Wake Island
Wake Island (Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal) and Radwan Ghazi Moumneh are three Lebanese-Canadian artists based in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal who have joined forces to explore the intersections of Arab identity, diaspora, and contemporary sound through music, performance, and interdisciplinary projects.
Wake Island has long been known for weaving Middle Eastern sounds into electronic, pop, and ambient compositions that grapple with themes of migration, identity, and belonging. Their critically acclaimed 2021 album Born to Leave (nominated for best album at ADISQ) unfolded in three languages and later expanded into a multidisciplinary project spanning music, interactive art, and live A/V performance. The duo has also cemented its place in Montréal’s Arab and Queer scenes as co-founders of Laylit, the celebrated party and collective spotlighting music from the SWANA region and its diasporas.
Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, co-founder of Montreal’s renowned Hotel2Tango studio, has shaped the sound of hundreds of albums as a producer and engineer. His multimedia project Jerusalem In My Heart has toured internationally and released four acclaimed albums, combining electronic compositions, electroacoustic buzuk treatments, and contemporary Arabic modal singing. His work spans music, theatre, and dance, and he continues to redefine contemporary Arabic music through projects that blend tradition with experimentation.
Together, Wake Island and Moumneh fuse their distinct practices into a shared vision that pushes the boundaries of Arabic contemporary music. Their first collaboration, هجرُ /خلقُ / an ambisonic electronic ambient album expanding on the themes of exile and belonging introduced in Born to Leave, premiered at the Phi Centre in May 2024 as part of an immersive live experience. Bridging electronic experimentation, Arab musical heritage, and multimedia storytelling, their work situates diasporic voices at the center of global contemporary
Wake Island (Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal) and Radwan Ghazi Moumneh are three Lebanese-Canadian artists based in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal who have joined forces to explore the intersections of Arab identity, diaspora, and contemporary sound through music, performance, and interdisciplinary projects.
Wake Island has long been known for weaving Middle Eastern sounds into electronic, pop, and ambient compositions that grapple with themes of migration, identity, and belonging. Their critically acclaimed 2021 album Born to Leave (nominated for best album at ADISQ) unfolded in three languages and later expanded into a multidisciplinary project spanning music, interactive art, and live A/V performance. The duo has also cemented its place in Montréal’s Arab and Queer scenes as co-founders of Laylit, the celebrated party and collective spotlighting music from the SWANA region and its diasporas.
Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, co-founder of Montreal’s renowned Hotel2Tango studio, has shaped the sound of hundreds of albums as a producer and engineer. His multimedia project Jerusalem In My Heart has toured internationally and released four acclaimed albums, combining electronic compositions, electroacoustic buzuk treatments, and contemporary Arabic modal singing. His work spans music, theatre, and dance, and he continues to redefine contemporary Arabic music through projects that blend tradition with experimentation.
Together, Wake Island and Moumneh fuse their distinct practices into a shared vision that pushes the boundaries of Arabic contemporary music. Their first collaboration, هجرُ /خلقُ / an ambisonic electronic ambient album expanding on the themes of exile and belonging introduced in Born to Leave, premiered at the Phi Centre in May 2024 as part of an immersive live experience. Bridging electronic experimentation, Arab musical heritage, and multimedia storytelling, their work situates diasporic voices at the center of global contemporary
