For over a decade, Ramzi Salti — aka DJ Ramzi — has been sharing his deep passion for Arabic music with listeners all over the world through his radio show and podcast, Arabology.
As Ariana Proehl explains, between his encyclopedic-level musical knowledge and his voice — a deep rasp elevated by a warm, enthusiastic on-air demeanor — “radio deejay” is a fitting role for him. But Salti, an advanced lecturer in the Arabic program at Stanford University since 1999, didn’t expect to add the title to his résumé.
Then, the pro-democracy movements of the Arab Spring sprouted in 2011.
“It was a very optimistic time. And the music that fueled the revolution was everywhere,” Salti said. “And people were asking me since I speak Arabic, ‘What are they saying?’”
Salti started translating songs as a resource for people on campus — like Egyptian band Cairokee’s popular anthem “Sout al Horeya,” which means “Voice of Freedom,” and Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi’s iconic song “Kelmti Horra,” which means “My Word Is Free.”
He was also invited to talk about the music of the Arab Spring on Stanford’s radio station, KZSU. The reaction was so positive that he was asked back a few more times. By the fourth guest spot, he was offered to train as a deejay and get a show of his own. And Arabology was born.
“Before I was a deejay and before I had a radio show, I’ve always been an educator,” Salti said. “When I talk about Arabology, I say it’s an educational show … it’s entertainment with a goal.” His goal is to introduce people to the wide variety of Arabic music that exists, hoping they’ll enjoy it and be curious to hear more.
Each two-hour episode is filled with fun facts about Arabic music and artists, sprinkled across an array of indie Arabic tracks and remixes — everything from Arabic rock, electronica, jazz, pop, hip-hop and more. He also features interviews with musicians, actors, poets and other culture makers on the show, which began as a weekly live program on KZSU.
“When you hear about Arabic music, it just sounds foreign to so many people,” Salti said. “And it gets mixed in with religious chants and religion and Islam — all of which are beautiful — but there’s a whole other genre of Arabic music that is very secular.”
He also hopes that by exposing audiences to the diversity of sounds and stories of various Arab artists, the show will help push back against the stereotypes and demonization of Arabs and Arab Americans in society.
“If somebody walks away with the idea that, ‘wow, Arabic music isn’t as weird as I would have thought,’ or change their mind about the systematic demonization we see of Muslims, that would be what I want,” Salti said.
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