Cars & Autos | Thursday 19 March, 2015 12:57 am |

• Led by region’s number one music producer, Jean-Marie Riachi, and supported by up and coming DJ and producer, Omar Basaad, ‘My Land, My Music’ Middle East tour will create musical track celebrating some of the region’s historic and undiscovered sounds
• Emirati film director, Ali Mostafa, and Emirati filmmaker, Ahmed Abdulqader, will capture the adventure and creative process through short films and a final music video

As part of its continued efforts to create engaging, regionally relevant content, premium SUV manufacturer Land Rover has revealed an exciting new collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment Middle East. These two major industry players are merging the automotive and entertainment worlds together to create a powerful celebration of music and cultural diversity across the Arab region.

Following Land Rover MENA’s foray into the arts with ‘The Calligraphy Project’ film and installations, as well as the ‘My Journey, My Inspiration’ film series, this partnership is the latest example of Land Rover’s continuously evolving MYLAND creative communications platform, designed to celebrate the impact Arab culture has had on today’s modern society.

One of a number of music collaborations to take place between Land Rover and Sony Music Entertainment over the coming months, ‘My Land, My Music’ will bring together renowned music producers, Jean-Marie Riachi from Lebanon and Omar Basaad from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as they undertake a musical journey, meeting, discovering and documenting the musicians and sounds of the region’s varied communities. Inspired by Land Rover’s ties to the MENA region’s culture and people, the different sounds captured will be arranged by Jean-Marie and his world-class studio team to produce the final soundtrack that honours the land, heritage and people of the Middle East. In a youthful twist on the concept, a number of club remixes will be produced by Omar to ensure the project captures the imagination of all music fans.

Produced by Emirati film director and long-term friend of the Land Rover brand, Ali Mostafa, and directed by Emirati filmmaker Ahmed Abdulqader, the ‘My Land, My Music’ documentary will tell the story behind the sounds recorded along the way. Charged with visually bringing to life this project, Ali Mostafa and his award-winning team will follow Riachi and Basaad from city to city to document the fascinating musical creation process behind ‘My Land, My Music’. This short film will accompany the song along with a dedicated music video and other behind-the-scenes content.

Hannah Naji, Marketing Director at Jaguar Land Rover MENA, said: “MYLAND is all about recognizing and celebrating the people, places, sounds, heritage and culture which have shaped this beautiful region. With ‘My Land, My Music’, we are evolving our MYLAND platform by creating unique content through yet another art form – music, which itself is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of the region. We are thrilled to be able to partner with Sony Music Entertainment Middle East for this project, which we hope will be the first in a number of exciting musical collaborations. I am excited to see how this journey inspires Jean-Marie and Omar to create something unique that captures the region’s soul and resonates with audiences across MENA.”

Mike Fairburn, General Manager at Sony Music Entertainment Middle East, added: “For many, music represents the cultural heartbeat of the region. Whether it is the fisherman of Muscat, the music halls of Beirut, the souks of Cairo and Jeddah or the Dubai Creek, rhythm greets you at every corner. Together with Land Rover, we saw this as a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this; to take a talented music and film team on a journey to try to understand and celebrate the rich musical tapestry of the region. I would like to thank Land Rover for their vision, and to wish the team of Jean-Marie, Omar, Ali and Ahmed the very best as they embark on this wonderful journey”.

More ‘My Land, My Music’ details will be revealed on April 29th at www.myland.landrover-me.com.

-Ends-
About Land Rover MENA
Land Rover continues to build the world's most capable all-purpose vehicles - a blend of refinement, performance and unmatched all-terrain capability making Land Rover vehicles distinctive and unique. Since the launch of the Series I in 1948, Land Rover has been there alongside the pioneering and visionary individuals who shaped the landscape of the Middle East. Today, owners and enthusiasts in the region continue to demonstrate an overwhelming loyalty and passion for Land Rover products, leading to another year of growth in sales in 2014, up 8% versus prior year. The current Land Rover line-up comprises the flagship Range Rover, now the best-selling Land Rover vehicle in the region, the All-New Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque, complemented by the highly capable Land Rover Discovery/LR4, the iconic Defender and the new Discovery Sport, the world’s most versatile and capable premium compact SUV.

