My name is Bassel M Al-Rahim and I am a sound designer who’s spent the last six years establishing a life and practice, both professionally and personally around sound. I’m also an electronic musician and release work under the moniker Terra Teknik. I joined OTB in May of this year, which marked my inauguration into the world of sound design for moving image. I live for audio in all its forms and consider it my life’s mission to learn everything I can about the medium, its history, applications, theory, mechanics, etc. It’s extremely important to me to always be connecting with other people in the field. This has been a passion born from and propelled by my curiosity, and what I’ve learned so far has been through the generosity of audiophiles I’ve met who’ve shown me the way. I only hope that I might be able to do that for others someday.

Describe your ideal listening environment. In my car, blasting whatever it is I'm listening to, preferably driving over 60 along a scenic stretch of highway, warm weather, windows rolled down etc.

What are your favorite sounds? Thrashing breakbeats, the sound of rain hitting my bedroom window in the morning as I wake up, the quiet interior of a private bathroom stall.

Which sound do you most like making? Whirling synth pads, ambient drones heavy on the saturation, my loon call which is my favorite party trick.

Who do you like to talk to most? My therapist.

What does it sound like in your head? Full narration mode. If you’ve ever watched the British comedy show ‘Peep Show’ it sounds something like that.

What was the first thing you heard today? My phone alarm going off. Always devastating.

What sounds do you hear right now? The soft electrical hum being emitted by the speakers in front of me, central air, my juul crackling.

On what occasion do you become loud? When I’m in full banter mode. When road rage gets the best of me (frequently). When singing karaoke.

On what occasion did you most recently whisper? Whispering doesn’t feature so much in my life, unfortunately. I trend loud.

Are you a good listener? Historically no, but I gained a lot of valuable life skills during the pandemic and one of those was learning to be a better listener to others and myself.

What podcast do you listen to the most? The Guardian Long Read, On the Media, You’re Wrong About, NPR’s morning edition, Brian Lehrer, the BBC world service. All of which makes me sound like such a square, but I’m not ashamed to admit i’m a neoliberal media simp in my podcast listening habits.

Describe your ideal soundscape? Love an alpine soundscape. Freshly snowed on, preferably.

What do you consider to be the most frightening sound? Air raid sirens.

What do you consider the most overrated sound? Emo rap... obnoxious! Infantile! Boring!

Whose speaking or singing voice do you most admire? My poetry professor and undergrad thesis advisor Michael Ives. I’ve never heard anyone with such a striking voice. It’s husky, deep, extremely controlled, and transportive.

Who is your hero of music or audio? I have a few but the few that come to mind immediately are Burial, Muslimgauze, Sophie, Delia Derbyshire, Tommy Wright III, and DJ Screw.

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you possess? Did I mention my loon call?

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you secretly possess? I think I am a reliable alto. Though there are those who may disagree vehemently.

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you most desire? I wish modular synths made sense to me.

What is the most extravagant / furthest length you have gone for sound? I spent a shameful amount of money on an Elektron Monomachine, a synth which was discontinued in the mid-aughts. Sophie is one of my musical heroes and so much of the sound she pioneered was thanks to her wizardry with the Monomachine. It’s also a notoriously complicated synth to use and absolutely does not sing on demand, so this was really more of a personal quest item buy.

What is your most vivid sound memory? Listening to Burial’s Kindred EP for the first time while riding the B56 bus from downtown Brooklyn to Ridgewood. It was raining hard outside and I’d had a pretty miserable day at work. But that EP, especially the titular track made me feel so much less alone. Burial’s music can be so somber and melancholic, but even so it’s simply the perfect companion to a dark day.

Which of your possessions do you most associate with a sound? My desktop synths. Probably mostly my Korg MS20, it’s not a particularly hi-tech or beautiful instrument but it was the first synth I bought when I decided to get into gear. I love how rugged and retro it is and everytime i play it I feel like Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I even have a tattoo of the MS20 on my leg.

Which extinct sound do you most wish you could hear? Probably some sort of giant extinct sea creature. I love whale songs so I’m imagining that but bigger, eerier.

What advice did you regret not listening to? Should have listened when people told me not to sell my 2014 VW to a guy in a parking lot in Mineola for 2500 cash. I had just gotten into the dumbest car accident and was so shaken by the whole ordeal that I just wanted nothing to do with automobiles. Needless to say, I played myself. I knew I was making a horrible decision at the time, but I just needed to get rid of that damn car.

Describe silence in ten words. Boring, necessary, scary, lonely, eerie, alienating, awkward, to be broken.

When did you feel unheard? All the time! People should listen to me more!

Describe a sound that troubles you. The way people’s voices start to crack just before they cry ! I hate seeing people so sad :(

What will it sound like on the “other side”? Hopefully like a party with all your favorite people there!

When and where were you happiest, and what did it sound like? I don’t know if I do have a singular most happy moment, but I am most happy when I’m with my friends or family and the chat is on fire and everyone’s laughing and sharing stories.

What was the best thing you heard this week? That my new cat will be ready for pick up this Sunday.

*The text has been updated