Libya turmoil is good news for background music

At first I was suspicious, but I think the email I got from Uyen Quynh Thach at Intervox Production Music is genuine.

"Arabic Unrest. The Domino Effect of Mass Protest," it said, "First it was Tunisia, then Egypt, Bahrain and now Libya and Oman. The rioting and unrest in the Middle East and North Africa started with the lone protest of a poverty-stricken street vendor in Tunisia and has spread like a rash throughout the region."

And, getting to the point, this is what I found below the political analysis:

Yes, an invitation to order a selection of CDs designed to provide the right background music behind pieces about, well, Arabic Unrest.

Looking through the selection, Where to Arabia? would seem to be a natural. Face of Aggression? Possibly. Arabian Beauty? Maybe, when things have calmed down a bit. End of Time? Let's hope it won't get that bad.

If you go to the Intervox website's Arabic Unrest page, you can sample the music and get a bit of political background thrown in for free. So the Where to Arabia? CD (left) comes with the following analysis, which now seems almost prophetic:

"The Arab world today is ruled by contradiction. Stagnation prevails, as colossal wealth and hypermodern cities collide with mass illiteracy and poverty - handling this inequality is a big challenge for the Arab future."

Even the individual tracks seem to offer topical comment, with titles like Rhythm and Burqa, Melting Mecca and Souk and Spook.

Well, good luck, Intervox. As they say, it's an ill wind ...

And if you hear someone trying to interpret the mood music behind the latest developments in Libya, you now have the web address to listen to it for yourself.