AA.VV. - Waking up Scheherazade Vol. 1 & 2

Waking Up Scheherazade is a two volume vinyl compilation of Arabian garage psych nuggets from the late 60s and early 70s, that have been hidden for many many years. The rarest of the rarest from Iran to Morocco. Some great north African and middle eastern early rock trash.

Finding a nuggets album with psychedelic tracks from the middle east and north Africa is hard. One of the reasons why we hear so little of rock examples from Middle Eastern and Arab countries is not that they do not exist, because especially in the 60s and 70s the whole world was open to modern experiments, but many of such scenes quickly closed down in many countries and were replaced by fascist or other extremely “limiting the freedom of creative expressions” Regimes. These records now, stand proud as the voice of a generation that grabbed the opportunity to create new sounds.

The music on the two compilation is not really very psychedelic, It is rather a mixture of 60s rock and pop with a Middle Eastern twist. The singing is in both English and native tongues and the quality of each track is admirable. The wide range of local instruments and the use of electric piano or keyboards is something that adds a particular flavor to it, don't expect anything over psychedelic , just some slightly eccentric early oriental rock music.

( http://www.thesweetology.com )



AA.VV. - Waking up Scheherazade Vol. 1

A1 Sea-ders - Thanks A Lot
A2 El-Abranis - Athedjaladde -
A3 Simon C. Edwards & His Soul Set -  I Got You  
A4  Morocco -  Ela Tho
A5 Kouroush - Dil Dasa Per Mesha
A6 The Kool Kats - Step Out  
A7 Nai Bonet  - The Seventh Veil  
A8 Tony Franks & The Hippin' Souls -  Last Night
B1 The News -  From The Moon
B2 Raks  - Raks Dance
B3 Kareem Issaq & Middle Eastern Rock  - Besaha
B4 Ray Psyah  - Deep Down Inside
B5 Sea-ders - Undecidedly
B6 El-Abranis - Ayetheri A L'afjare
B7 Simon C. Edwards & His Soul Set  - The Way I Do
B8 Morocco - Opa Kukla



AA.VV. - Waking up Scheherazade Vol. 2

A1 Wrong Notes -  Vereguoi
A2 Shar 'Habeel - Dance And Cheer
A3 Abdelhadi - Tbib Ou Jarhi
A4 Feridun Foroughi -  Wals Jackie
A5 News - Tell Me
A6 Dorid Laham - Tamo Yamo
A7 Les Freres Megri - Sebar
B1 Soli - Music Negar
B2 Tony Franks And The Hippie Souls - Crazy Woman
B3 Wrong Notes -  Oriental Tunes
B4 Shar 'Habeel - El Bambi
B5 Naïma Samith - Zifaf Filfada
B6 Tony Franks And The Hippie Souls - Keep It
B7 Jo And The New Magnifici  -Sunshine


HERE Vol. 1&2

Masar مسار - El Aysh Wel Melh العيش والملح

Recorded By : Miles Jay at Makan, 1, Saad Zaghloul Street, El Dawawin, Cairo (www.egyptmusic.com), September 2006


Members :

Hazim Shaheen حازم شاهين : Oud 
Nawar Abbessi نوار عباسي : Piano 
Hani Bdeir هاني بدير : Perussion 
Miles Jay : Contrabass


01 Zay el moga زي الموجة
02 Nahawand نهاوند
03 Aysh عيش
04 Remal رمال
05 Zaffit Shaheed زفّة شَهيد
06 Eh El Ibara إيه العباره 
07 Rehla رحلة

HERE

Malafat ملفات - Ashan Nakol عشان ناكل

Malfat is a collaborative project created by spoken word artist Aly Talibab & Dijit (pseudonym behind which hides the electronic musician Hashem L . Kelesh ). The project was born with the objective to test the interactions between sound and word. Occasionally joins the duo the spoken word artist As Dee (real name Sara el-Dayekh), whose voice was already used by Dijit in several songs for his solo project.
In 2014 the work of Malafat materialize in an album titled "Ashan Nakol". The album is a Fresh and unconventional artistic expression that aims to reflect on the life in Cairo as experience and how it is imagined.





