great stuff man! great read, looking forward for the album.

Thanks Habibi Funk for bringing back thius nice music to spotlight again -much respect

Sublime international sounds. Championed on Dash 'n' Verve (https://dashnverve.com/2017/10/21/habibi-funk-007)

Such a great song and artist! Thanks so much!

Funk & Disco Zamaan

http://www.meditations.jp/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=15713

Hailu Mergia And The Walias Band - Muziqawi Silt

Tinariwen / Assàwt (Live on KEXP)

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)

Africa 45, number 15 – http://www.mrbongo.com/products/mahmoud-ahmed-aynotche-terabu-seyoum-gebreyes-wallias-band-metch-ene-terf-feleghu-7

‘Aynotché Tèrabu’, featuring Equators Band, was original released on Amha Records, Amha AE 920 A in 1975. This one has been a firm favourite in our DJ sets since we have had it cut; driving Ethio-funk with big vocals and drums.

Mahmoud Ahmed also appeared on Africa 45, number 4 with ‘Bemen Sebeb Letlash’.

‘Mètch Ené Terf Fèlèghu’ was originally released on Kaifa KF 002 A (7703) in 1973. Mid tempo, Ethio funk led by a low slung bass line and horns.

Both Seyoum Gèbrèyès and Wallias Band appeared previously on AFR45.014.

Mahmoud Ahmed - Aynotché Tèrabu

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)

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

Vinyl

Kamal Keila - Taban Ahwak (Release coming soon)

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.

Pre-Order

Saif Abu Bakr & The Scorpions - Nile Waves

Seyfu Yohannes - Mela Mela (Ethiopian Music)

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

💥PRE-ORDER NOW💥

The Dancing Devils of Djibouti. Out June 5.

2LP/CD ➡️ lnk.to/dancingdevils
Digital/Stream ➡️ lnk.to/8spABTID

A stunning collision of Somali funk, American jazz, Jamaican reggae, Indian Bollywood, and the synth melodies of the Red Sea by Groupe RTD, one of East Africa's best kept secrets.

Freshly pressed double LP cut at 45 RPM, housed in a reverse board printed gatefold sleeve, alongside a hardcover CD bookcase with a 12-page booklet.

Recorded in three days -- as per the strict limit set by Djibouti's national radio authorities -- with a state-of-the-art mobile recording studio replete with the very best audio interfaces and carefully positioned microphones around a less than soundproof room to achieve a vibrant, professional sound while maintaining the analog warmth of decades prior.

The Dancing Devils of Djibouti

BUY NOW!

Raga Kaan Ka’Eegtow (You Are The One I Love) / Asma Omar

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)

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

Tha'er

Tha'er - AL-Bara'em

Ethiopiques, Vol. 7: Erè mèla mèla 1975-1978

Atawurulegn lela

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

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

habibi funk - حبيبي فنك

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