Amman-Based Fairplay & Roo Make Headlines With ‘Al Jaw’ on Pete Tong’s Places & Spaces

Fairplay and Roo are taking a distinctly Jordanian sound beyond Amman with ‘Al Jaw’, their new collaboration released on Pete Tong’s Places & Spaces imprint.

For those outside the electronic music world, Pete Tong is one of dance music’s best-known figures, with a long-running career as a DJ and broadcaster and a major role in championing electronic music through BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix and Essential Selection.

‘Al Jaw’ marks Fairplay and Roo’s debut on Places & Spaces, bringing elements of the sounds they grew up with in Jordan into a contemporary club record. Built around a hypnotic Arabic vocal, the track moves through a driving Afro-house groove, with crisp shakers, a rich kick drum and atmospheric synth pads.

The record has already had a life beyond the studio. Fairplay and Roo have been road-testing it across shows in Amman and beyond, including while supporting Keinemusik in Athens. In April, Pete Tong opened his IMS set at Dalt Vila in Ibiza with ‘Al Jaw’, before playing it again at Blue Marlin later that week.

The track has also received early support from Black Coffee, Themba and ULU’s Robin M.

For Fairplay and Roo, the release follows their involvement in Amman’s electronic music community. Fairplay are co-founders of Vudu Amman, while Roo is also a co-founder of Vudu and the founder of URoof Lounge.

With ‘Al Jaw’ now released through Places & Spaces and already reaching dancefloors outside Jordan, the track sits at an interesting point between where Jordan’s electronic scene comes from and where it’s heading. Rooted in the sounds and culture of Amman but now traveling through international clubs and stages, it reflects a scene that is increasingly confident in taking its sound across and beyond Jordan, building its own momentum, and further placing Jordan on the global map and this time for making great music.