BORSHCH

Along with the mixtape, Zeynab offers a story of herself on the streets of her hometown Beirut. Together with a local photographer, filmmaker, and visual Mohamad Abdouni, whose work is focused on the queer culture in and outside of the Middle East and North Africa, she takes a walk in the Tarik El Jdideh neighborhood. Their shoot reveals how Mohamad and Zeynab deal with the district, how they act and respond to people. “It brought us back to an instinctive and playful place,” Zeynab reflects on Mohamad’ shots he took on film and his old digital video camera. “I am sure the images of the Middle East to anyone in Europe feel very charged. But me and Mohamad just went on a stroll around the neighborhood we both grew up in.”

Zeynab records a mix for Borshch as an intent to translate a mood rather than to demonstrate her mixing skills. “Many of these songs I listen to in the morning or when I get home and feel like shit. This mix is very romantic, very foreplay soft porn but also made for a sad jerk off,” she explains her mix for Borshch. A Napolitanian musical and piercing noise are shuffled with the soothing, familiar melodies from Pan’s Yves Tumor and Anne Imhof. Here Zeynab also features unreleased songs by Chino Amobi, her collaborator Padfut, and her own unreleased tracks. The mix floats and breaks between contrasts, with atonal tunes changing to sentimental iconic love songs to dramatic church-like motifs. And there’s a magical happy ending, of course. The legendary Italian film composer Ennio Morricone and Lebanese sex symbol Rola Yamout finally meet.