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OMAR SOULEYMAN |
// Date: 13, August 2010, 20:00h
// Venue: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
// Tickets: 12 € / 10 € (concession)
For the past 15 years, Omar Souleyman and his group have emerged as a staple of street level folk-pop throughout Syria, having issued more than 500 studio and live-recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city. His two albums on Sublime Frequencies and last year's tour with Group Doueh and SF DJs have made him a world-wide icon. He is the purveyor of frantic and intense 'Dabke' music, with its killer hooks and huge emotional range. The Omar Souleyman band expertly mutate a wide set of regional influences to make the ultimate party anthems with Omar's superb and varied vocal stylings leading the dance.
Hailing from the rural Northeastern city of Ras Al Ain, Souleyman began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators who he continues to work with. The group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform across the Middle East in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon. Now he is regarded by Bjork and the NME as a real player internationally.
The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music, which reflect the sounds of Syia, Iraq, Turkey and the sizeable Kurdish population. The moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Expect the ultimate party music. Omar's superb and varied vocal stylings feature over high-octane Syrian 'Dabke' (the regional folkloric dance music) and a host of other styles. Frantic Arabic keyboard solos provided by the incredible Rizan Sa'id intertwine with reeds, stringed instruments and percussion. Ali Shaker's virtuouso saz playing is an intense driving force that moves the songs to ever more psychedelic levels . Ali can also sweetly accompany Omar on the more moody, atmospheric numbers. Omar will sometimes perform the Ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry, where Omar's unaccompanied freestyle 'mawal' singing stands in a league of its own.
"Omar Souleyman in 2009 was our jackal, our viper, and our gazelle, swirling from electric bouzouk seizures while wailing love-potion keyboards led us through the desert in search of the one who would steal both our love and our mind.” Tiny Mix Tapes
"Souleyman's performance begins with a gentle pulsing of bass-heavy electronic drums and brooding eastern keyboards. Souleyman stands motionless beneath a six-foot crucifix suspended from the church ceiling, staring out over the sold-out venue. A minute into the performance the song explodes with frantic beats, breakneck Arabian guitar lines and keyboards that nod towards early 90s trance with a distinctly Arabian bent.” The Guardian
"Soulyman may be keeping some elevated company these days, but his music is still frantic folk-pop beloved by the man or woman on Damascus omnibus, a regional style known as Dabke. Keyboard-driven and relentless, it's a slap-in-the-face blast of boombox street party compared to the exquisite delicacy of the Syrian classical tradition” The Wire
As relayed to Stool Pigeon: “We`re famous in all pockets of the Arab world,” Omar says, “and our music is a mixture of Iraqi, Kurdish, Turkish and Assyrian because the village we live in, the borders to all those different nations are nearby...”. “We haven`t been influenced by anyone,” fires back Omar when the question comes up. “There`s no big hero for us and we don`t listen to other music. We dont copy anyone. We wanted to use all those influences so people would like us, but also because no one else has done it before.”
> www.sublimefrequencies.com
> Tickets: www.hkw.de
> www.myspace.com/omarsouleyman |
> August 13, 2010
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