The D&B community is uniting once again to raise money for Islamic Relief in response to the tragic scenes coming out of Afghanistan right now. Artists have until September 12 to get involved and contribute a track…

Like scenes from a dystopian film unfolding in real time across our screens, the last few weeks has seen a worldwide outcry from and for the people of Afghanistan. After 20 years of war, the Taliban have retaken Afghanistan since the US decided to withdraw its military presence. Kabul airport was subject to abject chaos, harrowing footage showed people running after and clinging to moving US military planes, in sheer desperation to leave the country. 

Since then, there has been an attack via suicide bomb, and multiple fatalities. The evacuation operation from Kabul has now ceased, with the last flight taking off from Kabul airport just after midnight on Tuesday. The Taliban forces have pledged not to allow the country to become a base for terrorists or revert to their strict interpretation of Sharia Law like the last time they were in power, yet this is still a huge fear for the country’s people.  Particularly for women, children, minority groups and refugees who also face mass uncertainty, with many of them having fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs. 

Even before the Taliban retook control, more than 550,000 people had been forced to flee their homes this year due to fighting, according to the UNHCR. That means an estimated 3.5 million Afghans are currently internally displaced within the country and Islamic Relief reports that a similar amount of the population are also suffering malnutrition due to huge food shortages and rocketing food prices. 

UKF spoke with HD, real name Harry Davies-Jenkins, who is currently assembling tracks for a charity V/A compilation album: Pray For Afghanistan, of which all proceeds will be donated to Islamic Relief.

Read on for more information about Pray For Afghanistan and why this should be on your radar when it drops on October 1. 

Fabulous idea to captain this project, Harry. 

After seeing the haunting footage of the current situation in Afghanistan, I felt obliged to help. Even if it was small, I knew that I needed to do something that would contribute something positive to the people of Afghanistan.

We all feel helpless watching these scenes, questions arise at governments around the world, thankfully dedicated charities exist to aid where they can…

100% of the funds will be donated to Islamic Relief – an amazing organisation that has been working on the ground with families in Afghanistan for over 20 years. They supply food packages, hygiene kits, water storage kits and emergency shelter to families that need it most.

I see they are providing support for refugees abroad too…

Islamic Relief are currently providing support for refugees that are still in Afghanistan, as well as those that have fled the country. This is why I felt that they were the best charity to raise money for. 

It’s a testament to our scene how the community comes together in times like this. 

Honestly, I couldn’t quite believe the response when I started getting the word out about this. Everyone has wanted to help in one way or another. Whether that was sending a tune over or spreading awareness. It’s been absolutely humbling.

So how many tracks can we expect on Pray For Afghanistan?

There are currently 20 tunes confirmed for this release. I’ll be accepting submissions up until the 12th September!

Producers sitting on dubs, take note! Will this be 100% drum and bass LP?

This will be a 100% drum and bass LP, but expect a variety of styles and flavours to bless your ears with.

Excited to hear what’s on there, I expect you’ve received a lot of demos…

My email inbox actually hit full capacity on the 2nd day. Granted, I had some older emails in there but that’s never happened before! There’s some incredible tunes on this release. Expect to see names such as: Telomic, Pyxis, MSDOS, Cyber Posix, Sola and many more…

How do artists get involved?

If this is something you’d like to be a part of please feel free to send me a message on Instagram – hdmusicuk – and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Will Pray For Afghanistan be available via Bandcamp?

Yes! You will be able to buy this via Bandcamp. You can cop it for a mere £10 and all funds will raise aid for Islamic Relief in their mission.

What’s the release date?

The full album will be released on Friday October 1. We’ll keep you posted. 

You can also donate directly to Islamic Relief here.