JALEX, a musical duo comprised of Alexy Chemaly and Jad Abouzeid.
Their latest release was the hit album BEYT, recorded in Beirut, Belgrade, and London, these original compositions are a sophisticated mix of oriental fusion, dance, and poetry of 1,200 years ago set to music. Critics called the album refreshing and unique, giving an alternative the pop-dominated music scene in the Middle East.
The JALEX sound is an eclectic one. Combining classical oriental instruments with modern recording technology, JALEX music is reminiscent of classical oriental artists renowned for lengthy poetic masterpieces.
At its core, though, JALEX is Lebanese, drawing most of its inspiration from its homeland. “Our melodies are inspired by Lebanon’s thousands of years of cultural history,” said Chemaly. “This country has witnessed so many civilizations pass through it. Music pours from its soul.”
Further inspiration is drawn from the Middle East region itself. Two tracks on their latest album BEYT, set to music the 1,200-year poetry of writers Abou Nouwwas, an oscar Wilde-type figure in Arabic literature, and Abbas Ben Al Ahnaf, whose poetry is characterized by fineness, honesty, and pure love. The rest of Beyt is Jalex’s unique interpretation of oriental fusion, and dance music. The hit album was recorded in Beirut in 2002 and 2003 and Belgrade with contributions from Lebanese and Serbian musicians during 2002.
The duo have been playing together off and on for the past eight years and have set up their own production company, JALEX Productions. The two got together upon Chemaly’s return after a decade in South Africa. Jad is a London based producer and acoustic engineer, specialized in psychoacoustics and music psychology.
During the past five years and in between travels abroad, JALEX has produced music scores for film and TV, including the feature film “Hollywood Buddha” released in Los Angeles in Spring 2004, as well as many documentary soundtracks. In 2003, JALEX won the “Le Qamar D’or: Prix de la Meilleur Musique Originale” for the film “Trois Grains” by Sabine Sfeir.
Another release from JALEX was “Ammer” in collaboration with Bosnian artist, Brano Likiz and the Resonance Band. Together they performed at the Sarajevo Winter Festival, then Jalex were scheduled to perform at Echo Festival in Belgrade.

From melodies transmitted through religious chants that influenced Alexy Chemaly, to the more modern beats and production techniques and instruments that Jad came to acquire, Jalex is all about “Music from Lebanon”, a country known for both spirituality and entertainment, for having different strata and layers. And so is the music of Jalex: On the surface a chill-out mix interpellant to the senses, but deep beneath a Sufi calling from – and towards – the bottom of the soul.

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