DJ Bader spinning on his turntables during a dance party at a hotel in Damascus on May 16, 2025. (Credit: Omar Malas/Rock Paper Scissors Production)
Walking up the residential streets of Mazzeh, central Damascus, Bader Shasheet greets General Security forces, still struggling to grasp what’s ahead: that night, the rising electronic music star would perform in the city for the first time — on the rooftop of a luxury hotel in Sarouja, a central neighborhood.“I always thought I could perform anywhere. But I never imagined it would happen in Syria,” said the 30-something DJ, who lives in Belgium. Shasheet regularly tours the Mediterranean — from Morocco to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and even Benghazi, Libya, his other country of origin.It had been a week since he returned to Syria after 13 years in exile, fleeing forced military conscription. “Everything has changed,” he said, pausing as he observed the soldiers’ friendly nods, the lines on his mother’s face, and the crater that replaced the...
Walking up the residential streets of Mazzeh, central Damascus, Bader Shasheet greets General Security forces, still struggling to grasp what’s ahead: that night, the rising electronic music star would perform in the city for the first time — on the rooftop of a luxury hotel in Sarouja, a central neighborhood.“I always thought I could perform anywhere. But I never imagined it would happen in Syria,” said the 30-something DJ, who lives in Belgium. Shasheet regularly tours the Mediterranean — from Morocco to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and even Benghazi, Libya, his other country of origin.It had been a week since he returned to Syria after 13 years in exile, fleeing forced military conscription. “Everything has changed,” he said, pausing as he observed the soldiers’ friendly nods, the lines on his mother’s face, and the crater...