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Omar Souleyman Highway to Hassake CD
This is the Western debut of Omar Souleyman, the Syrian folk-pop legend. This retrospective disc of studio and live recordings spans his 12-year career and was culled from cassette recordings between 1994 and 2006.
Gaining notoriety as it was passed from cab driver to cab driver, a myriad of musical traditions are represented including classical Arabic mawal-style vocalization, high-octane Syrian dabke, Iraqi choubi, Kurdish and Turkish styles among others.
The music often has an overdriven sound consisting of phase-shifted Arabic keyboard solos and frantic rhythms. At breakneck speeds, these shrill Syrian electronics play out like forbidden Morse-code, but the moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Oud, reeds, baglama saz, accompanying vocals and percussion fill out the sound from track to track.
Mahmoud Harbi is a long-time collaborator and the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by Souleyman. Together, they commonly perform the "Ataba," a traditional form of folk poetry used in Dabke. On stage, Harbi chain smokes cigarettes while standing shoulder to shoulder with Souleyman, periodically leaning over to whisper the material into his ear. Acting as a conduit, Souleyman struts into the audience with urgency, vocalizing the prose in song before returning for the next verse.
Souleyman's first hit in Syria was Jani (1996) which gained cassette-kiosk infamy and brought him recognition throughout the country.
$22.00
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