Egyptian Jazz

Egypt Strut

01 - Douaa - Haditouni (Habibi Funk 015)

Probably two to three years ago we received a message from Hassel Dehaes, who shared a 7” vinyl he had found in Belgium with us, asking whether we knew anything about it. We were immediately electrified by the immense beauty of the song and tried to find out anything about the artist. That turned out to be not very easy. Eventually, we managed to get in touch with the artist’s daughter Reem Mitten who helped us license the song from her mother and was also happy to contribute the following text about her mother’s musical career.

„My Mother's journey in music first started off when she was 17, still only a student at Lycée Dar Essalam Rabat, going by her Maiden name Douae Abd al-Rahman Hassani (now Douae Mitten.) Her only experience in music was that of a spectator, eyes for her mother, the singer, Bahija Idriss and her father, Al-Rahman Al-Hassani, a composer. My Mother's first experience in music was with the song “The way of lovers” in Egypt 1984. It was a melody composed by her father and the lyrics were written by journalist and poet Omer Battisha. This was the first time my mum had ever worked with a band, which essentially resulted into a room filled with esteemed musicians and herself. By the time, my Mother had only ever sang in front of her school friends. “The way of lovers” was originally composed for Mayada Hanawe. Due to creative differences she didn't end up singing the song. Somehow my grandmother Bahija Idriss had suggested to my mother’s father, that mum could go to Egypt, where her father had been residing, to sing the song. During that trip to Egypt, she had the honor of meeting Mohamed Abdel Wahab and that is what would be the beginning of my mothers musical journey.

“Parlez moi de lui” came to fruition due to a family visit to Belgium. A music producer there had contacted my grandfather to ask, if his daughter wanted to do a cover of the joyous french song “Parlez moi de lui.” My mother then proceeded to translate the entire song into Arabic in one evening. The following day, she was recording the song. Another important experience!

Although music was my mother's passion, her career did not exceed more than a few songs. It had been a short and sweet experience but her life took a different direction. She came on to be a stewardess for Emirates airline having many different and amazing adventures. Shortly after a couple years she went on to meet my father Alan, an amazing Irish man. They moved to London, where they still reside, and had four children, me included.“

Text by Reem Mitten

Habibi Funk 015: Douaa - Haditouni

Modern Music

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soul sample demos! ep - mix of jazz soul & funk samples from 1970's & 1980's united states

sound design, production, mixing, & mastering via - stracct

samples are used

artwork - stracct

contact me if you are interested in using any of my beats/instrumentals for whatever reason.

late night taco joint! [stracct] [99bpm Gminor] [soundcloud exclusive]

** OUT ON 30 JUNE 2017 **
http://www.piranha.de/piranha/various_artists/can_i_get_a_witness

Piranha turns 30!

Can I get a Witness? Yes, we can! Get a witness and listen to music from all over the world, one piece at a time, in a single scintillating session of two and a bit hours.

Local roots and international hybrids. Tradition and avant garde. Spiritual ecstasy and zest, political activism, purely psycho-physical dance crazes: Piranha Records has had it all for 30 solid years now – and counting!

From Nubia to Cairo

Ali Hassan Kuban - Mabruk (Congratulation)

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

Before we the full album drops next Friday we’re happy to drop the 4th track off The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr’s album „Jazz, Jazz, Jazz“ called "Saat Alfarah ساعة الفرح“. It’s actually a personal favorite of mine off the album, then again picking favorites on this album is a hard task. Have a listen and hear for yourself.

Vinyl + Digital

The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr - Saat Alfarah ساعة الفرح

Hada Wagty

Najib Elhouch - Ya Aen Daly

Ahmed Malek Maya

Rogér Fakhr - Had To Come Back Wet (Lebanon, Habibi Funk 016)

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

Saif Abu Bakr & The Scorpions - Nile Waves

habibi funk - حبيبي فنك

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