 Malafat ملفات - Ashan Nakol عشان ناكل 

 01   مقدمة ممذوقة
 02   الرحلة رقم ٩٠
 03   جلد البقر
 04  فئران تجارب
 05  عالم بارد
 06    ميه
 07   الخامس
 08  قتلت راجل النهارده
 09 الوقت

HERE

              

PanSTARRS بان ستارز

Originally a  solo bedroom project by Egyptian musician Youssef Abouzeid, PanSTARRS began from the artist’s metaphysical crisis of “putting the why into words, when every word is a pale imitation, a mere ripple in the vast ocean of being.” In February 2013 , Abouzeid released his first EP, titled “Nothingness,” with an ambitious DIY spirit. The four-track album was singlehandedly created by Abouzeid, who cooked together his talents in songwriting, recording, and production to release one of the most unique indie rock albums in Egypt this year. It was defined by his wistful sonic vision, pensive guitar lines, and detached vocals that oscillate between plaintiveness and deep contemplation. While all the songs on the album struck an emotional chord, in the song “Gold Tears” Abouzeid’s weeping guitar slides came into their own against a backdrop of a country falling into despair.

While the album received little attention at the time, it was for Abouzeid a turning point because it led him to meeting other people and, as he describes it, “becoming another person.” His second EP titled “Yestoday “ , released in October of 2013, is the product of a collaborative process with his cousin Nader Ahmed (from the electronic duo Vent) recording and mixing the album, and Zuli (from the trip-hop duo Quit Together) mastering it. This eight-track album takes a much more philosophical approach lyrically and combines it with a sound that is on the one hand more aggressive and on the other hand more defined than Nothingness.

Recorded mostly in Ahmed’s living-room studio, the album is something of a cross between the psychedelic fuzz of Tame Impala’s Lonerism and the reverbed, industrial guitar lines and fractured dance rhythms of Deerhunter’s Monomania. Standout moments appear on the album’s opening, So Little Time, and the Arabic-closer Ayez Anam (I want to sleep).

With its reverbed bass line, drum kicks, and lyrics like “So little time, so little space,” So Little Time is emblematic of too much time spent in military-enforced confinement. The song and eight-track album as a whole succeed in not only establishing PanSTARRS as rock musicians, but also present the band’s true innovation, which is rooted in an ability to express metaphysical contemplations of time and space through the ever-present galactic sounds and noise on most of Yestoday. But it is in the album’s closing track that Abouzeid’s unguarded existential dilemmas reveal themselves to greatest affect. AyezAnam is a raw, melancholic, stream-of-consciousness Arabic number filled with soft vocal echoes, a plaintive acoustic guitar and reverbed fuzz making the perfect nihilistic soundscape for his drone-like lyrics: “An empty, empty world / Fuck this world,” and later, “All the people are dying, and I want to sleep, I want to sleep.”

Both albums reflect Abouzeid’s metaphysical search beyond the confines of time and rules. Much of his work questions the things we hold as true, and Abouzeid himself does not believe there is anything true in the absolute. He would rather live in the abstract, not defining things — having the listeners come up with their own ideas about this music.

“I like to play music by myself, there is no one I really want to play with and no one I really want to be like,” he explained in 2013. “Any music I can’t relate to I reject. I like anything real, anything that sounds real. The truthfulness of music is very subjective. Anything that allows me to perceive my own ideas, I like. I like music that is loud, that is vague, because it allows me to imagine it in the way I want.”

The new PanSTARRS EP , titled ” Ghaby Ghaby Ghaby “ released in October of 2015 , takes a slight eerie turn towards dark, measured beats, heavy synth bass lines and, crisp guitar riffs. Youssef Abouzeid’s vivid and somewhat controversial, witty Arabic lyrics give off a sense of bleak ambiance to their sound and perspective, and it feels unconventionally brilliant to be able to decipher every word. Nothing short of interesting though; all the bits and pieces put together create an aesthetically dark product blistered by social awareness, existentialist introspection, navel-gazing and passive aggression all powered by state-of-the-art musical elements that probably trace back to 1980s Electronic Rock/Synth Pop era only cradled with unprocessed innovation and a false sense of retirement.

