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
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 12 February 2011 15:01 (thirteen years ago) link
The youtube video's on that npr link
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 12 February 2011 15:02 (thirteen years ago) link
And I like it
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 13 February 2011 00:26 (thirteen years ago) link
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 - HurriyaAl-Yaman - Saraab
― Competent Person Statement (Sanpaku), Monday, 7 March 2011 00:59 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― _Rudipherous_, Monday, 7 March 2011 04:27 (thirteen years ago) link
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
― curmudgeon, Friday, 25 March 2011 06:20 (thirteen years ago) link
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
― Ivor, Friday, 25 March 2011 14:40 (thirteen years ago) link
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
― degrading the enemy narrative (_Rudipherous_), Friday, 25 March 2011 17:55 (thirteen years ago) link
http://blogs.voanews.com/african-music-treasures/2011/02/24/khadija/
from Morocco
― curmudgeon, Monday, 4 April 2011 03:13 (thirteen years ago) link
http://www.negrophonic.com/2011/beyond-digital-old-vinyl-and-new-pop-in-casablanca/
― curmudgeon, Friday, 24 June 2011 20:04 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 25 June 2011 16:07 (twelve years ago) link
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).
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 25 June 2011 16:26 (twelve years ago) link
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
― curmudgeon, Monday, 27 June 2011 13:47 (twelve years ago) link
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
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 6 July 2011 14:10 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 6 July 2011 14:16 (twelve years ago) link
Still need to listen to her.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 7 July 2011 19:29 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 July 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
I wonder if Rudiph likes her or would if he heard her?
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 July 2011 16:20 (twelve years ago) link
Met a guy who plays in some Arabic orchestra in NYC. May try to go to free show in Damrosch Park.
― Twenty Flight Rickroll (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 12 July 2011 16:22 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 July 2011 13:12 (twelve years ago) link
I see that Banning Eyre liked Amina Alaoui on NPR
http://www.npr.org/2011/07/12/137794182/moroccan-spanish-songstress-reimagines-past
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 16 July 2011 13:08 (twelve years ago) link
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 9pmAlso on stage are Torcuato Zamora on guitar, Joe Darensbosurg singing and Steve Bloom on cajon! Dancer Audrey Elizabeth joins in Zambra.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 July 2011 19:33 (twelve years ago) link
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/video-of-a-syrian-protest-anthem/
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 24 July 2011 19:14 (twelve years ago) link
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."
― _Rudipherous_, Sunday, 31 July 2011 15:38 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― _Rudipherous_, Sunday, 31 July 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
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
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 17:41 (twelve years ago) link
I'm still liking the 2011 Amina Alaoui album even if sometimes she sound like she's in need of anti-depressants
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 10 August 2011 14:12 (twelve years ago) link
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
― Cal Jeddah (_Rudipherous_), Wednesday, 26 October 2011 05:08 (twelve years ago) link
The multi-volume Best of Oldies series on Spotify is recommended. The emphasis is on khaleeji, with occasional surprises from outside the Gulf.
― John Gaw Meme (_Rudipherous_), Saturday, 21 January 2012 17:35 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 10 March 2012 20:30 (twelve years ago) link
I always imagine a video for some of these songs with little clapping hand-puppet "Arabs."
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 10 March 2012 20:40 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vgvw1B7B-c
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 2 June 2012 20:09 (eleven years ago) link
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
― _Rudipherous_, Friday, 15 June 2012 22:40 (eleven years ago) link
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.
― curmudgeon, Friday, 15 June 2012 23:03 (eleven years ago) link
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
― curmudgeon, Friday, 15 June 2012 23:06 (eleven years ago) link
I suggested that perhaps Umm Kathoum was the Bruce Springsteen of classic Egyptian music. This proposal was neither accepted nor rejected.
Bruce Springsteen? Way to insult the woman. (From that NPR link.) Bruce Springsteen?
*
I was sitting in a library Friday, attempting to rip cassettes to music CDRs. I only came away with one, unfortunately, so I'll have to try to figure out what is causing things not to take. However, sitting there listening to some of my favorite music with head phones, I was often swept away. Isn't ecstasy what I most want from music, most of the time?
It seems "my music" (as in my favorite music, the music that matters to me most) is scattered around the world like fragments of the divine in a Kabbalistic universe.
What thou lovest well remains, the rest is dross.
― _Rudipherous_, Monday, 24 December 2012 17:27 (eleven years ago) link
http://thequietus.com/articles/12078-electro-chaabi-cairo-four
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 25 April 2013 13:49 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/fa/contents/articles/opinion/2013/05/egypt-new-music-mahraganat-sadat-electro-shaabi.html
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 7 July 2013 17:34 (ten years ago) link
http://www.timesofisrael.com/a-new-techno-sound-from-egypts-streets/
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 7 July 2013 17:41 (ten years ago) link
still need to check out youtubes of Sadat and others identified with "mahraganat"
― curmudgeon, Monday, 8 July 2013 13:51 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwxAxR5HMgo
eh
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 9 July 2013 04:38 (ten years ago) link
When I read about some music, it always sounds more exciting than when I finally hear it. Oh well.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 9 July 2013 14:09 (ten years ago) link
Tues., Aug. 6Eisenhower Theater of the Kennedy Center 6 pm El Gusto, an Algerian orchestra consisting of the students of the first music class led by the founder of chaabi music—El Anka, reunites after 50 years of separation for a U.S. tour that will invite Americans into the world of chaabi music, the passion and soul of the Algerian Casbah.
Kennedy Center press release
― curmudgeon, Friday, 19 July 2013 18:46 (ten years ago) link
Chaabi Checker!
― _Rudipherous_, Friday, 19 July 2013 18:47 (ten years ago) link
Ha ha
― curmudgeon, Friday, 19 July 2013 18:53 (ten years ago) link
It doesn't all sound like that though Curmudgeon, it's pretty varied.
Check this mix Joost from Incubate in his Cairo Liberation Front guise did for us.
Also you might enjoy new wave Chaabi better than the electro 'Chaa3i' stuff.
Islam Chipsy for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KpkvJB529M
― Doran, Friday, 19 July 2013 20:23 (ten years ago) link
RIP Warda, 1939-2012. I'm a little sad I'm only finding out now that she is deceased. For old school singers dressed in "new sound" (c. the 90s I think) wrappings, this works fairly well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1J0v6gxvqE
An excerpt from Esmaouni (music by Baligh Hamdi, to whom she was married for a time). Picks up a bit after about two minutes, if anyone gets impatient:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0yy7_wMPck
There was a time when I played her songs nearly every day.
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 12 October 2013 16:43 (ten years ago) link
a strong voice. I like this style too
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 13 October 2013 23:17 (ten years ago) link
I'm usually reticent about posting my stuff on ILX unless I think the piece is so marginal that it might be of interest to certain people. I hope this is one of those pieces.
Remembering Syria: Mark Gergis Of Sublime Frequencies interviewed about dabke, choubi and how the Middle East is viewed in the West
― Doran, Thursday, 17 October 2013 09:44 (ten years ago) link