A Bahrain-loving Serbian expatriate who was inspired by the old-school vibes of Manama Retro festival has created an ode to the kingdom’s capital using the latest artificial intelligence (AI) techniques.
Lost in Manama by Slobodan Milivojevic combines nostalgia and culture with a modern twist, with lyrics and footage for the video as well as instrumentals created by AI.
“The three-minute and 30-second song was supposed to be a techno dance tune, but after a trip to Manama Retro, I decided to rework the whole concept,” the director and digital creator told the GDN.
“When you arrive at the Manama Suq, you are immediately drawn to the variety of traditional restaurants, music and items for sale, which inspired me to create a song that embodied that old Manama feel.
“So it ended up being an Arabic fusion with a modern twist, and I am happy as there aren’t many modern songs that highlight Bahrain’s culture.”
Mr Milivojevic
The 49-year-old who came to Bahrain in 2009 to work at a production company, posted a sample of the song on his Instagram account as a teaser on Saturday.
“I used AI to generate lyrics but then I reworked on it,” he said.
“I also took to AI for some instrumentals but added traditional Middle Eastern instruments such as the oud to give the song an Arabic fusion feel,” he added.
“The trick to using AI is to not rely on it completely, but to take the suggestions it generates and use them to add your own touch to the final version.
“I am planning to release the music video next week.”
Screengrab from the video
A DJO Osmo camera, graded with Dehancer plugin, was used to film the video to give it a cinematic look and feel.
“I started to use AI more over the past year and it has allowed me to speed up the content creation process. For example, instead of taking several months to create a song, AI can do it in a matter of days, if not in 24 hours, and I definitely plan on using it more this year to keep up with online content creation,” he said.
Despite Mr Milivojevic’s busy career as the owner of a successful production company in Bahrain, he said he enjoys working on projects that highlight the kingdom’s greatness.
“I’ve worked on other projects with Tamkeen, e-government and Gulf Air to showcase the many things that Bahrain has to offer,” he said.
“I also post a range of content on Instagram including seasonal videos, events and more.”
A screengrab from the video
The Retro Manama festival, which ended yesterday, featured exciting activities like a food tour, a gold shop tour, musical and theatrical performances, retro games and four museum exhibits.
The two-week festival also spotlighted a number of long-established local restaurants and vendors along with vintage fashion and fine dining.
It served to highlight distinctive Bahraini identity by simulating important eras in its history, as well as the cultural diversity and rich history of the Manama Suq.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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