Continuing our series of conversations at XP Music Futures, we had the chance to speak with a long-standing figure in Saudi Arabia’s underground. Long before the large-scale platforms of today existed, Ahmad Allamary aka Baloo, was already shaping the foundations of electronic music culture in the region. His journey stretches back to a time before there was even a Saudi scene to speak of, making him one of the few artists uniquely placed to discuss how it all took shape.
“When I started playing music, it was a small party circuit. You’d see the same people at every event, everyone knew each other very closely.” Back in the late 90s, electronic music existed quietly, carefully, shared only among trusted circles. “It wasn’t really open or inclusive, but it grew little by little.” Baloo began playing in 1997, guided more by instinct than ambition. At the time, he was one of the very few DJs in Riyadh playing vinyl. “Someone came over and discovered me (now a very good friend of mine) because he heard there was a Saudi DJ playing vinyl. I think I had the only set of turntables in the city back then.” His dedication to digging ran deep, so much so that he once flew his record collection with the help of a friend’s private jet.
These early gatherings were sporadic and discreet, happening every few months at most. “I played because I’m Saudi, I was living and working in Saudi, and I love music. We had our little thing, it wasn’t much more than that.” He wasn’t throwing parties or building platforms yet, just playing when invited, slowly nurturing his craft. His first official gig was over in Washington DC during his university studies, at a club called Babylon. “That was probably the one and only gig I had that my mother attended, so that holds a very dear place in my heart. She was very happy for me, proud of me – I was only 19 at the time!”
A move to Dubai marked his first real expansion. There, Baloo found himself opening for artists he had admired for years. “That’s where I got my first wings,” he says. “I was opening for acts that I was very much a fan of.” When he then returned to Riyadh, momentum followed. More events emerged, more people began to connect. A community was growing and he was right at the centre, alongside Tarek anTabi in Riyadh, and Anmarz and Ibz in Jeddah, all in part instrumental in the scene’s development.
It was during the same period that he also held a residency in Bahrain. The first night he played at Liquid, the club filled up unexpectedly. “The resident DJ asked me, ‘Who are these people?’ I sent a friend of mine to check on the dance floor – they were Saudis who heard there was a Saudi DJ playing and they all crossed the bridge to attend.” It was the first visible sign of a wider, interconnected audience, one that extended beyond cities and borders. “They just kept coming to my events after that.”
Relocating to Jeddah later introduced him to yet another layer of the scene, where he met Hats & Klaps, Vinyl Mode in Jeddah and Riyadh’s KLED, Majid and others who were helping define the city’s underground sound. Surrounded by a younger generation of artists, more fearless, more experimental, he found himself reinvigorated. “It was eye opening to see a whole other generation that were more courageous than my own. I integrated naturally and started playing there, and so I gained a younger audience after that.” The scene was slowly coming together.
Years later, in 2019, Baloo was invited to join an ambitious new project that would rapidly elevate the standing of electronic music in the region. The idea began with a family friend, who contacted him about launching a three-day music festival in Riyadh. What started as a concept quickly grew into something much bigger: the creation of MDLBEAST, a platform born with Soundstorm, one of the largest festivals of its kind in the Middle East. As the festival’s logistics and vision took shape, so too did the broader cultural infrastructure around it. Soundstorm’s launch marked a significant moment in Saudi Arabia’s live music landscape and was followed by initiatives that helped to expand the local music ecosystem, including the development of labels, talent platforms and XP Music Futures.
As Chief Creative Officer at MDLBEAST, Baloo has been instrumental in piecing it all together. Live events, artist platforms, venues, record stores, industry conversations and festivals; all contributing directly to the infrastructure that now supports the region’s electronic music community.
Now in its fifth edition, XP has grown steadily without losing its core energy. “We love to upgrade, but logically, based on what the audience wants. We listen to our people, our community, and everything we do is based on those discussions and the needs of our country.” While the scale and structure have expanded over time, the spirit remains unchanged. “The excitement, the enthusiasm, the openness – that’s stayed the same, no matter how much we upgrade. People here are very kind, loving, open and ready to collaborate. It’s very heartwarming.”
Beyond Saudi Arabia, Baloo draws inspiration from spaces that prioritise atmosphere and intention. Berlin’s Heidegluhen remains a benchmark. “Every time I go there, I look at the DJ, the crowd, and I think, ‘I want to be there, I want to be on those decks.’ That’s the gauge for me.” Soundscapes in Zanzibar also holds a special pull. “There’s something about being barefoot on a beach with a full clear sky. Sunrises, sunsets, the energy is really beautiful and I see artists consistently bringing their best.” Woodstock in Tunisia left a mark too, with its dancefloor location changing day by day. “Every day you feel like you’re in a new festival, despite never actually leaving the resort. It’s basically a new surprise every day and I really love that about the festival.”
Musically, his foundations were really shaped during his time in Washington DC. “It’s easy for me to say who my main influences were. I would drive to New York just to see Danny Tenaglia play, he’s one of the key pillars of the NY sound. There was also Deep Dish, who were phenomenal in the 90s and early 2000s. I was basically their groupie – I would follow them almost everywhere.” Mark Farina also left a long lasting impression. “He’s timeless. His Mushroom Jazz series is the only music I want to listen to when I’m chilling and his influence on my house sound runs deep. Out of the three, I think Mark is the one that’s most consistent, still doing it the way he always did it, and it’s beautiful.”
When defining his own sound, Baloo resists easy genre labels. “Three to four years ago I would have said I play deep house. But the thing is, I see deep as a feeling. To me, it’s not a genre.” His sets move between house and techno, grounded in grit, with influences of jazz, funk and Detroit techno. His approach is shaped by decades of listening, something he believes remains the most important tool for any artist. “Listen as much as possible,” he advises younger generations. “Absorb music without comparing. Always keep your ears open, technically that’s how I grew as an artist.” For him, growth has always come from those moments of surprise. Hearing something unexpected, feeling challenged and allowing perspective to shift. “That’s the magic,” he says. “There’s never a year where I don’t hear a performance that changes how I think.”
From private living rooms to international dance floors, Baloo’s story mirrors the wider journey of Saudi electronic music itself. Patient, deeply rooted and now fully visible. And of course, it goes much further than the DJ booth. At XP, the journey feels less like a destination and more like an ongoing conversation, one that continues to unfold with each new generation stepping forward.
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