Great! Can't wait till finally released on vinyl!

feels

=> https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-018-the-slam-years-1983-1988

Hamid Al Shaeri -  Yekfini Nesma’sotak (Habibi Funk 018)

Pioneer Works Swing (Live)

Hailu Mergia — Yegle Nesh (Live)

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)

LA-based multi-instrumentalist looks to East Africa for his next LP, on Soundway. 

Read more & listen on Youtube: http://bit.ly/gpww-dexter
Buy: https://www.soundwayrecords.com/Shop/DownloadDetails?rid=SWR_RE_97

Listen on Youtube

Dexter Story feat. Yared Teshale - Sidet Eskemeche (Worldwide Premiere)

Carrie & Lowell

All of Me Wants All of You

Eugene

Should Have Known Better

Blue Bucket of Gold

No Shade in the Shadow of The Cross

Pre-order: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/alech-2

When we first decided to start Habibi Funk, a label dedicated to re-releasing „funky" Arabic music from the 1960s to 1980s, a band called Dalton was the first release we worked on. Dalton was a band from the Tunisian capital of Tunis and they played a unique mix of soul & funk with an Arabic DNA. We licensed the release from the band’s composer Fawzi Chekili, and when we spoke to him on the phone in preparation of the release he mentioned another band he was part of, called Carthago. Our work with Habibi Funk is like a big treasure hunt. There are too many great bands that fully vanished into obscurity and didn’t leave any traces in the digital sphere yet. We are so used to the internet providing all informations we might be looking for, but Carthago was one of those bands where the internet largely failed to provide any infos despite the fact that Carthago created some incredible music in the form of an highly infectious Tunisian take on disco music. Luckily most of the members of the 1970s musical scene of Tunis are still around to tell their story. 


Carthago was founded in the late 1970s as a fusion of Dalton and a second band called Marhaba Band. Both bands frequently played at hotels and night clubs in Tunis and Sousse. They had similar musical influences and despite the fact that they were competition for the most part, they came up with the idea to join forces for a new band. Musically Carthago kept on walking on the musical path of Dalton and Marhaba but incorporated disco music, a new style that was making its way to North Africa from Europe and North America. The band had quite some success on local radio and played a number of big shows with thousands of people showing up. The band’s concerts were a mixture of their own compositions as well as cover versions of the hits of the time from Stevie Wonder to Chicago. At the end of the 70s they went to Paris to record their only, self titled album. For our reissue we picked out two of our favorite tracks: „Hanen“ and the outstanding disco version of the Dalton track „Alech“ which has proved to work on every dance floor we played over the last two years. 


When I came to Tunis for the first time after the Dalton reissue I met Fawzi in person. He still lives in Tunis and still works as a full time musician though his focus has shifted more towards Jazz over the years. Luckily he did not only keep a spotless copy of the Carthago album but he also kept the master tape of the instrumental versions of the album which to this day were unreleased. Being able to add exclusive content to a reissue is something that is rare and we feel highly privileged to be able to do so. Futher more we are so happy that we will be able to add something new to the bands legacy not only musically but also visually: One day I realized that most of the releases from Tunisia I liked, be it from Dalton, Carthago or Marhaba Band had the same photographer credit. 


Hassen Turki started taking photos at a young age and when he was 18 he started going to the gigs of the bands of the time that were playing in the Marhaba Hotel which was managed by his father at the time. He became friends with the bands and ended up being the person to be asked when it came to shooting the photos for the covers of the records. After some research I managed to get in touch with Hassen and met him in his hometown Sousse. Luckily he kept most of the negatives of the photos he took so we’re more than happy to be able to share these unseen photos with whoever is interested. 


Our gratitude goes to all the members of Carthago, Marhaba Band and Dalton: Fawzi Chekili, Hedi Ben Ali (Dede), Ridha Kouhen, Ferid Ben Cheikh, Skander Almi, Hechmi Miliani, Mustapha Rehouma, Kamel Sellam, Claude Chiarello, Taoufik Sellam (Fouka), Sadok Gharbi, Fernando Marino (Nando), Jamel Bel Haj Khelifa and to Hassen Turki for allowing us to use his photos.

Habibi Funk 004: Carthago - Alech (Pre-order link in description)

pre-order: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-007-modern-music

Al Massrieen was one of the first bands I learned about once I discovered the tape format. They were really popular in Egypt in the 1970s and the more of their music I found on either tapes or Arabic pirate mp3 sites, the more I was becoming a fan. Only very few bands from the region can match the band’s versatility as well as their strive for innovation. Hany Shenoda is the man behind the Al Massrieen band. He is a reknown figure of the Egyptian music scene and has worked with everyone from Abdel Halim Hafez to Mohamed Mounir. Al Massrieen was his attempt to introduce his ideas of modernizing Egyptian music, heavily encouraged by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt's only winner of the Nobel Price for literature) after discussing his ideas with him.

Al Massrieen - Sah (pre-order now)

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-006-modern-music

Al Massrieen was one of the first bands I learned about once I discovered the tape format. They were really popular in Egypt in the 1970s and the more of their music I found on either tapes or Arabic pirate mp3 sites, the more I was becoming a fan. Only very few bands from the region can match the band’s versatility as well as their strive for innovation. Hany Shenoda is the man behind the Al Massrieen band. He is a reknown figure of the Egyptian music scene and has worked with everyone from Abdel Halim Hafez to Mohamed Mounir. Al Massrieen was his attempt to introduce his ideas of modernizing Egyptian music, heavily encouraged by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt's only winner of the Nobel Price for literature) after discussing his ideas with him.

Al Massrieen - Men Awel Deqiqa (pre-order now!)

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.

Saif Abu Bakr & The Scorpions - Forssa Saeeda فرصة سعيدة

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

We're super happy to announce our 13th release by Sharhabil Ahmed, the actual King of Sudanese Jazz (he won that title in a competition in the early 1970s). Sonically it sounds very different from what Jazz is understood to sound like outside of Sudan. It’s an incredible unique mix of rock’n’roll, funk, surf, traditional sudanese music and influences from Congolese sounds. Original copies of Sharhabil recordings are often hard to find, so we’re happy they will now be widely available, including a booklet with liner notes, interviews and unseen photos from Sharhabil’s personal archive. The release is licensed from Sharhabil himself and he receives 50% of the profits of the sales.

Pre-order

Sharhabil Ahmed - Argos Farfish (Off Habibi Funk 013, dropping in July)

label, dj and platform for a wide range of underappreciated music from north africa and west asia

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

habibi funk - حبيبي فنك

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