Telekom Electronic Beats • 23rd April 2020

Amid Censorship, Tehrani Dance Music Emerges From the Shadows

Tehran is a city where you can get thrown in jail for listening to Pharrell Williams yet have all manner of drugs delivered to your doorstep in less than 30 minutes. But Tehran is slowly redefining its image through the medium of sound.

Vice • 17th April 2020

People in Berlin Are Ignoring the Lockdown and Going to Sex Parties

How do a group of people whose lives revolve around the physically intimate and mentally liberating world of almost non-stop clubbing deal with being told to stay indoors in tiny apartments? VICE spoke to some of Berlin’s professional clubbers about how they are coping with lockdown life.

Huck Magazine • 31st March 2020

Higher planes: when rave culture and spiritualism collide

Some ardent ravers view the practice as a vessel to connect with something larger than themselves. But can a night at Berghain ever result in genuine transcendence – or are efforts to link modern raving with ancient ritualism way off the mark?

Mixmag • 25th March 2020

"More intimacy": How Nene H is powering connections through techno

“Let’s talk real shit!” Beste Aydin laughed as we sat down with a freshly-brewed coffee and tea. It was a grey Thursday in Berlin, but inside her apartment the energy was warm and welcoming when we settled in to philosophise about the future of techno.

Mixmag • 21st February 2020

Sonic resistance: Adab’s afrofuturism inspires hope for a better future

The child of a pastor in Midwest America, Miah Benton was born in 1990, raised on a musical diet of Christian house and techno music. It was 17 years later in Istanbul that the artist, Adab, blossomed into existence - a gentle champion of heady, mystical, and psychedelic afrofuturism.

Red Bull • 5th February 2020

The story of Beirut's fresh, new electronic scene.

Beirut has long been the backbone of club culture in the Arab world. In tandem with huge socio-economic turbulence, Lebanon and the wider Middle East region has rocketed through a period of intense musical progression, with new audiences being drawn to fresh, experimental sounds – music that was once a niche preserve.

Petroleum Economist • 30th January 2020

Iraq’s bounty risks bitter taste

After US-led mission helped to largely banish Islamic State from Iraq in 2018, the country has fast become a battleground for power in the region

Crack Magazine • 28th January 2020

No Limit: How Eurodance shaped modern dance music

Melodic synths, pianos and empowering, life-affirming lyrics: these aren’t qualities you’d typically associate with techno, but increasingly tracks fitting this description are going side-by-side into sets from some of the underground’s most relentless stalwarts, from Steffi to Herrensauna’s Cem. It’s all thanks to the return of Eurodance.

Petroleum Economist • 9th January 2020

Iran-US conflict: more to come?

With the US’s killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the risk of attacks on Mena oil infrastructure is likely to increase The Gulf region is wondering if General Soleimani’s assassination and the subsequent Iranian missile attacks on US bases in Iraq is the end of a chapter—or just the start. Despite US president Donald Trump’s more conciliatory remarks on Wednesday, analysts still favour the pessimistic view.

Mixmag • 20th June 2019

"Never confined to one space": How Jessika Khazrik is fixing the future through techno

As the world tumbles towards dystopia, multi-disciplinary artist Jessika Khazrik believes in the power of music to tackle global oppression

Platts • 7th May 2019

Analysis: Iraq becomes Middle East energy investment hotspot

Iraq is again becoming a viable destination for energy investment in the Middle East after the final defeat of Islamic State and the election of a new government revived interest in the region's second-largest oil producer. The US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even Iran are now vying for a share in the spoils.

Mixmag • 12th March 2019

“Determined for change”: Lilith. is driving Georgia’s rave revolution

As Bassiani’s notoriety grows, people like Lilith. and other Bassiani residents, such as HVL and Zitto, are having a greater impact on the industry and on how we consume music from this part of the world.

Platts • 5th March 2019

Yemen's energy revival plan leaves analysts skeptical

Yemen is caught in a war that has left its 28 million people struggling to survive in what the United Nations calls the worst man-made humanitarian disaster. But that hasn't stopped the government from projecting new investment in energy this year, helping ports and airports to run more smoothly and swelling state coffers. But analysts are skeptical about the country's goal of enticing more foreign investors to help boost exports and generate vital cash needed for the Middle East's poorest and war-torn country.

i-D • 21st January 2019

in beirut, clubbing is its own kind of democracy

Beirut is a city long synonymous with the idea of progressiveness in the Middle East. But 30 years on from a devastating civil war that lasted fifteen years, maintaining that reputation is still a constant battle, and the city's nightlife scene is on the frontline.

Platts • 14th January 2019

Interview - 'No reason' Iran sanctions will lead to higher oil prices: US' Brian Hook

Thanks to booming US output, as well as increased supplies from Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major producers, oil prices have eased despite the Trump administration's reimposition of sanctions on Iran in November. But as OPEC and its allies implement production cuts to bolster prices, US officials say they will be closely monitoring the market in considering whether to extend waivers that allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil.

Platts • 13th January 2019

Saudi Aramco to issue about $10 billion in bonds for Sabic purchase: Falih

Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco will seek to sell around $10 billion in bonds to help fund the purchase of petrochemicals firm Sabic, Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said Sunday.

Petroleum Economist • 18th September 2018

Iran seeks energy allies as sanctions bite

Trump’s Iran sanctions target oil. But will all be lost or will Iran find investors in Russia and China? With the imposition of full US sanctions on Iran imminent, high-profile investors, such as France's Total have already confirmed they won't be seeking waivers to continue their operations. Instead, the major will opt out of developing the supergiant South Pars gasfield.

Petroleum Economist • 19th April 2018

REPORT: Nigeria's election hangs over energy sector

Nigeria's economy has made a sluggish recovery over the past 12 months. After a plunge into negative growth last year, higher global oil prices are beginning to heal the wounds to state finances. The next 18 months will be fraught with political risk, but if investors are smart, they can hover over lucrative market positions and prepare to take a spending plunge when th

Petroleum Economist • 4th April 2018

Militant threat looms ahead of Nigerian elections

President Muhammadu Buhari faces a difficult year, as he seeks to implement far-reaching reforms to the oil and gas sector against a background of intensifying campaigning ahead of presidential elections. To make matters more complex, militants are threatening another campaign of attacks in the Niger Delta, risking oil production levels that have only recently recovered after the last bout of unrest.

Interfax • 24th February 2017

Nigerian power discos hope for debt write-off

Nigerian power distibutors are caught in a debt cycle as legacy debts and non-payment by customers have left them struggling to pay generators.