Funk & Disco Zamaan

Salah Ragab formed the first jazz big band in Egypt The Cairo Jazz Band in 1968, he was also the leader of the Military Music Departments in Heliopolis, some of the best musicians in Egypt of that time were members of the band, such as Zaki Osman (Trumpet), Saied Salama (Tenor Sax) - Khamis El -Kholy (Piano) and Ala Mostafa (Piano)

Egypt Strut - Salah Ragab & The Cairo Jazz band (1970)

Pre-Order: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/releases

Habibi Funk will be a new sub label of Jakarta Records, dedicated to re-releasing arabic music from the 1970s and 1980s. It's a label and platform for funky/soulful and/or psych influenced music from the Arab world of the 70s and 80s.

https://www.facebook.com/habibifunk

Dalton was a band from Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. They came together as a band around 1968 when most of the members studied together at the University of Tunis. The band had five members. Faouzi Chekili on guitar, piano and vocals, Ridha Kouhen on bass guitar, Mustapha Rehouma and sax and percussion, Sadok Gharbi on trumpet and vocals and Skaner Alim on drums and vocals. They were active in the local scene, playing music that was heavily influenced by American soul and funk and at the same time regional musical traditions. In the early 70s the band got a regular gig at a beach hotel called Sahara Beach Resort on the coastline of Tunisia. They had six month contracts for a couple of years in the early 70s and during that time they would play every single night of the tourist season. While the hotel gig required the band to play sets leaning      towards tourist entertainment, the regular work helped put some money into the band's accounts. Using those funds the band was able to travel to Rome to record their one and only 7“ single release "Alech" around 1971/1972. The band eventually dismantled in the mid 70s and returned briefly as a new group with new members in the late 1970s under the name Carthago but that is a different story…… 

"That "Soul Brother" is my jam…. !!!!" 
Lefto 

The single itself impressed us heavily when we first stumbled upon it through French collector Victor Kiswell. While the b-side "Soul Brother“ sounds like a Tunisian version of modern soul / AOR with it’s English lyrics and lush arrangements, the title track "Alech“ is the one that will get every party started. An infectious 3/4 rhythm, a great horn arrangement and brillantly layered vocals that made us think of Brazillian music or the Georgian groove band Gaya. Luckily Faouzi Chekili, the former band leader and composer uses social media communication so he was easy to track down. He is still active as a renowned musician in the Tunisian jazz scene and remains active recording and playing concerts both in Tunisia and internationally.
credits

Edit: this is just a little "recorded straight from the wax" preview. The final release will be properly remastered by the homies from Audiomoto Berlin 


Habibi Funk 001: Dalton - Soul Brother (Tunisia, 1972 pre-order link in description)

Houdou Nisbi

Ma Tfel

It's spring time, so about time for Habibi Funk's mother label Jakarta Records to drop another seasons compilation in the form of "Spring In Jakarta" and it's only right to for Habibi Funk to be featured too. "La Silence Des Cendres" is an unreleased Ahmed Malek track full of funky drums and a great arrangement. As always "Spring In Jakarta" will be a free DLL with free cassette tape copies available from selected retailer. Also be on the lookout for the limited t-shirt + tape combo we did together with the homies from inflammable.com. 

The track will also be featured on the upcoming Habibi Funk reissue of Ahmed Malek's work which you can listen to and order here:
https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/musique-original-de-films

Ahmed Malek - La Silence Des Cendres (Taken off "Spring In Jakarta". Free DLL soon)

@habibifunk unearth more Arabian gold, with links to their first ever release. One half of Dalton (of 'Alech' and 'Soul Brother' fame) also became Carthago, fusing soul and disco with a Tunisian flavour.

Read more & buy: http://www.stampthewax.com/2016/11/26/premiere-carthago-hanen-instrumental/
Listen on Youtube: bit.ly/carthago-hanen

Listen on Youtube

Carthago - Hanen (Instrumental) (STW Premiere)

100 Hits of Irving Berlin

I Want to Be in Dixie

Introducing Kamal Keila: Kamal is a Sudanese singer active since the late 1960s (الترجمة العربية أسفله). He incorporated a wide range of influences from afro beat to funk to his often very political songs. He recorded both in Arabic and English. We just signed him to Habibi Funk this week and will release a full album of unreleased music later this year. "Agricultural Revolution" is taken straight off a master tape Kamal found in his basement. Shout of to Yasir (AFRODUB) and Larissa for the help. نقدم لكم كمال كيلا: كمال مطرب سوداني بدأ رحلته الموسيقية منذ أواخر الستينات. 
 .لقد دمج انواع موسيقى كثيرة ومتنوعة كالفانك والأنغام اللإفريقية مع أغانيه ذات الطابع السياسي. سجل موسيقته باللغتين الانجليزية والعربية . هذا الأسبوع، قمنا بالتعاقد معه لاصدار ألبوم يضم أغانيه الغير منشورة وسوف يتم اطلاقه نهاية هذا العام. الأغنية "ثورة زراعية" مأخوذة من شريط وجده كمال في قبو منزله.

Introducing: Kamal Keila - Agricultural Revolution (Sudan, 1992)

Pre Order: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-007-an-eclectic-selection-of-music-from-the-arab-world

"About a year ago we started talking to Sharhabeel, one of our favorite Sudanese musicians, with the help of his son and our colleague in Khartoum, Larissa, about re-releasing some of his old music. I had never been to Sudan before and despite some great help in making the release happen we figured it would be a good idea to actually visit Sudan and finalize the release with Sharhabeel. In preparation of the trip I started to dig deeper into Sudanese music trying to identify artists and sounds to dive into. On Youtube I found a musical blog dedicated to Sudanese jazz bands run by Amin Rabih (who is a music researcher, currently writing a book on the history of jazz music in Sudan) and Yassir Awad. The Sudanese interpretation of jazz is fairly different to the Western but it opened up a new world for me of around a dozen bands and singers that I wanted to learn more about. Luckily Yassir, a Sudanese IT expert living in Khartoum, was more than happy to help me prepare my trip and learn about the musical scene of the nation’s capital in the 1970s. Kamal Keila was a name that came up here and there, coined the James Brown or Fela Kuti of Sudan. When I asked Yassir about him he said that he has extended family ties with him and that he could set up a meeting. We spent an afternoon in Kamal’s living room somewhere in the dusty outskirts of Khartoum. In our conversation it turned out that even though his career started in the 1960s, he had never released a record on vinyl and that (apart from one album which still remains to be found, he can’t remember about a cassette tape release either). He did however record sessions for Sudanese radio.
In Sudan the radio stations were not allowed to play the recordings produced by music labels on air, therefore they had their own studios and invited musicians to record music for their program. In most cases the musicians would not receive a copy of the recordings out of fear that they would release the music themselves. But luckily Kamal Keila had gotten his hands on two sessions and had kept those two studio reels all these years. Both ta- pes were in the most horrible condition with mold everywhere and obvious signs that they had gotten very wet at some point. But to our surprise they played very well. Each included five tracks. One with English lyrics and another with Arabic ones. Musically you can hear the influence of neighboring Ethiopia much more than on other Sudanese recordings of the time, as well as references to Fela and American funk and soul. His lyrics, at least when he sings in English, which indicates more freedom from censorship, are very political. A brave statement in the constitutional climate of Sudan of the last decades, preaching for the unity of Sudan and peace between Muslims and Christians. Be on the look out for the full Kamal Keila album later this year, from whom we also licenses the music from."
written by Jannis Stuertz

IG: habibibfunk
FB: facebook.com/habibifunk

Pre Order

Kamal Keila - Al Asafir (Habibi Funk: An ecclectic selection of music from the Arab world)

pre-order: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-007-an-eclectic-selection-of-music-from-the-arab-world

"Without Fadoul we would have never started Habibi Funk. I vividly remember  nding a copy of his now classic James Brown cover „Sid Redad“ in a dusty old shop, run by a man who once owned a record distribution and label called Mekauiphone in Casablanca. It took us around six trips to Morocco over the course of more than a year to  nd his family as Fadoul himself unfortunately died in the early 1990s. Over the course of time, we kept on  nding new records by him that were unknown to us (and recently also two studio tapes from two sessions at Boussiphone studios full of alternate takes and demo versions) and they all added to the picture of a wild heart, full of energy, creativity, yet no stranger to the inner demons a lot of artists struggle with. Fadoul was more than just a singer. He spent some time in Paris playing theatre, he painted, he worked as a circus clown for four years in the Netherlands, he recorded and also composed a single for a famous orange juice brand from Morocco.
His lyrics dealing with topics such as drugs and depression but also having good times paired with a musical backdrop that is always funky yet dirty and played with a real punk attitude. “Bsslama Hbibti is taken of a hardly known 7“ he recorded for Atlassiphone and picks up where the recording on Fadoul’s album on Habibi Funk left off. A raw sound aesthetic, an energetic performance, a mighty voice and a very lively atmosphere that was pre- served in the recordings. So far only the copy used for this release has surfaced. We have also started to work on a second album exclusively dedicated to Fadoul with a partial focus on his 1980s output consisting of his very unique takes on hiphop and reggae. This song, just like the “Al Man Saib” album, was licensed from Fadoul’s family."

