Hey there!
Nick here. Joined this week by my good buds Rosie and Niko for a special dive into some selections from across the Arab world. A few late-night chats out on the town, a few messages, and a generous helping of ambient oud recommendations to start the day with led to this one, and it’s been a wonderful eye and ear opener as it’s been coming together this week.
We shared a lovely little afternoon sipping shai and recording the ‘radio show’ ditty up there at the top. I think you’ll particularly enjoy Niko’s context for some of these selections, as he hails from Syria, and grew up with a house filled with sounds from the across the Levant and Algeria, and naturally had an anecdote about his Dad and his buddies vibing out.
“Fairouz in the morning; Umm Kulthum at night.”
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together 🥭🥭🥭
Album: Fairuz - Maarifti Feek | فيروز – معرفتي فيك
We couldn’t do an Arabic Music Special without including Fairuz, the Queen of Lebanon and one of the most celebrated singers of the entire SWANA region. In a career spanning over six decades, Fairuz has released nearly 800 songs and been sampled by the likes of Madonna (you can read about the lawsuit here) and more recently Macklemore. It is not uncommon for Arab households to start their day with Fairouz - in fact there’s even a saying about it: “Fairouz in the morning; Umm Kulthum at night.”
Maarifti Feek (‘Our Encounter’), released in 1987, has to be my (Rosie’s) favourite Fairouz album (although if I’m being totally honest, I haven’t actually been able to get through all 80…yet). Stand out tracks have to be the jazzy / brazilian-esque ‘Aloula’ and Le Beirut a heartfelt love letter to her home, which at this time was in the depths of a brutal civil war.
Album: Warda - Harramt Ahebak | وردة - حرمت أحبك
Warda ("rose") Al-Jazairia (“from Algeria”) and so referred to as "The Algerian Rose" was an Algerian singer who achieved fame in Egypt. She was born in Paris to an Algerian father and Lebanese mother and began her singing career covering the likes of Umm Kulthum, aged 11 at her father’s cabaret. Warda is remembered as a symbol of Pan Arabism and democracy, as well as an ’80s heartthrob if the conversations overheard by Niko between his father and his pals are anything to go by ;)
Harmat Ahebak (“I will never let myself love you again”) was released in 1992 during a time of reinvention for Warda when she started producing shorter (ok - most are still around the 8-minute mark), more contemporary tracks. Ana Arfa (“I know”) is the absolute knockout track of the album blending funk, reggae, and traditional Arabic music styles with self-tormented vocals recalling the aftermath of a love affair.
Tune: Zeyne - Mish Asfeh | زين - مش آسفة
With mixed Palestinian and Jordanian heritage, I (Rosie) really think Zeyne is one of the most talented and exciting contemporary artists coming from the Arab world. In Mish Asfeh (“I’m Not Sorry”) she mixes traditional Arabic beats with layered RnB harmonies. Every time I hear this song I’m deep in the feels. Also check out her video 7arrir 3aqlak / Asli Ana - it’s visually stunning and features an amazing rooftop dabke dance sequence.
Tune: Al Nather, Shabjeed - Mantika | منطقة
Al Nather and Shabjeed are a Palestinian rap / production duo whose lyrics are mainly inspired by daily life in the West Bank. Released in 2019, on Mantika (“Comfort Zone”) they rap in Palestinian slang “I love war by nature. We were breastfed in war, I tell you.” Nevertheless, the beat is deep, the flows are smooth, and the tika-dum-tika-dum of a clicking gun extremely catchy.
Album: Saint Levant & 47Soul - DALOONA | دلعونة
Saint Levant has been blowing up on a massive scale recently and, therefore, needs no further introduction. Here the Palestinian-Algerian musician teams up with celebrated Palestinian artists 47Soul, Shadi Borini, and Qasem Al Najjar for a banger of an anthem - “they ask me where I’m from - I told them I’m Palestinian!” nuff said.
Screenshot from the music video for Daloona which captures the essence of Palestinian wedding celebrations - iykyk - nothing goes off more than an Arab wedding.
Tune: Bashar - El Qalb El Mehtas | القلب المحتاس
Translating to “The Confused Heart” - we weren’t able to find out much about this track except that it’s off an album from 1998. Niko thinks from the dialect that he’s Kuwaiti (actually the internet has confirmed this) - anyway, in any case it’s a bop. Enjoy!
Tune: Cheb Mimoune - Abdel Kader (Dar Disku Edit) | عبد القادر
So this is actually a rework that was released in 2020 of a traditional Algerian song made famous by the Algerian Raï artist Khaled.
Niko remembers that version being a huge hit when he was at school in the late 90s. This d-floor ready edit incorporates pop and Egyptian G Funk influences and is guaranteed to get people dancing - yalla!
Tune: Magida El Roumi - Matrahak Bi Albi | مطرحك بقلبي
Mmmm how sultry and hazy is the intro to this track by the renown Lebanese-Egyptian singer Majida El Roumi. Released in 1988 Matrak Bi Albi (“your place in my heart”) is sad love song (actually Niko reckons most Arabic songs are sad and about intense love) but is beautiful regardless.
Sending love to the Middle East 💙💙💙
🥭 Here’s a Spotify playlist that has a taste of everything mentioned 🥭
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See ya in a couple weeks for NL26!
Nick + Matt
🥭🥭🥭
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