Ghoula is an arist from Tunisia who makes an aural salad out of Hip-Hop, electronic music, North African ethnic instrumentation and whatever else he can throw in. It’s nice to hear real fusion still being made.
Arab Music
[Music] Elias Rahbani – Mosaic of the Orient
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDnkFdIFyHM
Elias Rahbani was the youngest of the legendary Rahbani Brothers, but was equally as talented as Assi and Mansour were.
[Music] Shoom – Tried To Sing But Couldn’t
Thirteen years ago, I was given an opportunity to work with Shoom, an Israeli band whose sound nestles comfortably within the realm of Mediterranean ethnocore, avant-rock and ethno-rock, a term I’ve not heard in quite some time, but which seems appropriate for this band.
Lots of percussion and guitars flow quite nicely with a duduk making melodies on top. Definitely worth a listen to this album, as well as their back catalog.
[Music] Mohammed Abdu / Morning Breeze (محمد عبده – يا نسيم الصباح)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyfDKsvi05A
For a country which purportedly frowns on secular music, this is pretty joyful music with no muezzin to be heard anywhere. Mohammed Abdu cuts a cheerful track, though with a title like ‘Morning Breeze,’ one must be careful of what else he may have cut…
[Music] Asmahan- Ya Habibi Taala Elhaani (يا حبيبي تعال الحقني)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCfW_V2sH8I
The beautiful Druze singer Asmaham (born Amal al-Atrash) was born in the Mediterranean Sea, and came from Syrian and Lebanese heritage. She died in an auto accident at the age of 31, but by then, she left an indelible mark on the world of Arabic music.
[Music] Abir Nehme – Ya Mariam
One of Lebanon’s jewels, Abir Nehme is singing here in Syriac.
[Music] Ahmad Al Khatib & Youssef Hbeisch – Take Me Along
Ahmad Al Khatib & Youssef Hbeisch are two fine Palestinian duo playing oud and percussion.
[Music] Various Artists – Nightingales & Canaries, Vol. 1: “Oriental” Women on Record, New York & Istanbul, 1928-55
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3272306330/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/New York City was home to a vibrant musical scene filled with singers from Anatolia, Istanbul and the region of Roumelia. Christians and Jews joined together in making some rather bawdy music.
This treasure was released by Ian Nagoski’s Canary Records, a label filled with some absolute gems.
[Music] Muslimgauze – Arab An Dog Curfew Tel Aviv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzhZ38Lx5IU
It seems like Muslimgauze will live forever (or for a very long period of time) thanks to the endless amounts of music Bryn Jones left in his studio, which continue to creep out every now and then.
[Music] Piirpauke – Fyssouni & Imala Maika
Finland’s legendary Piirpauke were among the first bands which could be termed as World Music.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 