order

Fadoul - Bsslama Habiti (Habibi Funk: An ecclectic selection of music from the Arab world)

Habibi Funk

Hamid El Shaeri - Ayonha

IG: @habibifunk // soundcloud.com/habibifunk // facebook.com/habibifunk /

Vinyl

Kamal Keila - Taban Ahwak (Release coming soon)

We're super happy to announce the release of our 9th release. It's the only album by Sudanese band "The Scorpions" with Saif Abu Bakr on vocals (الترجمة العربية أسفله)With original copies on eBay selling for up to 1000$ we're excited to make it finally available for everyone (Outside of that shitty bootleg that was available a year or so ago. FUCK BOOTLEGGERS). The album was recorded on tour in Kuwait. The music is a unique combination of incredibly powerful horn arrangements, a vigorous drummer contributing a funky backbone and Saif's uniting all of these elements. The results range from instrumental tracks awaking memories of 1970s crime thriller soundtracks to more Sudanese-rooted tracks, a lot of them modernized versions traditional rhythms from the diverse regions of Sudan and even an excursion into Congolese Soukouss. While all of our reissues so far have been compilations in the sense that we put together our favorite selection of tracks by one artist, this album will be our first 1:1 re-release, simply because the quality of the albums does not fall off on a single track. With its eclectic influences it birthed a one-of-a-kind new mixture and serves as a blueprint for what we are looking for when we release music on Habibi Funk.

نحن في غاية السعادة بالاعلان عن اطلاق تاسع ألبوم لنا وهو الألبوم الوحيد لفرقة العقارب من السودان الذي سجل في الكويت ويشمل المطرب سيف أبو بكر. متحمسين لاتاحة الفرصة للجميع للاستماع الي هذا الألبوم الذي كان حتي الآن متوفرا اما في نسخته الأصلية علي اي-باي بمبالغ عالية (١٠٠٠ دولار) أو نسخ زائفة مسروقة ومحملة علي الانترنت فقط (ونعتبر هذه الممارسات غير مقبولة بتاتا!). 
تمزج موسيقي الفرقة - في تشكيلة فريدة من نوعها - بين أصوات الأبواق القوية والطبول كأساس للرتم الفنكي وصوت سيف الذي ينجح في توحيد كل هذه العناصر. التيجة.. ألبوم مكون من أغاني تتنوع ما بين المقطوعات الموسيقية التي تذكرك بموسيقي أفلام الجريمة والتشويق من السبعينات والأغاني الأقرب للموسيقي السودانية التقليدية المتأثرة من المناطق المختلفة في السودان (ونسمع أيضا شيء من السوكوس الكنغولي).
لأول مرة سنطلق البوم كما هو عندما سجلته الفرقة - علي عكس ألبوماتنا السابقة التي شملت أغاني اختارناها من ألبومات مختلفة لنفس الفرقة والسبب في هذا هو قناعنا أن كل أغاني هذا الألبوم علي نفس مستوي الجودة . ولّدت تأثيراتهم االموسيقية صوت فريد من نوعه والذي يعتبر بالنسبة لنا مقياس ومرجع للموسيقي التي نبحث عنها في حبيبي فنك.

