As a regular partygoer, more often than not, my ear would entirely block off after partying, and all I would hear is an unrelenting ringing; an amalgamation of a high-pitch whooshing noise so irritating like squealing brakes, and a roaring buzzing so painful, and at moments loud, as if my head is in damaged loudspeaker. I’ve come to recently learn –after sharing my experience with Ralph Nasr (a Lebanese DJ who has been dealing with this feeling for four years now) - that this is a serious common global phenomenon described as tinnitus, which could result in chronic hearing damage when neglected.
Tinnitus is a neurological problem that originates in the brain when one’s sensory cells are damaged, which results in an unrelenting ringing sound in the ears after a prolonged exposure to loud noise. It is so ubiquitous within the clubbing scene, where DJs, singers, partygoers and ravers are at significantly higher risk of suffering from it than the general population.
Within the regional music industry, we’ve been recently witnessing a rising movement towards conscious noise and safe hearing practices, such as ‘Practice Safe Sound’. Co-founded by Lebanese artists Rami O and Ali Ajami, ‘Practice Safe Sound’ aims to spread awareness about the importance of taking effective measures towards safe hearing practices and wearing earplugs, among partygoers, promoters and artists in the regional music scene.
We caught up with Ralph Nasr, co-founder of Retrogroove and a Lebanese DJ who suffers from tinnitus himself, to talk about how it impacted his career as a DJ, his ways of adapting to his hearing damage, as well as how crucial it is for party organizers to monitor sound levels and practice safe sound.
