I've been really digging this label lately after randomly buying Amïra Saqati's Aqdal Reptiles on Majoun, which is a nice, experimental mix of mid-nineties electronics and Moroccan singing. Then I got Ahlam's The Revolt Against Reason based on someone recommending it on ILM, and that LP really blew my mind. I think this sort of stuff is the best sort example "ethnic electronics", inasmuch it treats both its Moroccan and Western roots equally and tries to come with something new and exciting in the mix, instead of just some lazy producer putting Indian chant samples on trance beats or something. My last acquisition was Mara & Jalal's Immigri, which doesn't have as catchy vocals as Ahlam, but the electronic experimentation is more adventurous and interesting on it. Some of the tunes sound like drum'n'bass rai!
Now I was wondering, what else from this label should I check out? I guess Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects is the obvious choice, but what about their other artists, like Hamid Baroudi or Argan?
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 08:40 (seventeen years ago)
Does anyone here listen to this stuff?
― Tuomas, Thursday, 17 April 2008 08:09 (seventeen years ago)
Also, sorry about the typo in the title, it's Barraka el Farnatshi.
I'd love to know what the lyrics to this stuff is about. My gf does know Arabian, but she told me Moroccan Arabian is so far away from the Middle Eastern dialect she knows that she can't really understand what they're singing about. The Ahlam album has the lyrics in the sleeve though, maybe I should ask her to translate them.
― Tuomas, Thursday, 17 April 2008 08:14 (seventeen years ago)
Yeah I've only heard the first Ahlam and the first Aisha Kandishi's Jarring Effects albums and the awesome rai collection they put out. Later stuff has a lot of Bill Laswell on it (uh oh) so I've avoided. There is some talk about the label on this thread:
No Comprendo (Jaxon's non-Anglo Psych, Prog, Folk, Funk mix)
― Alex in SF, Thursday, 17 April 2008 14:31 (seventeen years ago)
x-post RS to thread. He might be able to help. I never did hear/find the first Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects release that was supposed to be (well, according to Richie Unterberger and other Option magazine folks from way back when) better than later easier to find releases.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 17 April 2008 14:32 (seventeen years ago)
It's def. web findable and well worth it.
― Alex in SF, Thursday, 17 April 2008 14:35 (seventeen years ago)
I'd be really interested in getting this one next, I wonder if anyone has heard it? Okay, it has Laswell on four tracks, but only playing bass and not producing, so I can live with that. Otherwise it sounds very interesting.
The unsung hero on these LPs is the Swiss(?) guy called Pat Jabbar, who seems to have produced most of them. But the label homepage has little info on him.
― Tuomas, Thursday, 17 April 2008 14:40 (seventeen years ago)
I think Jabbar is mostly the label head. Not sure how much he actually had to do with the production.
I'd be more interested in the other records in her discography frankly. Laswell playing bass is almost as problematic as producing.
― Alex in SF, Thursday, 17 April 2008 14:45 (seventeen years ago)
On all the three albums I have Jabbar is listed as doing programming, synths, sampling, etc, plus he shares writing credits, so I don't think he's just an executive producer or something.
― Tuomas, Thursday, 17 April 2008 15:10 (seventeen years ago)
Hmmn. He's listed as the compiler on the rai comp, but you are right he does do stuff on the other two.
― Alex in SF, Thursday, 17 April 2008 16:01 (seventeen years ago)