PanSTARRS is gaining more and more listeners with each album and each show, even still, it remains within the indie rock niche. While many musician would be disheartened by this, Abouzeid is unaffected by it. PanSTARRS is his baby and he won’t compromise on the music — even if it means not reaching a wider sector of audience. He is resigned to the fact that most Egyptians won’t get it, so, for him the music is as much about his enjoyment and his creativity as anything else.

In any case, Abouzeid’s head is elsewhere. With changes to the band’s lineup due to study, work and army duties, the music is bound to take another turn in the near future. The lack of consistent musicians usually ends projects and bands, but for Abouzeid each change is another phase of development. His music, he says, is like having a child: With each phase it develops and matures and becomes something new and interesting.

PanSTARRS are constantly supporting local and international underground artists on Facebook where they’re up to date with every new release from any artists they appreciate, so you can head to their page and have a listen and compare quality stuff, Egyptian or other, that’s worth promoting, to the mediocre nonsense we blindly support in the country. Abouzeid is also part of another project called Shlomo Casio, as well as once being part of a band called Manzouma with Ali Talibab who does spoken word.



( Sources : www.cairoscene.com   ,   www.egypttoday.com  , www.theguardian.com )




PanSTARRS بان ستارز - Nothingness EP

                                         

01 Morning Drive
02 Home Is Now
03 Lust
04 Gold Tears

HERE





PanSTARRS بان ستارز - Yestoday

01 So Little Time
02 Fools
03 Pink Trees
04 For Yanni (Kossom Yanni)
05 Off Love
06 In Bed
07 Please
08 Ayez Anam


HERE







PanSTARRS بان ستارز - Ghaby Ghaby Ghaby 

01 Khally Balak Hatmoot
02 Men Gheir Wa7da
03 Tortit Naml
04 Sahla Ya Khaifa
05 7omar 3ala 7osan

HERE


 

Arab tunes mixtape # 31 - So you say there is no arabic experimental music ?!! Vol.7 / The Maghreb scene

Front cover by Zoulikha Bouabdellah

A look at the electronic and avant-garde scene of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Arab tunes mixtape # 31 - So you say there is no arabic experimental music ?!! Vol.7 / The Maghreb scene

01 Raba7 - Hasby Allah  (Algeria)
02 Deena Abdelwahed - Sirtan (Tunisia)
03 Afrikence - Makam mokamkam  (Morocco)
04 Ynfl-x - Mal-3-oun (Tunisia) 
05 Half A Moment - Schants  (Morocco)
06 Lakadjina - The king frog is dead (Tunisia)
07 Afrikence - Out Of Memory in Sarab (Morocco) 
08 Hohner comet - No name (from Koulouna Gaza)  (Algeria) 
09 Mehdi Halib - OrienTales (Morocco)
10 Hayej - Bindir and Bass (Tunisia) 
11 Souk El Guerillas - I Don't Speak Arabic (Algeria) 
12 Heart Burnt To Ashes - All Shall Perish All Shall Die All Shall Perish  (Tunisia) 
13 Afrikence - Zzz by Afrikence (Morocco)
14 Ynfl-x -Hybris (Tunisia) 
15 Lost Pattern - SoftDrill (Morocco) 
16 Lakadjina - Starry Night (Original Mix) (Tunisia) 
17 Nihil Humanum - M Punis   (Algeria)
18 Deena Abdelwahed - #5#5#5  (Tunisia)


HERE 

Arab tunes mixtape # 31 - So you say there is no arabic experimental music ?!! Vol.7/ The Maghreb Scene from lazyproduction on 8tracks Radio.

