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Talal Albahiti and the sonic imprint of MDLBEAST
Text Mai El Mokadem
Once a DJ navigating the nightlife currents of the U.S., Talal Albahiti now steers the soundscape of Saudi Arabia as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Music at MDLBEAST. Standing at the helm of the giant entertainment company and creative platform, he’s helping recompose what music, nightlife, and creativity can look like in Saudi Arabia.
It all began as a single festival. Founded in 2019 with the breakout success of Soundstorm, MDLBEAST quickly evolved from a single electronic music festival into a full-scale cultural movement. In just six years, it has become a powerhouse shaping how the world sees — and hears — the Middle East.
Beyond its flagship festivals like Balad Beast and A Thousand and One, MDLBEAST now operates across talent development, venue curation, and global outreach, turning heritage sites into festival grounds and amplifying emerging Arab artists onto international stages.From pioneering initiatives like Storm Shaker (a gateway for regional DJs to perform at global festivals) to educational initiatives like XP Music Futures and multi-weekend summer take-overs like ONYX Arena & AFT_r summer take-overs, the brand’s vision extends far beyond entertainment.
In this exclusive sit-down, Albahiti reflects on the architecture of this soundscape, the risks and rewards of regional reinvention, and why amplifying local voices is no longer just optional. From advocating for gender equity in lineups to understanding what “cool” means for a new generation of Saudis, he offers a glimpse into how electronic music is becoming both a mirror and a motor for regional expression.
From your previous experience DJing in the US, how did that early immersion in nightlife culture shape your vision for building MDLBEAST in Saudi Arabia?
Being a part of the clubscene and nightlife in the US really opened up a whole new world to me that I didn’t have access to at that time in Saudi Arabia. Everything I saw and experienced there was new and I saw it as knowledge I could later apply here in Saudi. It made me realize how much potential there was here for it, and how many job opportunities it would create. I realized that nightlife culture is a multifaceted industry and that it’s much broader than one might think. I knew we had local talent, but we lacked the infrastructure and the industry to develop it, so that’s where we started with MDLBEAST.
MDLBEAST is described as “by Saudis, for Saudis.” How do you balance local authenticity with global ambitions in an industry that’s dominated by Western models?
With everything we do at MDLBEAST we strive to be inclusive and equal. Meaning that we don’t only try to have equal numbers of men and women, we also always try to have an equal ratio of local and international talent. And that’s something that is represented across our whole brand, whether it’s in our team, at our conferences, or on our lineups.
Yes, we can definitely learn some things from the Western world, but they can also learn from our culture and our music scene, and that’s why the cultural exchanges we set up at our events are so important. By having Western artists perform at our events, we are putting Saudi Arabia on the map.
At the same time, we’re seeing the exchange go both ways—our music and artists are no longer just influenced by global sounds, but are actively shaping them. Saudi and regional producers now have a stage and a louder voice to be heard abroad, inspiring collaborations and crossovers that wouldn’t have happened a few years ago. A great example is Talal Maddah’s recent track, which was sampled in Clipse’s “So Be It”—showing how our sounds are starting to resonate in Western markets and how cultural influence is now flowing in both directions.
Some argue mega-festivals risk feeling like imported formats dropped into a local context. How do you ensure Soundstorm feels distinctly rooted in Saudi identity rather than a copy-paste?
One of the key elements is focusing on local artists and musicians who bring the essence of Saudi Arabia’s culture. Soundstorm has become a stage for emerging Saudi talent across a variety of genres, from hip-hop to EDM, and traditional sounds. By curating performances from artists who are influenced by local culture, dialects, and musical heritage, we ensure that the festival feels authentic and reflective of our identity.
Even though we bring international artists to Soundstorm, they often embrace and showcase our culture, sharing the stage with Saudi performers, incorporating sounds and instruments like the oud, or blending arabic rhythms into their sounds. This creates a sense of celebration of Saudi identity.
We’ve also seen international artists take this appreciation even further, like Camila Cabello’s “Saudia Na Na Na”, which was inspired by her experience performing at Soundstorm. Many have also performed dressed in traditional Saudi attire or added creative nods to the culture within their sets and performances.
Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming a cultural destination. Do you think music is leading that transformation, or simply reflecting it?
