Sled Island Music & Arts Festival and Byta Announce First in Tête-à-Têtes Series: Lockdown Radio

The Sled Island Music & Arts Festival and Byta, the platform for sending digital audio files and streams, are proud to announce the first in a regular series of free, online conversations about the changing landscape of music called Tête-à-Têtes. The series debuts December 1st at noon MST with Lockdown Radio: a conversation with Radio Alhara about new internet radio in a time of restricted movement.

Link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x8_hGcxzRYObytUx0PMcuw

In a time of unprecedented restricted movement, where the global community is isolated, but brought together by a universal concern, it is no surprise that internet radio is experiencing a modern day renaissance. With three of Radio Alhara's founders living in the occupied and landlocked West Bank, they are uniquely situated to understand and discuss the role and importance of internet radio, particularly in times of geographic isolation.

Radio Alhara (the neighbourhood radio) was created in quarantine and broadcasts from Ramallah, Bethlehem and Amman. Founded with local purpose, yet quickly amassing a global audience, it exchanges ideas and music alike, as a real-time response to the unique Middle-Eastern experience of the pandemic.

Architect and DJ Elias Anastas (Bethlehem, Palestine) and DJ and graphic designer Saeed Abu-Jaber (Amman, Jordan) of Radio Alhara will be joined by CBC Radio Host (Brave New Waves) and former MUTEK Montreal curator, producer and editor Patti Schmidt (Montreal, Quebec) to discuss the history of radio in Palestine, where travel has been restricted pre-pandemic, the challenges facing landlocked and locked down artists alike, and the role the internet plays for artists in these challenging times.