XP Music Futures has become a meeting point for the voices shaping the future of Middle Eastern electronic music. Among them is Muhanned Nassar, aka Vinyl Mode, an artist whose career not only spans the evolution of Saudi Arabia’s scene but has helped to push it forward. From the early underground years to today’s more established network, his perspective offers an inside view of how far things have come.
His journey began in the most organic way possible. “Since I was a kid, I was always the selector; selecting cassettes, recording them and creating a collection. We didn’t have the internet back then, so I was always recording from the radio, which was my only source of music at the time. I wanted to be the guy playing the music when I was hanging out with friends.” He would go on to curate the music at social gatherings, until one friend recognised the potential and decided to buy him his first DJ setup – an old Chinese-brand kit he still wishes he kept. “I don’t even know how we actually found DJ gear in Saudi back then, but it was so dope, so old!”
From there it escalated. “People would invite me to these parties and tell me ‘You’re gonna DJ’ and it was a really nice experience. My style was all over the place, I was playing a lot of 90s hip-hop, disco and I was very much influenced by Jamiroquai, so I was playing a lot of this kind of vibe.”
His abilities were properly recognised by a local wedding DJ some years older than him. “He told me, ‘You know what? You can become a successful DJ, because you have the charisma!’ I never forgot that and it still gives me goosebumps to think about it now.” And with that, he bought his first pair of speakers and started taking them around with him to private house parties; carrying speakers around the city and learning the basics by doing absolutely everything himself. “Back then, the DJ was the promoter, the tech guy, everything,” he laughs. “I was doing everything on my own and not even asking for money to do it.” From that moment Vinyl Mode began to shape his career and in the process, he has lived every chapter of the Saudi scene’s evolution, something which he speaks very positively about. “It feels amazing, and it keeps feeling amazing every time. I’ve been witnessing the whole growth, coming from the depths of the underground to things becoming legal, bringing music to the surface and educating people along the way. It’s been a beautiful journey.”
For Muhanned, the power lies in togetherness, not just in Saudi Arabia but even further afield. “I love how the scene has evolved in the Middle East and especially here at XP, you can feel the sense of unity. This is the most important thing,” he explains. With conflict and division shaping global headlines, he sees festivals as one of the few places where differences dissolve. “We all unite from different cultures, nationalities, religions, colors…it doesn’t matter. We speak one language and dance to one beat. It’s an amazing, powerful energy.” And with that, the regional growth is no longer seperated. Scenes that once developed in isolation, like Bahrain, Dubai, Saudi and even pockets of Africa, are all now in the conversation. “Back in 2010 my first international gig was in Bahrain. There were scenes, but not connected like today. Now everything is growing together.”
Among Vinyl Mode’s proudest milestones is building not just a profile, but a community alongside it. That community fed directly into the evolution of his sound, one he consciously shaped without chasing any particular style. “I wanted not to follow any trend, but to make my own,” he explains. His early releases in 2014 blended electronic production with Arabic poetry, but the sound evolved over time. Eventually, he found his “sweet spot,” a genre he now calls Hijazi House – a fusion anchored in the slang, attitude and vibe of Saudi’s west coast. “It’s like finding hip-hop artists, focusing on flirting and good vibes…nothing with hate. Just good vibes, put into a four-to-the-floor format, making something new.” Inspired by Chicago and Detroit House, he carved out a signature sound. “I think that’s the biggest achievement in my career, creating my own sound and inspiring others to do the same.”
A major shift came in 2019, when he received an art residency in Paris. “One of my friends told me, ‘When you go to Paris, you’re gonna lose your virginity as an artist.’ And it happened!” It was a transformative moment that expanded his ideas about creativity and identity. “I learned to look at art with no rules, from a very different, open perspective. I started to see myself as an artist and respect myself as an artist,” he says. That perspective carried him into his next chapter with MDLBEAST, a leap that pushed him from corporate life into full-time music. “I had to leave my job and take the risk. It was all passion and love, the journey with MDLBEAST – we just wanted to continue to grow and here we are today.”
Having also been involved in XP Music Futures from the beginning, Muhanned sees the festival as a living organism shaped by passion, experimentation and growth. “XP for me is inspired by ADE. When I joined the team, I told them, ‘If you want to learn about the music industry, let’s go to ADE. A lot of ideas came out from there.’” Five editions later, the evolution is undeniable: regional showcases, global audiences and artists flying in specifically to connect with the Middle Eastern movement. “Everything keeps evolving. If there is passion and love, it will keep growing.”
When asked about the artists who have influenced him along the way, he takes a long pause. “Tough question!” he laughs. It feels unfair to choose, but three names rise to the surface: “Leo Pol, Kerri Chandler and Baloo”. What’s perhaps more concrete, is what’s coming next from Vinyl Mode. “I’m currently focused on releasing my top unreleased tracks from the past three years, while launching my own label, ‘Vibe Generators’. My mission is to nurture the local music scene in Jeddah by creating opportunities and educating the next generation on how to party, foster unity and collaborate rather than compete.” This continues a common thread of community as he highlights the strength that togetherness brings, but his plans go even further beyond. “As a full-time artist, I’m dedicated to building my career the right way, pursuing my dreams and traveling the world. I aim to connect with fellow “vibe generators”. My mission is: to heal Mother Earth.”
Today, Vinyl Mode stands as not just a DJ or producer, but a cultural catalyst, someone who has helped build a scene while defining a sound. From private parties to Paris residencies, underground gatherings to regional unity, his story mirrors the wider evolution of Saudi’s musical landscape. Rooted in passion, driven by community and moving forward with unmistakable momentum.
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