omar souleyman - haflat gharbia: the western concerts - sublime frequencies - 2xlp - 26$
Deluxe gatefold 2LP version. Omar Souleyman is a folk-pop singer from rural northeastern Syria. Like many Syrian musicians, he made his name as a singer for wedding parties in the region, with hundreds of cassettes and CDs documenting his performances distributed throughout the country. These, along with several studio albums, earned him legendary status in the Syrian dabke scene throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. After his 2005 breakthrough folk-hit "Khataba," Omar gained wider recognition throughout the Arab world. After collecting his tapes for a decade, Sublime Frequencies released the first compilation of Omar Souleyman tracks to be distributed in the West. The success of Highway To Hassake (SF 031CD, 2007), and the enthusiastic online reaction to the promotional clip for his track "Leh Jani," led to Omar being invited to tour the UK and Europe in the summer of 2009. It would be his first time performing or travelling outside of the Arab world. He and his group, comprised of two longtime collaborators -- Rizan Sa'id on keyboards, and electric saz player Ali Shaker -- set off on a six-week Sublime Frequencies tour with label-mates Group Doueh. By the end of 2009, Omar had proven that his unique and charismatic delivery of Syrian electrified folkloric dabke, Iraqi choubi and Arabic shaabi had the ability to appeal to the most diverse of Western audiences. His success has continued, with further tours throughout Europe, America and Australia drawing rave reviews and leaving a trail of fervor across the globe. The rise of Omar's success has transcended the wedding halls and cassette stalls of Syria and slipped into Western popular consciousness. Despite there being no shortage of musical talent in Syria, dabke and otherwise, Omar Souleyman is the first Syrian musical export to have won the hearts of Westerners and Arabs alike on this scale. His trademark checkered khaffya, sunglasses and elegant jalaba are not uncommon male attire in the Arab world, but for years in the West, it is that exact image which has been excessively demonized. Perhaps one of the most striking achievements of Omar's rise has been watching that iconic image transformed from comic book villainy to something positively regal. The recordings on Haflat Gharbia: The Western Concerts, Omar Souleyman's fourth release on Sublime Frequencies, represent an hour of the best moments from the Western tours between 2009 and 2011, captured in striking fidelity and intensity. Fans will recognize familiar songs, as well as previously-unreleased material presented here for the first time, in what is the biggest sounding Omar record yet. Compiled and recorded by Mark Gergis.
various - folk and pop sounds of sumatra vol. 1 - sublime frequencies - lp - 22$
Limited edition full-color gatefold LP version of the first Sublime Frequencies CD release from 2003. The equator runs through only ten countries on earth and I bet that you cannot name them all without consulting a map. Indonesia is one of them and the only nation in Asia with the equatorial stripe impaling it. There are so many different cultures spread out on this chain of islands that it would take several lifetimes to experience them all properly. Within this umbrella of diversity is one of the world's richest and most dazzling sound museums. Sumatra is the northwestern entry point to the great archipelago. Approximately the size of California, Indonesia's largest island has a wide variety of natural wonders: dense jungles, picturesque mountain peaks, gargantuan lakes, lowland swamps, active volcanoes, and highly frequent seismic activity. Populating this gorgeous setting are orangutans, tigers, durian trees, the largest flower on earth, dozens of cultures and languages, myths and folklore, and much more music than you've ever been allowed to discover. The style selections on this LP include forms of droning beat pop, early Orkes Melayu songs, Batak Tapanuli, traditional Minang music, and folk drama soundtracks heard by only a handful of outsiders. The recordings are from old cassette tapes; decaying documents of various sound qualities containing some of the most eccentric artifacts ever uncovered from this fascinating island. Assembled and compiled by Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls) in July of 1989.
