(via Alaa Wardi)
Riyadh a cappella musician and YouTube star Alaa Wardi created a vocal remix of 42 of the most popular songs in Arabic history. I hadn’t heard most of these songs before, but it’s fun to see how Wardi shows the evolution of Arabic music.
This video came out last summer but is worth sharing if you haven’t seen it yet. Click here to see a list of the original songs.
Alaa Wardi:
(via Tigris)
Tel Aviv’s Tigris is a melting pop of different grooves; I hear a few different songs within a single track and it makes me want to dance silly on a beach.
From its Bandcamp bio:
“TIGRIS pulls the East and West African music into a new and surprising musical center. Crazy grooves, special combination of instruments, addictive melodies, and the virtuosity of each band member – puts Tigris in a new territory on the original African music map that covers the world.”
Tigris:
(via JadaL)
JadaL is an Arabic rock band that’s been together for over 10 years and continues to release great music. The group’s third album, ‘Malyoun‘, came out this summer, and we have a music video for the horn-heavy title track.
JadaL:
(via Gaya)
Gaya is an India-born, Dubai-based artist that has the talent and smarts to add weirdness and mystery to contemporary pop singing. I agree with Beehype when they compare her to the likes of Björk, Joanna Newsom, and Fiona Apple.
Her new music video for “The Bous Who Cried Love” is understated and beautiful.
Gaya:
(via Liraz)
Israeli-born Liraz Charhi takes the music of her parents’ homeland of Iran and adds her own modern flair inspired by psychedelia and hip-hop. “Nozi Nozi” starts off with a familiar Middle Eastern oud and keyboard line with the steady percussion driving Charhi’s excellent singing. But halfway through the song, the groove changes to some lava lamp groove with just the drums and vocals. And then the beat changes again to some hip-hop beat that still matches Charhi’s voice.
Taken all together, “Nozi Nozi” sounds like something Tame Impala would sample. And speaking of Tame Impala, she does an excellent cover of “Elephant.”
According to her Bandcamp, expect a new release September 5th.
Liraz:
(via Deaf Chonky)
Israeli new-wave duo Deaf Chonky, made up of Adi Bronicki and Tamka Minsky, has a music video for “Shirley,” a new song off its upcoming LP, Farsh (out August 30th).
The new song by the duo, whose name is a wordplay on the Russian word for “girls” (“девочки”), sounds part surf rock and part Sleater-Kinney, especially when the vocals really kick in and that Riot Grrrl-esque garage rock makes me want to jump into a mosh pit and dance.
Deaf Chonky’s debut release, last year’s Mostly Farsh, is also worth checking out via Bandcamp. Do yourself a favor and do so.
Deaf Chonky:
(via Youssra El Hawary)
Youssra El Hawary is an Egyptian songwriter, accordionist, and singer who, as Beehype notes, first made a name for herself internationally in 2012 with “El Soor,” a politically-charged aim at Egypt’s rule in the aftermath of President Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow from office and the rise of the SCAF. The song’s music video features Hawary climbing the wall in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the main location of the 2011 Revolution, and singing about the politics of the wall with a disarmingly simple arrangement (“In front of the wall/In front of those who built it/In front of those who made it high/Stood a poor man/Who peed/On the wall, and on those who built it and those who made it high.”). The video was a hit, and it even landed her a spot on NPR.
Hawary’s latest release, “El Alam” (“The Flag”), is another showcase of her trademark sound of combining classical and understated arrangements with sharp political and self-reflective lyrics. I think of her as a sort of PJ Harvey-like writer, someone who is smart enough to do more with less both in song and words. Make sure to keep your eyes out for more music coming out hopefully soon.
Youssra El Hawary:
(via Kutiman)
Tel Aviv’s Kutiman is a multi-talented songwriter known for a sound that Beehype describes as Herbie-Hancock-Jazz-Funk-Psychedelic. I’d also describe it as a less wavy Tame Impala with more emphasis on the bliss you feel when a giant orchestra overwhelms you.
“Shine Again,” off Kutiman’s new record ‘6AM,’ is glorious in that very euphoric sense. Adam Scheflan, who contributes throughout the album, sings clearly and strong, and his vocals are backed by strings and horns inspired by Middle Eastern and African melodies. It’s like listening to an Eastern sunrise and feeling ready to take on the world. The song, like the rest of the album, is a little bit of everything that somehow comes across as natural – I guess psych pop really does sound best in Israel.
‘6AM’ is the first official release off Kutiman’s own Siyal Music label.
Kutiman:
(via Imarhan)
You don’t have to tell Imarhan how much they sound like Tinariwen. They’re well aware, and the gracious comparison is nice, but it’s not entirely accurate.
The Southern-Algerian group’s self-titled debut, which came out back in April, is rooted in the Tuareg desert blues that has defined an entire region’s sound, but Imarhan is more interested in bringing more outside influences into their music, including jazz melodies, funky pan-African rhythms, and Western rock riffs.
“Compared to other bands, as the new generation, we have been adding more modern elements that could come from rock or funk or any other kind of influences that will transcend the Tuareg music,” Imarhan frontman Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane, who goes by Sadam, tells The Quietus. “We make music for the younger generation. And you can see that in our clothes. We don’t wear traditional clothes. We wear the clothes we wear in Tamanrasset every day. So the music and the style represent our generation.”
Most recently, Imarhan shared a remix of the title track by Berlin-based DJ and producer MOSCOMAN, which you can listen to here. The remix, as well as the album, is worth your time.
Imarhan:
(via Shirly Kones)
Shirly Kones’ Hebrew-sung folk-pop is an engaging blend of driving drums, playful horns, and moving vocals, making this Israeli songwriter’s music a must-have for your record collection. Her latest release, a self-titled LP, is 10 tracks that at first sound pleasant and familiar but reveal more complexity and beauty with each listen. “Tov Shebat,” the album’s lead single, is a good showcase of the entire record, a balance of sunny whistling and upbeat but serious vocals that, according to Beehype, sing about falling in love too quickly.
Three releases in, Kones is due for the international spotlight she deserves.
Shirly Kones: