Featuring a full-colour 8-page booklet with great photos, a general overview of the lyrics translated into English and liner notes by compiler Mark Gergis.
From the first moments until the last crash, Omar Souleyman's music is addictive, complex and utterly beguiling....
He is quite possibly the coolest man in the world right now, his previous album on Sublime Frequencies ranked highly in a wide variety of end-of-year lists, and combined with an the immensely successful European tour in 2009 has brought Souleyman and band to the audience they richly deserve but at one time seemed destine never to reach. 'Jazeera Nights' ups the ante yet again with a scorching set of nine Syrian Dabkes (regional folkloric dance and party music) culled from tapes dating between 1995-2009. All tracks feature synth-whizz Rizan Sa'id (The second coolest man in the world right now!!) the figure responsible for Omar's electric, hypnotic and at times psychedelic backing tracks of florid key work and frenzied percussion. Their combined effect is simply potent, striking a nerve with nearly all who encounter their mesmerizing, fiery and unusually futuristic sound.
We can't recommend this album highly enough. Souleyman is fast on the road to becoming an international legend - and deservedly so!!
1. Hafer Gabrak Bidi (I Will Dig Your Grave With My Hands)
2. Ala Il Hanash Madgouga (The Bedouin Tattoo)
3. Hot Il Khanjar Bi Gleibi (Stab My Heart)
4. Kell Il Banat Inkhatban (All The Girls Are Engaged)
5. Labji Wa Bajji Il Hajar (My Tears Will Make The Stones Cry)
6. Dazeitlak Dezzelli (I Signal, You Deny)
7. Li Raja Behawakom (I Beg You, Baby)
8. Mandal/Metel Il Sukkar Ala Il Shai (I Don't Know/Like The Sugar In The Tea)
9. Eih Min Elemkom (From The Day That I Told You)
Western listeners with a keen sense of audio adventure should have no problem feeling the groove of Souleyman's future folk and should take Dabke 2020 as what it is: a chance to know the music of a people politics has long kept at arm's length. – Pitchfork.
