MDLBEAST has expanded considerably over the past few years since its inception. The company will be holding a number of events, including their Aravia events taking place in Doha for the world cup. There will be 28 nights with 56 acts playing.
The main event taking place from MDLBEAST is their flagship SOUNDSTORM event on December 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Taking place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Drawing in talents from near and far, SOUNDSTORM is the largest music festival to take place in the Middle East, and for some of the artists involved, it will be their first time ever performing in the Kingdom.
Over the three-day event, a wide array of international names like Marshmello will be performing along with returning DJs such as Carl Cox, Solomun, DJ Snake and David Guetta. Saudi women DJs such as Biirdperson, DJ Cosmicat, Dorar, Kayan, and Solskin alongside their peers Dish Dash, Vinylmode and regional star DJ Aseel. Outside of dance music, names such as Bruno Mars, Post Malone and Wizkid will also perform.
Talal Albahiti, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Talent Booking at MDLBEAST, said: “Saudi Arabia’s music scene has been thriving for the past two decades behind closed doors. With every edition of SOUNDSTORM, we further blow these doors wide open. It’s incredibly special to see music lovers enjoy this new reality, in a safe space with the highest standards of music entertainment.“
Last year’s SOUNDSTORM welcomed more than 730K attendees, with 89% expressing that the music festival was “an iconic and culture defining moment”, according to an independent study conducted last year analyzing MDLBEAST’s impact in Saudi Arabia.
Before the festival begins, MDLBEAST are holding their XP Music Futures conference, taking place 28-30 November.
The one-of-a-kind industry event is confirmed to welcome renowned keynote speakers representing diverse backgrounds. This year’s conference will bring together artistic talent, record labels, music executives, and industry leaders to explore the region’s emerging nightlife industry. All sessions will fall under the four main building blocks that XP considers vital for the development of the Middle East’s music culture and economy: Talent, Impact, Scene, and Innovation.
Speakers for the conference include the likes of Hardwell, Amy Thomson (ex-Swedish House Mafia manager) and Mathew Knowles (Beyonce’s Father).
Discussing this year’s inspiring lineup, Nada Alhelabi, Director of XP Music Conference, comments, “We are thrilled to be able to bring the greatest minds from the international music industry together to connect with XP Music Future’s community. For a second year running, we will discuss and gain mission-critical insight into the opportunities and challenges of accelerating the regional creative music scene we have today.”