Sounds of Change: Instruments for Change

Music: the universal language we all speak, regardless of where we come from; the glue that makes the world one big country, despite geographical borders and cultural boundaries. That's the bottom line behind 'Instruments for Change', the collaborative project by Sounds of Change, Deep House Amsterdam (DHA) and MassiveMusic, which sees musicians from all over the world coming together to share their unique sound with the world. Inspired by Sounds of Change's mission - to encourage communities in need by providing musical training in conflict-affected areas - MassiveMusic and Deep House Amsterdam decided to join forces to help spread the message even more. That's when they decided to invite five musicians from Syria, Turkey and Senegal to join them at the MassiveMusic Amsterdam studio. The idea? To record them playing traditional instruments from their home country and give life to a sample pack for all the DJs, producers and musicians out there. Nawras, Modar and Shaza come from Syria and respectively play the oud, the riq and the qanun. Senegal and Turkey were also represented, with Mame recording his vocals and Sinan playing the ney. All instruments with a heritag: the oud and the ney, for instance, are some of the oldest instruments of all times. By recording the endless combinations of every single instrument, Sounds of Change, Deep House Amsterdam and MassiveMusic gave life to a virtual software instrument (VST) and a digital sample pack that DJs, producers and musicians can now purchase online to give an extra special touch to their music. Launched during ADE, as part of the official Amsterdam Dance Event programming, ‘Instruments for Change’ is also part of ‘Music x Mind’, an initiative by MassiveMusic to empower people through music, offering insights on the benefits it has to our mind, body and soul.