Indies Rec.
Al-Yaman : Hurriya (YE/IS/CZ,2004)***°
This is middle eastern trance-rock from a group based in Prague. Like much North African music it has strong beats, caused by Middle Eastern percussion and electronica. The combination makes it more to the ground than a mainstream trance-like based middle eastern music, so this is more “rock”. It covers traditionals from Yemen and the Arabic world. Singer is Ashwaq Abdulla Kulaib from Aden, Yemen. She studied and stayed in Prague and stayed. Ales Hyvnar (Al-esh), also from Yemen, is the composer (percussion, guitar, saz, keyboards,samples). He worked before with other bands since 1986. After having met Ashwaq in 2000 they started this project of Middle Eastern music with a modern touch. Other band members are drummer Jonathan Omer (Israel), bassist Jan Hais and Tomas Reindl (tabla, oriental percussion, didgeridoo, aliquot singing).
Most examples I heard from North Africa in Middle Eastern style had really stamping beats, really exaggerated, and with deafening synthesizer equipment, or were mainstream song-oriented. This has strong emphasized rhythms too, but is complex and refined making it worthwhile musically with enough subtlety to enjoy in many ways. A very strong release, perfect for the (belly)dance floor and for pure listening entertainment.
Also the bonus tracks, a "hypnotic remix" & a "transmix" are great !
Recommended video to watch to give an idea : "Muashahat"
