Pharoah Chromium – Chronicles From the Arab Cold War

Pharoah Chromium is the project of German-Palestinian musician and sonic performer Ghazi Barakat. With Chronicles from the Arab Cold War, Pharoah Chromium continues his long-standing engagement with the Palestinian cause, following Gaza take shape from a session with flutes, EWI (an analogue synth played like a wind instrument), and belly dancing beats. At first these were instrumentals, waiting for their context. That frame appeared unexpectedly, through the discovery of material at hand. As you listen, Side A reveals its dedication to the children of Gaza. Without exploiting recordings from an ongoing genocide, the music instead channels hope through the voices of Omani children, offering a vision of resilience and possibility in the Middle East. Side B grows darker, more funerary, reflecting the escalation of the conflict after October 7. Trumpeter Philipp Selalmazidis, a recent collaborator, appears throughout these sessions, adding weight and urgency. Over time, the adolescent voices of the A side give way to adult voices, filling the space with anger and ideological rhetoric — a stark progression from innocence to confrontation. This is a record that refuses detachment: a work of mourning, resistance, and improbable connections that insists on listening as an act of witness.