various - pakistan: folk and pop instrumentals - 1966-1976 - sublime frequencies - 2xlp - 27$
Spending the greater part of the last decade assembling this masterpiece while tracking down most of the musicians in the process, Stuart Ellis of Radiodiffusion International has compiled a mind-blowing set of Pakistani instrumentals spanning the period between 1966 and 1976. It's all here: rock and roll beat, surf, folk traditional mixed with pop, film tunes, electric guitars, sitar and organ solos, brilliant percussion and arrangements crafted by the grooviest bands of the period: The Panthers, The Mods, The Bugs, The Blue Birds, The Abstracts, The Aay Jays, The Fore Thoughts, Nisar Bazmi, and Sohail Rana. Situated between Afghanistan, India and Iran, the collision of cultural influences in Pakistan gave birth to music that was, and still is, unlike anything heard anywhere else on the planet. By the late 1960s, previous restrictions on musical expression began to soften and bands that were playing American and British pop covers became popular in Karachi's burgeoning night club scene and at private dance parties. Long hair came into fashion among young men and hashish became the popular drug of choice on college campuses across Pakistan. Soon, hippies from both North America and Europe began flocking to Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. Very few of the bands that formed during this time actually got to record. Like their neighbors in India, the Pakistani record industry was more focused on releasing "filmi" music, which had just started to incorporate the electric guitar and electric sitar. Pakistan's musical revolution ended in June 1977 after a coup d'état and the establishment of a pure Islamic state governed by Sharia law. This marked the end of the "Swinging '70s" in Pakistan as night clubs and alcohol were banned throughout the country. Television and cinema, as well as popular music, were now subjected to government censorship. After the clamp-down, many Pakistani musicians left the country and moved to America, Canada and England. The audio quality here is top-notch, sourced straight from the original EMI Pakistan masters. This limited 2LP set is housed in a heavy-duty full-color gatefold jacket with superb photos of the musicians and extended liner notes by compiler Stuart Ellis.
group doueh - beatte harab - sublime frequencies - lp - 22$
Sublime Frequencies is honored to be releasing the third LP by the now legendary Group Doueh. Group Doueh have been playing in and around their native Dakhla, in the Western Sahara for over 27 years. Sublime Frequencies' discovery of the group, via a song heard on a radio broadcast in Morocco in 2005 and an exploratory mission in 2006 that landed Hisham Mayet in the group's compound after chasing an overland trail all the way to the Mauritanian border sealed the band's relationship with the label. A successful European tour (with label-mate Omar Souleyman in 2009) ensued and Western audiences were finally able to witness the power of the group's mighty live shows. Doueh's guitar heroics and wife Halima Jakani and Bashiri Touballi's soaring vocal interplay entranced all who were present. This LP showcases a different side to Group Doueh's far-reaching arsenal of sounds. The songs represented on this album adhere to the roots of Saharoui music -- drawing from the classical repertoire of ancestral Mauritanian musical modes. Using the traditional Moorish instruments such as the tinidit (three string Mauritanian lute), ardin (kora-like harp played traditionally by women), tbal (clay drum) and the kass (tea glasses) along with guitar and Korg synth, Group Doueh manage to attain heights of spiritual poetry that this music aspires to convey. Halima's ardin playing and most importantly, her vocal prowess, take this music to blissful and exalted realms. Doueh's tinidit and guitar overlays showcase the technical virtuosity and command that this master has over the region's stringed instruments. This is the music of Group Doueh's roots and the band truly takes these traditions to cosmic heights. Recorded by Group Doueh and Hisham Mayet on location in Dakhla, West Sahara in 2010. This limited edition vinyl LP comes in a beautiful full-color gatefold jacket.
-sublime
hayvanlar alemi - guarana superpower - sublime frequencies - lp - 19$
Hailing from the Turkish capital of Ankara, Hayvanlar Alemi is a group of contemporary players steeped in the art of psychedelics, surf, and expansive rock instrumental grandeur. Formed in 1999, the band is led by Özüm İtez (electric guitar) and Işık Sarıhan (percussion) and they've released a variety of CDs and mp3 tracks in Turkey and beyond leading up to this, Guarana Superpower, their first-ever vinyl LP. The tracks drift from majestic beauty to blazing delirium with İtez etching his manifesto for electric guitar every step of the way backed by Sarihan's wide variety of percussion styles. Although the group is rooted in classical and modern Turkish psych-rock in spirit, they draw on a large range of sounds and influences, and traces of Turkish styles are hard to pin down. Two of the tracks, "MEGA Lambada" and "Guarana Superpower," are more reminiscent of late '80s post-punk experimental mind-melting, referencing Torch Of The Mystics-era Sun City Girls in grand fashion. Other cuts expand on a diversity of areas including tripped-out surf, retro Cambodian rock, electrified Thai Mor Lam and Saharan guitar music. Every single track is memorable and the incredible variety helps confirm the fact that Hayvanlar Alemi is one of today's great rock instrumental combos. This extremely limited one-time LP pressing comes in a full color heavy-duty tip-on jacket.
-sublime