Today's pop music may be drawing inspiration from the 1990s, but for Tarek Tourgane that era never ended.
The Algerian-Syrian musician, known for composing theme songs for Arabic-dubbed versions of popular international cartoons from that era, has consistently performed these mini-hits across the region and the crowd reaction has always been the same.
“They become like children again,” he tells The National ahead of his concerts at Dubai’s Zabeel Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. “They could be 40 or 45 years old, but once they hear the music and lyrics, their eyes glimmer and they sing along to these songs they grew up with.”
Tourgane has composed more than 100 theme songs, many of which have become soundtracks for a generation of Arabic speakers across the Middle East and North Africa who came of age in the 1990s. These include the introductions to the Arabic versions of animated series such as The Jungle Book, Batman, Detective Conan and Captain Majed (from the second season onwards).
Many of these songs featured the child vocals of Tourgane’s own children, Dema, Tala and Mohammed, who now perform with him on stage. While the 90-second tracks were musically rich with yearning strings, bobbing basslines and zippy percussion, Tourgane credits their enduring appeal to the lyrics delivered in modern standard Arabic.
“You have to understand that children’s television programmes were different back then in that the whole point was to unite the viewers,” he says. “So in order to appeal to everyone, whether they lived in Egypt or the Levant to the UAE or Saudi Arabia, we deliberately made the script and lyrics in standard Arabic without any cultural references. This is now changed with programmes appealing directly to certain markets so now you have children’s shows in the Khaleeji or Lebanese dialect, for example.”
As the in-house composer for the Venus Centre (also known as Markaz Al Zahra), a leading Syrian dubbing studio that sold works to TV channels across the Middle East, Tourgane felt a deep responsibility to the young viewers. “I didn’t want to compose songs merely for entertainment; they needed to carry a meaningful message or lesson,” he says.
Tourgane was able to compose so many songs partly because he didn’t spend time watching the series. “All I needed was the title of the show, the theme and a broad outline of the story’s setting. For example, is it based in a forest, a football competition or small fishing village,” he says. “Once I understand, I can work on the song and sometimes get them done in two or three days.”
Working in isolation from the primary material allowed Tourgane to insert lyrical content that wasn’t directly related to the programme. “When it comes to Captain Majed, I wanted a song to explain to children what it means to compete,” he says. “So the song talks about fairness and the reward that comes with hard work.”
These timeless messages still resonate with those children, now adults. “In Captain Majed, the lyrics are full of metaphors that adults understand,” he says. “Children might take them literally, but as they grow up, they realise I’m talking about life goals, not just scoring in a game. This is why the songs and concerts remain popular – it’s more than just nostalgia.”
Born in Damascus, Tourgane attributes his successful career to being in the right place at the right time in 1990. “I was working as a pianist in a small restaurant in Damascus and I saw an acquaintance of mine at the back of the room,” he recalls. “He said he was due to meet a potential composer for the Venus Centre who never showed up. When I said I could compose, he took me straight to the studio and I created the intro for The Jungle Book that night. I’ve never looked back since.”
Memories of Future Youth – Remembrance of Golden Generation is at Zabeel Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. More information is available at dubai.platinumlist.net
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Company%20Profile
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Scores
Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Company%20profile
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Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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South Korea
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Kandahar%20
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
