so this omar souleyman guy (RFI, RFD)

Rizan was at the gig i attended, but both were both dwarfed by the enormous stage they came nowhere near occupying

i missed him in Chicago last year but finally saw him at Big Ears last week and the crowd was so into it. it was a smallish space (not an outdoor festival) and everyone was dancing. like every single person except for the man next to me so i gently elbowed him away

my question: will someone please recommend me more music that sounds like "atabat"? iirc he didn't play any slow songs live because it probably would have killed the mood or caused someone to spontaneously combust.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESh_qPZFLiI

Wow, this new album. Can't put my finger on it but it's both super familiar yet a lot better than Wenu Wenu

oh I didn't realise he had a new one, cool!

what do you all think of bahdeni nemi?

seems less urgent than wenu wenu and especially the SF releases but i am enjoying it

who's heard the new one?

"Atabat" from the first one came on in the car today, I'd forgotten what a jam that one is.

hmm

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/17/syrian-musician-omar-souleyman-held-on-terrorism-charges-in-turkey

Terrible. Free Omar!

yes

update! he's free - after being sent to "a detention center for people due to be deported"

https://ra.co/news/76422

now thats the news we wanted to hear!

also this:

He has lived in Turkey since the onset of the Syrian civil war, running, among other things, a free bakery in Urfa.

Still, just like in China, you can't become too popular without getting your chains rattled by the government every now and then, apparently. :-/