JOHN DEREK BISHOP & KHALED HABEEB
John Derek Bishop (live-sampling) and Khaled Habeeb (oud) are a duo exploring the meeting point between traditional Arabic music and experimental electronic soundscapes. Rooted in improvisation, their music moves between fragile acoustic melodies, ambient textures, deep drones, and abstract sonic environments shaped in real time. Drawing inspiration from both Middle Eastern musical traditions and the Nordic ambient lineage associated with the Punkt Festival scene, the duo creates immersive concerts centered around listening, atmosphere, and emotional presence.
Using live-sampling as an instrument, Bishop transforms fragments of Habeeb’s oud playing into evolving textures, rhythms, and harmonic landscapes, creating a fluid dialogue between acoustic resonance and electronic manipulation. Their music balances warmth and darkness, clarity and abstraction, often unfolding slowly with a cinematic and meditative quality.
The duo has performed at venues and festivals including Victoria Nasjonale Jazzscene, Punkt Festival, and Riksscenen. Their debut album ekkofremtid was released in September 2026.
“The stark contrast between Habeeb’s precise phrasing and Bishop’s barren, windswept landscapes is immediately clear on the title track. The more abstract Uncomfortable Current oscillates between folk-inflected melody and ambient drift, introducing an even greater sense of temporal and geographical displacement. Nordic tropes again brush against Eastern timbres during the 13 minutes of Nordlys Fra Østen, yet as the two musicians combine to create and sustain a coherent mood it’s clear that despite continental divides they’re speaking with one voice. An instantly likeable set that is also reassuringly slow to reveal its full charms, Ekkofremtid cements Bishop’s reputation as a trail-blazing improvising sound artist.”
Live at Punkt Festival 2023 - photo by Ruben Olsen Lærk
“Den eggende lyden fra ouden gjør meg rett i ryggen. Habeeb spiller med følelse og romsans. Det er luft og åpenhet i det som kommer, noe som tydeliggjør hva det er. Bishop omskaper og utvikler, og det er godt å høre hvordan de to lytter til hverandre. Bishop gjenbruker oud-spillet på kreative måter og varter opp med lydrariteter som setter eventyr i samspillet. Dette er smakfullt. Balansen mellom Habeebs melodiøse tilnærming og Bishops utfordrende tilsvar, er god. Stoffet deres er enkelt å ta seg inn i. Langsomheten råder. Det vakre trenger ikke å bli sleipt. Når elektronikken mørkner og blir nattåpen, påvirker det hvordan ouduttrykket oppfattes. De to gjør hverandre større. Det er fint å høre hvordan Bishops forvrengte lyder ikke tar seg til rette, men tjener helheten. At begge evner å holde tilbake, er en seier for musikken deres. Det er deilig med musikk som er dyssende, uten at den gjør deg søvnig.” - Concert review from Punkt Festival 2023 by Arild R. Andersen