I think they both go hand in hand. In order for the musical sector to develop, we needed our country to open up to the world and to present itself as an attractive destination. On the other hand, having Saudi artists perform abroad and international artists perform here is definitely something that has advocated for Saudi Arabia to become a cultural destination.
MDLBEAST has grown into an entire ecosystem, from Beast House to XP Music Futures. What does that expansion tell us about the future of entertainment in the Middle East?
It tells us that this is only the beginning! Our region has so much talent and our cultures are so rich, they deserve to be shared with the world and our talent deserves access to the right infrastructure. Whether it’s with a music conference that allows people to meet and exchange, or with venues that give young talent a stage, the rise of the Middle Eastern music scene is far from over.
You’ve often spoken about music and the arts as a means of cultural development. What role do you think creativity plays in redefining identity for a generation coming of age in Saudi Arabia?
The expansion of the arts and the cultural sector in Saudi Arabia has allowed the newer generations to dream of careers and a lifestyle previous generations probably didn’t even think of. Today’s Saudi youth has access to arts and culture in every shape and form, they even get to see artists like Eminem or JLo perform in the Kingdom, which was unimaginable 20 years ago. It’s definitely something that has helped them envision a totally different future than what older generations had.
Honestly, I often say I wish I could be a kid growing up in Saudi now, where the country hosts some of the world’s biggest events, your neighbors might be global football stars, and the music scene has been completely amplified. It’s a new era of possibility.
Electronic music in Saudi went from being underground to being globally showcased at events and festivals such as XP Music Futures and Soundstorm. Do you ever worry that in becoming mainstream, the music loses some of the raw energy that once defined it?
What we had in the Saudi underground scene is special, but I also think we all knew it wouldn’t last forever. I don’t believe we should see the globalization of it as a loss, but rather as an evolution that presents new opportunities.
In the West, electronic music is often rooted in subcultures. In Saudi, what spirit or space do you feel it’s emerging from, and how is that reshaping what feels aspirational or ‘cool’ for this generation?
In Saudi Arabia, electronic music is tied to subculture as well. The scene has become a powerful connector, bringing together people and communities across the Middle East through creativity and shared energy. Our music community is the biggest outcome of the movement we initiated; it’s not about representing change from the top down, but about revealing who we’ve always been.
What’s considered “cool” for young Saudis works the same way it does anywhere else, the world is too connected for those boundaries to matter. It’s an unveiling of our true identity: a musical, rhythmic people who have always loved to move, whether at weddings, national celebrations, or in the private basements where so much of our culture quietly thrived.
You’ve said being an artist today is as much about building a brand as making music. How do you stop “brand-building” from swallowing the authenticity of the music?
If you’re doing it right, authenticity is what builds your brand. An artist’s narrative is a key part of their brand, but that narrative should align with their music. If an artist’s brand is built on something that isn’t reflected in their music, it can feel inauthentic. Successful artists craft a brand that communicates their music’s story.
In the end, it’s about making sure the music is the anchor. Brand-building should be the extension of that, rather than overshadowing it.
From DJ to COO and Head of Music is a rare trajectory. What part of you still feels like the kid behind the decks, and what part has had to adapt to boardrooms and strategy?
Looking at my life from where I stand today, I can honestly say I’m still DJing, just on a bigger stage. I’m still making music; only now, instead of managing playlists, I’m orchestrating music programs and booking some of the world’s top talent for shows in Saudi Arabia. Instead of promoting my club nights, I’m looking at the country’s yearly event calendar, shaping experiences that move thousands.
It’s gone from dropping beats to dropping barriers, challenging stereotypes through creativity and using music as a universal language. Because once you learn how to move a crowd, the rest is just about finding the next track to play. And for me, this position is simply the next track on the setlist.
What music did you listen to growing up that shaped you? And do you ever think about what the 14-year-old version of you would think, walking into Soundstorm today?
Growing up, I was surrounded by all kinds of music, whatever was playing around the house, I absorbed it. From Arabic classics and rock ’n’ roll to international sounds from Spain, Africa, and beyond, I was always drawn to variety. I never stuck to just one genre; I loved exploring new rhythms and melodies wherever they came from.
If the 14-year-old version of me walked into Soundstorm today, he’d probably just stop and say, “I found my people.”Because that’s what Soundstorm is, it’s a storm of sounds coming together, a celebration of everything I’ve always loved about music: diversity, energy, and connection.