DJ Kaboo has put unique Arabic beats into his work on the soundtrack for Marvel’s newest series Moon Knight. Filmed in Jordan and starring Oscar Isaac, the show is currently streaming internationally on Disney+.
DJ Kaboo (real name Mohamed Serour) collaborated with fellow Egyptians Wegz and Najat Al Saghira on the project. In a recent interview, Kaboo described how he first became involved with the series in October 2021.
“I thought it was a joke at first,” Kaboo said. According to him, the initial email regarding the project contained no real details which led him to shrug it off as a scam. Fortunately, a more official email was sent to Kaboo’s distribution company the next day.
Marvel stated their interest in Kaboo’s tracks Arab Trap: Made in Egypt and Arab Trap: 4 Enta. The songs were featured on DJ Kaboo’s 2020 release Arab Trap- EP.1. After reaching an agreement, Kaboo was informed his songs would be featured in the project’s first and third episodes.
DJ Kaboo and his career
Kaboo is a respected name within the Arabic music industry. Before his work on Moon Knight, he was working on a new sound which he hoped would take off internationally.
“I want to take our sound from an international city like Dubai and having it played in festivals for people who may not be Arabs,” he said. He described his vision for a sound with “Arabic instruments and melodies, but done with Western and modern beats.”
Though Kaboo’s “Arab Trap” isn’t totally novel, it is a recent highlight of the talent of Middle Eastern DJs and artists. For years, producers from Madonna to Timbaland have sampled Arabic songs for inspiration.
However, Kaboo feels that Middle Eastern DJs possess an advantage when it comes to sampling Arabic beats.
“We have a greater understanding of the music because we grew up with it,” Kaboo said. He went on to state that “it’s exciting what this kind of music offers us now.”
But with a US and European tour in the works, Kaboo believes that with enough engagement, the region will find its next star.
“The way forward is really about asking yourself as an artist how you want to be unique, and then really working hard in creating a sound that represents where you are from and merge with the modern sounds of today,” he said. “That way, you can take both the older and new generation along with you.”