Pre-Order

The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr - Farrah Galbi Aljadeed فرح قلبي الجديد

I heard about Seif Abu Bakr and The Scorpions for the first time maybe 3-4 years ago. Their album “Jazz, Jazz Jazz” ended up on my radar because of an eBay auction; it might have been the first auction for this particular album on the platform. While the bids kept on rising daily up to a staggering 1000$, if I recall correctly, I was intrigued about the snippet preview bits of the music on this album as well as by the impressive artwork. This album happens to be my first conscious connection with Sudanese music. Habibi Funk must have already existed for a year or so but I had not yet come across any recording from Sudan that I felt fitting in the context we set for our self. I remember I did some quick research in the aftermath of the auction (which I obviously did not win) to gather some information about the band but apart from some vague bits and pieces I could not find anything. In most encyclopedic overviews of the Sudanese music scene of the 1970s the band appeared as a mere footnote. How come? I really do not know. To me the music is a unique combination of incredible horn arrangements powerfully performed, a vigorous drummer contributing a funky backbone and Seif's uniting those elements. The results range from instrumental tracks awaking memories of 1970s crime thriller soundtracks to more Sudanese-rooted tracks, a lot of them modernized versions of traditional tribal rhythms and even an excursion into Soukouss. While all of our reissues so far have been compilations in the sense that we put together our favorite selection of tracks by one artist, this album will be our first 1:1 re-release, simply because the quality of the albums does not fall off on a single track. With its eclectic influences it birthed a one-of-a-kind new mixture and serves as a blueprint for what we are looking for when we release music on Habibi Funk.

Saif Abu Bakr & The Scorpions - Nile Waves

Sudan/UK collective The Scorpios performed on the closing day of Le Guess Who? 2018. Inspired by traditional Sudanese music and 60s and 70s pop, the group create an elated mix of Arabic rhythms, raw Eastern funk and vintage psychedelia.

About:
Having fled from the fundamentalists in their home country of Sudan, the original members of psychedelic group The Scorpios established themselves in London during the 80s. Once there, they built a growing friendship with guitarist and community worker Adam Bulewski, who quickly became a permanent member of the band.

Recorded and mixed by Marc Broer on Sunday, 11 November, at TivoliVredenburg's Ronda during Le Guess Who? Festival. 
Photography by Juri Hiensch.

www.leguesswho.com

The Scorpios - Mashena

Habibi Funk is back with another album from Casablanca. Completely unreleased album which was recorded in Morocco in 1973 by three generation family band. A unique blend of Gnawa, Funk and Rock. Traditional Moroccan music meets electronic guitars and dense layers of percussion by a band that used to run in the same circles as Fadoul (And actually wrote one of his songs).

Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah - Al Hadaoui الهداوي (Habibi Funk 011)

Habibi Funk is back with another album from Casablanca. Completely unreleased album which was recorded in Morocco in 1973 by three generation family band. A unique blend of Gnawa, Funk and Rock. Traditional Moroccan music meets electronic guitars and dense layers of percussion by a band that used to run in the same circles as Fadoul (And actually wrote one of his songs).

2  ALBAKI  
it's the story of a man who lost his love. The author asks him to explain (to the people) the sources of his suffering and dissatisfaction.  To which he replied "I will not tell you because the weight of your problems certainly exceeds mine."
I have confided in myself in the past. My first confidant left without a trace. The second confidant created twice as much trouble for me.

"I sacrificed all my youth (for her), and it was in the prime of my life,
A rose from which I removed the spines, from my blood-soaked hands,
The one I cried about has forgotten our days and nights,
And the one to whom I confided my pains, died without memories.
(...) "

Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah - Albaki الباكي(Habibi Funk 011)

Issam Hajali might be most known for being the singer and main composer of the Lebanese band Ferkat Al Ard. While they recorded 3 albums only their classic „Oghneya“ release saw a vinyl release and is probably the most in demand record in the Lebanese record collector scene (A copy changed hands in Beirut this year for 5000$). Before the band came together Issam recorded a debut album under his own name called "Mouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard" in 1977 in exile in Paris. It was originally released in a run of less than 100 copies.

Issam Hajali - Ana Damir El Motakallim

لا تقل لي:

ليتني بائع خبر في الجزائر

لأغني مع ثائر!

لا تقل لي:

ليتني راعي مواشٍ في اليمن

لأغني لانتفاضات الزمن

لا تقل لي:

ليتني عامل مقهى في هافانا

لأغني لانتصارات الحزانى!

لا تقل لي:

ليتني أعمل في أسوان حمّالاً صغير

لأغني للصخور

يا صديقي! لن يصب النيل في الفولغا

ولا الكونغو، ولا الأردن، في نهر الفرات!

كل نهر، وله نبع... ومجرى... وحياة!

يا صديقي!... أرضنا ليست بعاقر

كل أرض، ولها ميلادها

كل فجر، وله موعد ثائر!

كلمات: محمود درويش

Funk & Disco Zamaan

Brian Sampson 1