Video de Track 1 from the Sublime Frequencies CD, Omar Souleyman- Highway to Hassake Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria
An excerpt from the track Leh Jani taken from cassette
Featuring
Omar Souleyman - vocals
Rizan Sa'id - Keyboard/Rhythms
Mahmoud Harbi - Poetry
And an unknown saz player
Recorded in SYRIA
Filmed on location in Syria and edited by Mark Gergis with additional footage from various VCD video clips representing
10 years of Omar Souleyman video clips and footage
Omar Souleyman is a Syrian musical legend Since 1994, he and his musicians have emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout Syria, but until now they have remained little known outside of the country To date, they have issued more than five-hundred studio and live- recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city
Born in rural Northeastern Syria, he began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that remain with him today The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music Here, classical Arabic mawal-style vocalization gives way to high-octane Syrian Dabke (the regional folkloric dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a host of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles, among others This amalgamation is truly the sound of Syria 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 Over the years, his popularity has risen steadily and the group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon Omar Souleyman is a man of hospitality and striking integrity who describes his style as his own and prides himself on not being an imitator or a sellout
Sublime Frequencies is honored to present the Western debut of Omar Souleyman with this retrospective disc of studio and live recordings spanning 12 years of his career, culled from cassettes recorded between 1994 and 2006 This collection offers a rare glimpse into Syrian street-level folk-pop and Dabke-- a phenomena seldom heard in the West, not previously deemed serious enough for export by the Syrians and rarely, if ever, included on the import agenda of worldwide academic musical committees
CD available at wwwsublimefrequenciescom
Syria Soleiman Suliman Suleyman Debke Dabke Debka Damascus Sublime Frequencies Arabic music Gergis porest sun city girl
