
How to listen without an algorithm
Text Cheb Mimo
Cheb Mimo is a London-based DJ, selector, and NTS Radio resident with roots in Algeria and Tunisia. A lifelong collector of records and cassettes, he has a deep connection to North African music – especially Raï – which he champions through club nights and publications. His work centres around the analog art of hunting for music IRL, so here’s a step-by-step guide to listening to music without an algorithm
- Go local and analogue.
Ask your local record seller for things that you don’t usually listen to. There’s no need to buy the record; they’d be happy just to play you some tunes. Charity shops and flea markets can be gold mines, and crazy coincidences can happen. I once found a cassette tape of Amina Annabi, a singer with Tunisian origins, at my local Oxfam in Dalston, London—it opened up a whole new world of North African music for me.

2. Go to traditional cafes, weddings, and local festivals and carnivals.
3. Ask your parents what music they listened to when they were your age.

4. Ask your kids what music they listen to today.
5. Ask your friends.
Bring back tape/CD exchanges and the “my favourite hobby is listening to music with my friends”.
6. Follow the people, not the platforms.
Composers, singers, DJs, collectors, and curators are often the first to dig up hidden gems.
Follow their blogs, Bandcamp collections, radio shows (e.g., NTS Radio, Radio alHara, The Lot Radio, Kiosk), and social media. Listen to full albums, not playlists. Let the artist’s intent shape your experience.

7. Check the label discographies.
Let’s say you found a song that you liked from the Music From Saharan Cellphones album released by Sahel Sounds—not only should you listen to the full album, but also all other albums of the same label.
8. Learn the story behind the music.
Study the cultural, political, and musical history of a region or era. Knowing about exile, diaspora, revolutions, or economic booms/busts can help you spot why and where certain genres flourished briefly.
Music newsletters and zines can help, so subscribe to curators like Aquarium Drunkard, Bandcamp Daily, or smaller email-based digests.
9. Don’t book your barber appointment.
Just go wait for the next availability while listening to their music—for some reason, no matter which country you go to in the Arab world, George Wassouf will always be a barber’s favourite.