Arabic music (not elsewhere classified)

The two-volume Rashed Al Majed release, in particular, is one I'm likely to get.

arabic music is the most beautifull don't u think?

a modern-sounding take on classic Persian pop which features some deliciously undulating background vocals bathed in reverb. If it sounds ever so slightly too robotic in the contemporary Auto-Tune style, it’s still fairly intoxicating stuff.

SWM09.31 - THE BEHISTUN TRANSMISSION @1:40

(merry christmas to homeland security)

I don't know if I've posted this before, but the percussion is incredible and Samira Toufic really goes out there, imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFmw37eZV5E

She deserves a freakin' box set more than a lot of people who have them.

this is wonderfull,,,

Maqam.com now offers a free streaming radio site!

http://radio.maqam.com/

Some ultra-slick, but I like it, belly dance music from Setrak playing right now.

Not into Fadl Shaker though. Still, if I were in a more receptive mood, just leaving this stream might be a good way to expose myself to more recent music (like this).

But as I'm not in the mood, I am turning this off. Bye bye Marwan Khoury.

Marcel Khalife and Oumayma Al-Khalil performing a song from At the Border. She's really spectacular. I'm not sure why she hasn't recorded more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcy7v8WL2uQ

& not in a flashy way but in a chills-producing way.

This Sabah Fakhri song I'm listening to would be so much better without the droney choral accompaniment. Why do they do that?!

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/11/133691055/Music-Inspires-Egyptian-Protests

http://hotarabicmusic.blogspot.com/

Perhaps the most popular song of the Egyptian revolution is by Mohamed Mounir, a singer so revered, he's known as "The Voice of Egypt."

The song is called "Ezzay," which means "How come

I like this one and the video

The youtube video's on that npr link

And I like it

I'm really enjoying the two albums by Al-Yaman, a Prague band fronted by Yemeni expat Ashwaq Abdulla Kulaib. Discovered them via an "Electric Arabia" user list on emusic, and they really hit the spot occupied by Natacha Atlas (or her collaborations with Transglobal Underground, who are pals of Al-Yaman) of Arabic folk dressed up with a electronic gloss. Authenticity fetishists probably need not apply.

Al-Yaman - Hurriya
Al-Yaman - Saraab

I guess this will fit the image of "authenticity fetishist," but it makes me said when people do Arab music with the Arab rhythms replaced by something else, when there are such amazing Arab rhythms to work with.

http://www.negrophonic.com/2011/maroc-pt-1/

DJ Rupture in Morocco talking about music he saw and bought and listened to on the radio

I'm increasingly sick of the chaabi infatuation with mind-swirling synth trumpets and strings, it's fun for a little while and then just becomes indistinct. Of course these songs aren't really intended for youtube or stereo listening.

Recently I haven't been able to get the song Crossroads مفترق الطرق, as performed by Majida al-Roumi, out of my head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNSyy_BKwPA

For the most part I've never been able to get into Majida al-Roumi.

I have yet to get any response to this, so I'm posting it again, because I think it's some premium stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKVa9FR5q30

http://blogs.voanews.com/african-music-treasures/2011/02/24/khadija/

from Morocco

http://www.negrophonic.com/2011/beyond-digital-old-vinyl-and-new-pop-in-casablanca/

Thanks, that last track has some freshness to it (I like the backing vocals in particular), to my ears anyway. I don't keep up with North Africa. Also, that accompanying photo is great. Most of the vinyl on the look looks to be Warda albums.

I am expecting changes in the popular music in the Arab world proper in the next decade. Something has to shift with so much social and political upheaval, I think, especially since Egypt is part of that political change (since Egypt tends to set musical trends for the Arab world in general).

