Faisal Khan on research trip to Switzerland

Khan Mohammad Faisal is a cultural practitioner, label A&R, curator, and music journalist from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He co-founded the Dhaka Electronica Scene, a music community and developed The Akaliko Collective and Akaliko Records, a network of artists and a record label to catalyze Dhaka’s burgeoning electronic music scene at grassroots level. Through his DIY music compilations, music videos, documentaries, FM radio shows, events, and sound art projects, Khan has promoted the talents of emerging Bangladeshi artists.

Khan has a passion for developing Dhaka’s cultural capital and promoting policy level reforms with institutional support for the local music scene. The Akaliko Collective and Akaliko Records are affiliated with the Open Music Initiative and Samdani Artist-led Initiatives Forum and have collaborated with prominent institutions such as the Goethe Institut, The British Council, EMK Center, Startup Dhaka, and Pathshala Cinema Department. The Do School nominated him as a Fellow for ‘The Future of Audio Entertainment’ at Berlin and he has received the BRAC Manthan Digital Innovation Award.

Currently, Khan is focused on establishing international networks between festival organizers, music venues, and promoters to facilitate the management of Bangladeshi artists abroad. He is also exploring the possibility of a sustainable grassroots music festival featuring emerging talents.

As a music producer, Khan produces music under the monikers The B Regiment and Dhaka Dub Hierarchy.

Through his research trip to Zurich and Bern, Khan aims to gain an introductory understanding of the different types of entities, their organizational structures, and models that exist in these cities, including those that work with music, sound, and new media formats. This would help fulfil the need for managerial professionals in Dhaka’s music ecosystem and the standardization of processes and operations. The research aims to study Swiss entities’ practices to help plant the seeds for a circular economy in Dhaka, adapt them to Dhaka’s context where applicable, and understand local media’s role in the ecosystem. Additionally, it seeks to identify opportunities for feasible projects for artists, cultural practitioners, and organizations from Bangladesh and Switzerland using digital methods and gradually building a strategic gateway for Bangladeshi talents in Europe through sustaining new connections.

Follow Khan Faisal on Instagram @akalikoscape
and listen to his spotify playlist here.