Dahmane el Harrachi دحمان الحراشى (Reloaded)

Abderrahmane Amrani - mieux connu sous son nom de scène Dahmane El Harrachi (دحمان الحراشي)-, (né le 7 juillet 1925, à El-Biar - décédé le 31 août 1980) est un musicien, chanteur, parolier et compositeur algérien de musique chaâbi. Il obtint un succès mondial à travers le célèbre Ya Rayah (le Voyageur), une chanson qui a notamment été reprise par une multitudes d'artistes dont le chanteur Rachid Taha.

Le parcours artistique du chanteur est empruntée de sa propre expérience de la vie en traduisant dans ses chansons toutes les déclinaisons de l'Immigritude. Ya Rayah a fait le tour du monde et a été traduite en plusieurs langues tout en gardant la même mélodie.


Dans son oeuvre qui compte environ 500 chansons, il a su résumer le cours de la destinée de toute une génération en exil. en touchant à tous les thèmes qui touchent à la société algérienne. Il a chanté l'amour, l'amitié, l'espoir, les rapports humains, la famille, et toutes les vicissitudes de la vie humaine.

Avec El Harrachi, c'est la mélodie qui prime avec néanmoins une légère coloration occidentale. L'exemple de la chanson ya rayah est très édifiant à ce propos, bien que composée dans le mode musical Sahli , il a su lui donner un cachet universel.


Né dans le quartier de La Fontaine Fraîche situé en banlieue algéroise, d'origine chaouiedu village de Djellal par son père qui était le muezzin de la Grande Mosquée d'Alger, le chaâbi de Dahmane est puisé du vécu de la société à l’image du poète Kaddour El Alami qui avait fondé la zaouia soufi Alamiyyin à Meknès qui est devenue la zaouia du Melhoun la plus répandue. Les chansons les plus connues sont: "El Farradjia" (connu aussi sous le nom de "Ya Krim") et la connue en Algérie sous le nom "El meknassia" appelée au Maroc, "dar sidi Qadour", un chef d'œuvre impérissable du melhoun.

Déjà enfant, il se plaisait à jouer avec virtuosité au banjo. Son doigté musical suscita l'admiration de ses aînés.

Adolescent, il exerce divers métiers dont la cordonnerie et pendant sept ans, celui de receveur de tramway. C'est au cours de cette période qu'il entame ses débuts musicaux, intégrant une troupe d'amateurs qui tourne dans toute l'Algérie. Il a donné au banjo et au mandole une harmonie, un phrasé, des accentuations propres à lui et qui le distinguent des autres.

Sa voix rocailleuse est chantée avec justesse se prête très bien à son répertoire brossant les thèmes de la nostalgie du pays dans la diaspora, les souffrances de l’exil, l’amour de la patrie et la passion pour sa ville natale.

Dahmane El Harrachi émigre en 1949 en France qui lui inspire un grand nombre de ses chansons nostalgiques de son répertoire comme Bahdja beidha mat’houl (ce qui signifie en Français : Bahdjja la blanche qui ne se fâne jamais).

Il a enregistré son premier 45 tours, intitulé - Bahdja Beida ma t'houl - en 1956 chez Pathé Marconi et la sortie de sa chanson Kifache nensa bilad el khir (comment pourrai-je oublier le pays de l'abondance) a coincidé avec l'élaboration de la plate-forme de la Soummam. A cette époque cruciale de la colonisation, il n'était pas aisé de composer une oeuvre de cette envergure.

Dahmane el Harrachi s'est très vite forgé son propre style et du coup, modernisé le chaâbi algérois. Sa voix rocailleuse savait accrocher et émouvoir l'âme du public. C'est aussi grâce à ses paroles sans ambages et sa musique mélodieuse que ses chansons ont conquis les coeurs. C'est l'un des plus grands interprètes de chanson sociale au monde.

Il y a chez lui, l'absence de cette propension hypocrite à prétendre puiser dans le "trésor des ancêtres ", celui des vieux poètes maghrébins.

Il a été découvert sur le tard par la nouvelle génération, El-Harachi a eu droit à sa première grande scène lors du Festival de la Musique maghrébine qu'il s'est tenu à la fin des années 70 à la Villette.