The Afropop Worldwide website and podcast folks (writer Banning Eyre and others) are heading off to Egypt shortly to research and do a focus on Egyptian sounds. While his background is more in Malian and other African countries that are not quite North African, hopefully they will prepare some interesting coverage

The NY Times and this Seattle paper (see below) love the new ECM label album Arco Irisfrom Moroccan vocalist Amina Alaoui who performs old Andalusian compositions here. I haven't heard it but I am intrigued. Ilxer Sanpaku liked the Jon Balke & Amina Alaoui album Siwan that came out on ECM a year or 2 back.

http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Review-Amina-Alaoui-Arco-Iris-1444673.php

I see from her world music central dot org bio that she is a prominent exponent of the ancient music style gharnati and has worked with musicians from medieval, Persian, and flamenco musical backgrounds. Gharnati (Arabic for Granada), the bio says, is one of the major Andalusian musical styles, migrated from Granada, Spain, to Morocco in the 15th century.

Still need to listen to her.

Briefly listened to Amina Alaoui. Wow, what a voice. Interestingly, it kind of reminds me in its somber voice-only mode on the first cut of some Jewish cantors and vocalists I have heard over the years. Other songs feature oud and flamenco guitar and more. Woefully few reviews online of the album so far.

I wonder if Rudiph likes her or would if he heard her?

Met a guy who plays in some Arabic orchestra in NYC. May try to go to free show in Damrosch Park.

x-post

Some of the Amina Alaoui album is a little too samey--melancholy nearly fado-like vocals and minimalist flamenco guitar strumming, but on other cuts her voice is exquisite and the instrumental work just lively enough.

I see that Banning Eyre liked Amina Alaoui on NPR

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/12/137794182/moroccan-spanish-songstress-reimagines-past

Someone e-mailed me the below but I can't find anything on youtube or elsewhere about the performers-

Flamenco Compas, brother and sister dancers from the Salman family of Damascus,Syria

will be performing at :

the Black Fox Lounge, downstairs, 1723 Conn Ave nw, just north of Dupont Circle.

Wednesday July 20 th 9pm
Also on stage are Torcuato Zamora on guitar, Joe Darensbosurg singing and Steve Bloom on cajon! Dancer Audrey Elizabeth joins in Zambra.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/video-of-a-syrian-protest-anthem/

Not the sort of thing I had in mind when starting this thread, but this is pretty good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMjem_VhIeI

Decent vocals for "alternative rock."

That's how I see them described anyway.

More rocking, not so slow-paced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR-NWgJExto

I do get the sense from what little I've read (which is mostly Wikipedia and youtube comments) that the interest here mostly revolves around the lyrics.

Show this show back in June. Just saw this youtube video and thought it might be up your street, _Rudipherous_:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-i5hsQBj2Y

I'm still liking the 2011 Amina Alaoui album even if sometimes she sound like she's in need of anti-depressants

This is not bad. The synth squiggles seem very Arabic to me, playing off much more mainstream sorts of Arabic music, but maybe from a while back. This is kind of trip-hoppy, if you're wondering whether or not to click on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM2LRDYOU40

The multi-volume Best of Oldies series on Spotify is recommended. The emphasis is on khaleeji, with occasional surprises from outside the Gulf.

Search (on Spotify): Hanan - Rayka

one of my favorite new sound (or as I used to call it "clap clap") songs. Now quite dated sounding, of course, though new sound was born a bit dated sounding. I particularly like the false start. The opening sounds like a very cheap attempt at a Philly Sound soul hit from the 70s.

I could make a playlist, but listening is too unfocused and unvaried to work on something like that these days.

I always imagine a video for some of these songs with little clapping hand-puppet "Arabs."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vgvw1B7B-c

I don't know if I've linked to this one before, but this is great. However, this is from around the same era as another song I am still hoping to find, with spring-time electric guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLvOC3bFpk0

Nice voice and nicely mixed instrumentation. The dancing is so folky. So she's Lebanese but first had success in Jordan, if the bio I read is correct.

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/04/153919877/revolutionary-road-from-carthage-to-cairo?ft=1&f=153919877

I have not listened to these NPR news reports or the mix of Arabic and Western (but heard there) songs on the playlist