, and cultural identity. Students will examine how sound can document, influence, and even precipitate critical shifts in urban spaces, capturing the essence of gradual change leading to profound transformation.

What to expect: We will start with a workshop exploring the intricate rhythms of oriental percussion instruments and the traditional contexts in which they are played. Students will be allowed hands-on practice with these instruments. In a second step students will go on sound walks through various neighborhoods, discovering and recording the unique sounds of each area. Back in the classroom, we will analyze the recordings, discussing the different "beats" and rhythms found in these urban sounds, comparing them to traditional percussion rhythms. In phase 3 students will learn how to use software to edit and manipulate their recordings, layering them with traditional percussion recordings to create a cohesive piece.

Konkrete Leistungsanforderungen für den unbenoteten Schein // Fulfilment criteria for ungraded accreditation: Productive, open, present participants. Music knowledge is a plus but not a must.

Ali Hasan is a Berlin-based musician, percussionist, and healing artist with roots in Syria. Known for his vibrant rhythms, he performs both solo and with groups like Pulsar Collective and Dabke Community Dance by Sasha Waltz & Guests. He also performed with Ziad Rahbani, Joel Holmes, Zhynea Topov, Clemens Rynkowski, caner taker, Studio labour, Ralf Schmerberg, among many others. Ali is  a recognized physical therapist from the Akademie der Gesundheit Berlin/Brandenburg e.V., blending his therapeutic skills with his art. As co-founder and Art Curator of BAYNATNA, the Arabic-German Library, he champions Arabic and international arts, The library has been awarded accolades such as "THE POWER OF THE ART 2020. Transforming society." At the Humboldt Forum, he performs and curates music with the Resident Music Collective. Ali has been featured in international press, earning acclaim and recognition worldwide. More information on https://alihasan.berlin/.