Quelques mois avant sa mort accidentelle, la télévision algérienne lui avait consacré un film intitulé Saha Dahmane, réalisé par Salim Benkadi, qui le révèle davantage au public. A travers cette production qui retrace les pérégrinations d’un émigré venu passer des vacances au bled pour y retrouver ses amis et les siens.

Il décède le 31 août 1980, dans un tragique accident de la route, laissant près de trois cents chansons qui ne sont pas enregistrées.

Kamel El Harrachi a repris le nom de son père afin de perpétuer sa mémoire en 1991. Les observateurs disent que la ressemblance est troublante, mise à part peut-être la voix, plus douce chez le fils.

(http://musique.arabe.over-blog.com)









Abderrahmane Amrani - meglio conosciuto con il nome d'arte Dahmane El Harrachi (nato il 7 luglio 1925, a El-Biar - deceduto il 31 agosto, 1980 a Aïn Benian , presso Algeri ) è stato un musicista, cantante, cantautore e compositore algerino di musica Chaabi . Ha ottenuto grande successo in tutto il mondo attraverso la canzone " Ya Rayah " (traducibile" O tu che parti" ), vero inno per ogni emigrante . Il brano è stato ripreso da innumerevoli artisti tra i quali il più conosciuto è sicuramente il cantante algerino Rachid Taha.
Nella sua opera, consistente in un repertorio di circa 500 canzoni, è stato in grado di sintetizzare il corso del destino di un'intera generazione in esilio, esplorando tutte le questioni che riguardano la società algerina. Ha cantato l'amore, l'amicizia, la speranza, le relazioni, la famiglia, e tutte le vicissitudini della vita traendo ispirazione dalla propria esperienza di emigrato.
I suoi brani , basati essenzialmente sulla melodia , attingono musicalmente alla tradizione algerina ( la modalità Sahli in particolare, caratterizzante i generi Chaabi e Mahjouz ) , ma presentano svariate influenze occidentali. Uno dei risultati più concreti conseguiti da questo musicista è rappresentato dall'essere stato in grado di comporre canzoni dal respiro universale.

Di origine Chaoui del villaggio di Djellal situato nella wilaya di Khenchela, suo padre si trasferì ad Algeri nel 1920 e divenne il muezzin della grande moschea. Dopo la nascita di Dahmane (abbreviazione di Abderrahmane), la famiglia si trasferì in un primo momento a Belcourt, poi si stabilì definitivamente a El Harrach, luogo al quale Dahmane deve il suo soprannome .

Intressatosi già da bambino alla musica , imparò molto presto a suonare il banjo, influenzato dal cantante Chaabi Khelifa Belkacem . A 16 anni era in grado di interpretare svariate canzoni di quest'ultimo, suscitando una grande ammirazione da parte degli anziani

Una volta terminati gli studi superiori svolse vari lavori tra i quali il calzolaio ed il controllore presso la società tramviaria sulla linea Maison Carrée/Bab El-Oued . E 'stato durante questo periodo che ha iniziato la sua attività musicale pubblica in compagnia di una troupe di dilettanti insieme alla quale si è esibito per tutta l'Algeria. La sua abilità con il banjo lo mise  iin evidenza e accompagnò vari famosi cantanti tra i quali : Hadj Menouar, Cheïkh Bourahla, Cheïkh Larbi el Annabi, Abdelkader Ouchala e sopratutto Cheikh El Hasnaoui con il quale si esibirà per la prima volta al Café des artistes, a Parigi nel 1952.

Nel 1949 si trasferì in Francia nella città di Lille, quindi a Marsiglia per finire a vivere a Parigi, città che non lascerà praticamente più.

Nell'esilio francese Dahmane troverà l'ispirazione per i suoi brani più evocativi. Dotato di una voce roca e, in qualche modo, maliconica , risulterà essere l'intrerprete perfetto di canzoni nostalgiche trattanti le sofferenze dell'esilio, l'amor di patria e la passione per la sua città natale. Nel 1956 , mentre l'Algeria è in subbuglio a causa della guerra per l 'indipendenza, registra per l'etichetta Pathé Marconi il suo primo 45 giri contenente il brano "Behdja bidha ma t'houl " ( Algeri la bianca non potrà mai perdere il suo splendore).