For further information:
Log onto newsroom.jaguarlandrover.com, http://live.landrover-me.com, myland.landrover-me.com or contact Angelina Hedra at Weber Shandwick MENA on +971 4 445 42 22 / jlr@webershandwick.com

Land Rover MENA social channels:
https://www.facebook.com/LandRoverMENA
https://twitter.com/LandRoverMENA
http://www.youtube.com/LandRoverMENA
http://instagram.com/LandRoverMENA
http://www.flickr.com/photos/LandRoverMENA
live.landrover-me.com Hashtag: #LandRoverMENA

myland.landrover-me.com

About Sony Music Entertainment:
Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalogue that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

Notes to editor:
‘My Land, My Music’ Artists

Jean-Marie Riachi
Founder, owner of JMR Productions, Multi Platinum composer and producer Jean-Marie Riachi was born in 1970. He studied music at U.S.E.K University Beirut and by the age of 18 had already starred in Lebanon’s popular talent show Studio Al Fann. Aged only 19, he arranged and produced his first big hit Baddi Doub with Elissa, and went on to produce, compose and mix more hits for leading Arabic artists like Fairuz, Magida Al Roumy, Nancy Ajram, Carole samaha,Nawal Al Zoughbi, Assi Hellani, Ramy Ayach, Haifa Wehbeh, Ragheb Alameh,Wael kfoury, Latifa, Asala and many others, and with the international Artists: Jose Carreras, Youssou N’Dour and lately John Legend.
In 2011, Jean-Marie opened JMR Studios in Rabieh and in 2002 established Oriental Music Publishing. This was followed by the creation of Oreole Records, the first label in the region to produce instrumental albums. In 2010, he established the music conglomerate, Voice of Art.
Jean Marie is a music producer on the famous TV show “THE VOICE” on MBC.
www.jeanmarieriachi.com

Omar Basaad
Omar Basaad captures the quintessence of electronic music and continues to discover the progressive state of house music through his innate ability to produce memorable beats.
One of the youngest EDM (electronic dance music) producers in the Middle East, he loves being in the studio and deems music as the theme of life. Unique in his origin, he is a young music prodigy and a prevalent influential Saudi media figure. Basaad is the first Arab to release the world's first Arabic dubstep track, with the resurrection of his single ''Nehyatina Eh''.
He involved himself in the production side of music, at the young age of 17 and is now a proud owner of his digital record label, Loud Recordings. The leading media outlets of the Middle East (Arab News and Saudi Gazette) have cautioned the world to watch out for the star who aspires to be perennial; deeming him to be the artist of linear perfection, the "Tiesto" and the "Insatiable Dreamer" of the Middle East. Basaad has regularly headlined major dance music festivals including Creamfields and Sandance playing alongside the top DJs in the world.
www.omarbasaad.com

Ali Mostafa
Acclaimed Emirati Film Director and Producer Ali Mostafa is widely known as the director of the first Emirati feature film City of Life, and is a long-standing Land Rover Brand Ambassador.
Growing up in the UAE, Ali had a passion for film from an early age, going on to obtain an M.A. of practical training in film technique from the London Film School. Ali set up his own production company AFM Films in 2006, and in 2009, his debut feature film City of Life became the first Emirati film to be given a gala screening at Dubai International Film Festival, going on to break box office records for an Emirati film.
Ali has since been credited as a champion of the Emirati film industry and has been instrumental in its success, so much so that his latest feature film From A to B became the first Emirati film to open the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in October of this year. The film was highly praised by audience and critics alike, and is set to premiere in cinemas across the Middle East on January 1 2015.
www.alimostafa.com