Nel corso degli anni seguentti Dahmane el Harrachi forgerà rapidamente il suo stile e rappresenterà uno dei principali modernizzatori dello Chaabi algerino . Le sue canzoni e , sopratutto, le sue interpretazioni riusciranno a toccare l'anima ed i cuori del pubblico rendendolo uno degli artisti più amati nell'area del Maghreb.

Verso la fine degli anni '70 gli è stato riconosciuto il giusto tributo nel corso del festival di musica del Maghreb tenutosi a Parc de la Villette a Parigi.

Le giovani generazioni avranno avuto modo di conoscere la sua opera in virtù di un celebratissimo concerto svoltosi presso la sala Atlas di Alger nel 1974, esibizione che riscosse un grande successo , e grazie ad un film intitolato " Saha Dahmane" realizzato dal regista Salim Benkadi che ripercorre le peregrinazioni di un emigrante tornato in vacanza a casa per ritrovare i suoi amici e la sua famiglia.
Dahmane el Harrachi morirà ìl 31 agosto 1980 ad Ain Benian in un tragico incidente stradale, lasciando in eredità quasi trecento canzoni mai registrate.

Suo figlio Kamel El Harrachi , anch'egli musicista, continuerà l'opera del padre  interpretando molti suoi brani con il fine di mantenerne viva la memoria. 

Dahmane el Harrachi دحمان الحراشى - Elli Fat Mat اللي فات مات / Ya Rayah يا الرايح



                                          



 Vinyl 7"  Pathè  2C 016 11296 M


Side A - Elli  Fat Mat  اللي فات  مات
Side B - Ya Rayah  يا الرايح

HERE


Dahmane el Harrachi   -   10 Années De Chansons

A1 Zouj Hmamat
A2 Ach Eddani Nkhaltou
A3 Khabbi Serrek
B1 Elli Fat Mat
B2 Ya Rayah
B3 Yal Hajla
B4 Maak Maak

HERE
or
HERE


Dahmane el Harrachi دحمان الحراشى - Le Chaâbi Vol. I الــشــعــبــي   الجزء الاول

01 Bahja bidha
02 Bilad elkhir 
03 Ya rayah
04  Elli heb slahou
05 Zouj hmamat
06 Elli yezraa errih 
07 Dak ezzine ala slamtou
08 Lazem esmah binatna
09 Hassebni khoud krak

10 Saafni ouen saafek

HERE
or
HERE


 Dahmane el Harrachi دحمان الحراشى - Le Chaâbi Vol. III الــشــعــبــي الجزء الثالث


                                         


01 Elli Fat Maj
02 Yal Hajla
03 Rah Ellil
04 Ya Rabbi Ya Sattar
05 El Bahja Yal Bahia
06 Ouine Houma Hbabna
07 Dak Elmaqnine Ezzine
08 Hadik Elghamza
09 Rayi Ezzahouani
10 Ma Ikoun Illa Khatrek
11 Ya Tir Elqafs 


HERE
or
HERE 





Dahmane el Harrachi دحمان الحراشى - Le Chaâbi Vol. IV الــشــعــبــي الجزء الرابع

01 Zhit maa hbabi
02 Qalou essaber inal
03 Qis qbal ma tghis
04 Khabbi serrek
05 Assanet ouefhem
06 Elkhbar ijibouh touala
07 Yal ghafel
08 Elli yeddi haq ennas
09 Ila kannek aouam
10 Mayenfa ghir essah


HERE


Dahmane el Harrachi دحمان الحراشى - Le Chaâbi Vol. 4  الــشــعــبــي الجزء الرابع


                                    


01 Ya Kassi
02 Ya Nakkaret Elmelh
03 Elli Moulou' Belhoua
04 Ach Eddani Nkhaltou
05 Maak Maak
06 Ah Ya Bachar
07 Mazalni Maak
08 El Ouelf Saib
09 Mazalna Hayine

HERE
or
HERE